David Williams, a 60-year-old man from Chester, has embarked on a remarkable journey of healing and self-discovery following significant personal losses. Aside from his one time in 1991, he was never known as a stoic who wouldn’t cry. He’s now crying “once in a while” about mom and marriage and life, feeling things that were once buried deeper, truer than ever.
Williams, who was born and raised as the oldest of three children on the Lache social housing estate. This harsh landscape had an enormous impact on his formative years. His father abandoned the family when Williams was young, and Williams and his siblings were forced to endure a deeply troubled childhood. Although having a difficult childhood, no matter the circumstances he continued to strive for education. In his 30s, he studied marketing, and in his 40s, earned an MA in executive coaching.
In 2014, after 30 years of happy marriage, Williams experienced a second life-changing ordeal, as he found himself divorced from his wife. Little did he know, this was the start of a rocky period that would change the course of his life. At the age of 55, he received a devastating diagnosis: a brain tumour. This double punch of personal loss and health challenges made him deal with feelings that he’d suppressed for years – if not decades.
For years, Williams had kept up the appearance of success. He recalls a poignant moment with his mother during her final days, saying, “I gave her a kiss on the forehead, told her I loved her, and she waved me out of the room. She couldn’t talk.” Each of these moments were instrumental in his emotional awakening.
After his collapse, Williams took it upon himself to recover and enter a support group at age 60. Perhaps even more importantly, this step was critical in letting him process all of the traumatic losses he had endured in the course of his life. In that case, something unpredictable happens to you that you don’t control, he noted. Here are two clips, the first as he considers how he’s made peace with his past.
As Williams started on the long path to healing, the value of that community cohesion hit home for him. Through his church, he created a network of support that helped steer him away from danger and find peace within Christianity. As he explained, “My mom instilled in me that things can be taken away from you in an instant.” He put a real focus on the lessons that they learned from their experiences.
Williams’s trajectory is a testament to his perseverance. He had moved to London and changed employers many times over the course of his career. His ability to adapt to unexpected challenges has served him well in maneuvering the trials of his health condition. Meanwhile, he is deeply engaged in his own emotional healing.
When he’s not attending support groups, Williams has found a new cathartic outlet in our midst—writing. He uses this medium to inform and empower his own healing process. At the same time, he wants to make an impact on others going through the same struggles. He recounted, “For the first time in my life, I had space to think and process.” He pressed upon the importance of self-reflection in times of crisis.
As he moves into this next chapter of life, David Williams is a model of resilience and courage — the strength to be vulnerable. His story highlights the nuanced nature of human feeling, especially when tested by hardship.