Mike Peters, frontman of Welsh new wave band The Alarm, has called for people to become potential stem cell donors after the return of his cancer.
Peters shared the news of his cancer diagnosis back in April in a statement uploaded to the band’s website. “On Sunday morning April 21st, I awoke with a large swollen gland on the left side of my neck,” he wrote. “The early results have determined that my Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL) has undergone a transformation into a High Grade Lymphoma.”
The musician has been living on and off with cancer for 29 years, and has established a cancer foundation named Love Hope Strength.
“In all that time, I have managed to outrun the disease and stay alive,” he continued. “My focus and resolve remain the same, and I’m determined to keep running even harder to stay one step ahead and resume my life as a husband, father, and musician as soon as possible.
Back in May, Peters confirmed that doctors had informed him that his leukaemia had undergone “an overnight transformation into a rare and aggressive form of lymphoma known as Richter’s Syndrome”.
“I am now engaged in the biggest challenge of my life and have the highest mountain to climb in order to stay alive,” he added.
The musician was previously given the all-clear back in September after undergoing experimental therapy at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester, and sadly last month revealed that the cancer had returned.
Now, the Love Hope Strength Foundation has launched its new campaign, One in a Million, in an effort to double the number of people signed up as potential stem cell donors. According to a statement on their website, “over 250,000 people have been registered as potential stem cell donors through Love Hope Strength’s ‘Get on the List’ campaign in partnership with international blood cancer non-profit, DKMS.”
“I was supposed to be preparing for a stem cell transplant now, exactly 29 years since I was first told I had the disease,” said Peters (as per BBC).
He continued: “Unfortunately, Richter’s syndrome has aggressively broken down my hard-earned remission and denied me the opportunity to have this potentially life-saving procedure. The future is uncertain, but I still have many options and as I navigate those, I want to make sure I help other blood cancer sufferers like me.”
His wife Jules added: “Although this latest set-back has been a devastating blow for our family, it affords us more time to find the best life-saving match for Mike.”
Those wishing to become a stem-cell donor can visit here for more information.
The Alarm formed in 1981, after having previously played together in punk band The Toilets. Embracing a more new wave aesthetic, they scored a UK Top 20 hit in 1983 with ‘Sixty Eight Guns’, and joined U2 on their US arena tour the same year.
They went on to secure a further eight UK Top 40 singles. Their most recent studio album was 2021’s ‘WAЯ’.