Reggae Music Helps U.K Fan Battle Depression, Alcoholism

MUSIC has helped a former bar manager who suffered a severe stroke to battle depression and beat the bottle.

After suffering a stroke in his mid-30s, Marcus Bradford was permanently paralysed down one side.

Now the reggae music fan, who lives at Mid-Meadows Care Home, in Frinton, hopes he can inspire others after not allowing disability to stand in the way of him setting up his own online radio station.

Mr Bradford, 40, was on his way back to Essex from Cornwall, where he was running a pub, to visit his mother in Halstead.

He said: “I had a bit of a headache and just thought it was a hangover from the night before.

“I had the stroke on the train and I ended up in hospital somewhere, but I can’t remember where.”

It is still a bit of a blur for Mr Bradford but he said he spent almost two years in hospital – six months at Hereford and the remainder at Halstead.

Doctors told him that his stroke, which happened when he was 34, was caused by a blood clot on his brain.

“I was very lucky. It was pretty depressing in Halstead Hospital because it is predominantly for the elderly and it is just one ward.

“It has taken me quite a while to get used to being in a wheelchair, and in the last couple of years I decided to do something to keep myself occupied and keep my brain active.”

mistakes The reggae radio station is available at reggaevibesradio.com and it officially started last Tuesday.

Mr Bradford said he got into reggae as a teenager and, although he used to DJ at the odd party and in his bedroom, he had never considered running a radio station.
He said: “I have it all set up on computer and it plays music continuously throughout the week, and then I do three live shows on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

“I didn’t know anything about computers before my stroke. I have learnt from scratch and just from my own mistakes.”

Mr Bradford said the radio station has helped him battle an alcohol problem as he has been so busy setting up the site and guest appearances that he has not had a drink for about three weeks.

Mr Bradford is lining up Jamaican reggae artist Gyptian to host a live phone-in and promote his new album one night this week.

Ryan McCarthy, UK


The Reggae News Agency

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