Mike & Jules Peters Support Bowel Cancer Charity Book

Mike & Jules Peters at Abbey Road

During the summer Mike Peters, from The Alarm, and his wife Jules featured in the very moving BBC documentary, Mike & Jules: While We Still Have Time about their cancer battles. Mike has been fighting leukemia for 20 years, and it was while the documentary, originally about a year in his life, was being filmed that Jules was diagnosed with breast cancer. The documentary follows Jules' journey through diagnosis to treatment. 

Back in 2014, I went to Abbey Road Recording Studios in London to be part of The Scriptures charity record, put together by Mike, for the Love Hope Strength Foundation. I got to play a bit of guitar and wrote a verse for the world's longest song. I'd contacted Jules about them taking part in the book, so during the day Jules sorted out a photo opportunity for me. Looking back on this photo today, it is so much more than that of a rock 'n roll couple. The happiness in their faces shines through, and for anyone who has seen the documentary, for all the horrible cancer stuff, their love for each other is plain to see. Inspiration can be an overused word, but in this instance it is very true indeed as they are a real inspiration to so many people.

Me and Mike with his copy of Live & Times at Reading Hexagon in 2016

The Lives & Times book was published in November 2015, and it has raised over £3400 to date. I'd love to push that figure as high as possible before the follow up book, The Record, comes out in 2018/2019. My Mum was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2012, and the operation to remove the tumour from her bowel was a success, but unfortunately the cancer spread to her left lung. She underwent four further operations on her lungs over the next four years, and was doing really well. Sadly towards the end of 2015 the cancer spread to her brain, in fact her first seizure was on the day that Lives & Times was published, and although she had CyberKnife treatment her condition deteriorated with a massive seizure paralyzing her down one side and putting her in hospital from which she was not to recover. She passed away on August 29th 2016, a week after her 80th birthday.

All funds raised are donated to the Beating Bowel Cancer charity, and the book is also helping to raise awareness about this awful disease.