0:00:02 > 0:00:04This programme contains some strong language
0:00:12 > 0:00:16It's a little bit like that line from Al Pacino in The Godfather,
0:00:16 > 0:00:20just when you think you're out, you're sucked right back in.
0:00:20 > 0:00:21In the summer of 2015,
0:00:21 > 0:00:2520 years after first being diagnosed with cancer,
0:00:25 > 0:00:28Mike Peters of the Welsh rock band The Alarm
0:00:28 > 0:00:30took an ominous turn for the worse.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32It's the 23rd of June.
0:00:32 > 0:00:37Went for my regular checkup with Dr Edwards and I just wasn't expecting
0:00:37 > 0:00:41- what had happened.- The chemotherapy that had managed Mike's leukaemia
0:00:41 > 0:00:43for so long stopped working,
0:00:43 > 0:00:47and doctors at Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor were running out of options.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49Dr Edwards said to me,
0:00:49 > 0:00:53"OK, Mike, the thing is, I haven't got an answer for you today.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55"I need some time to think."
0:00:57 > 0:00:59He was standing on the edge of a cliff,
0:00:59 > 0:01:03and another little nudge could have been just one step too far.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08He came out of that hospital and he hit the floor in a way
0:01:08 > 0:01:09that I've never seen before.
0:01:09 > 0:01:14He doesn't like not having a plan. He likes to be in control.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18Just kind of scary. It's like being back in the dark again.
0:01:18 > 0:01:19Into the unknown.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23Another journey we've got to make together for me and Jules.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27I went to London to the Chelsea Westminster,
0:01:27 > 0:01:29and the specialist there said to me,
0:01:29 > 0:01:31"If you want to see your kids in two years,
0:01:31 > 0:01:32"you need to come and have a transplant here.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34"Don't mess about in North Wales."
0:01:34 > 0:01:37And it really scared the life out of me.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39But I came home to talk about it with Dr Edwards, and he said,
0:01:39 > 0:01:43"That's one theory, but he's not looking at your children,
0:01:43 > 0:01:46"he's not looking at your music, he doesn't go to see you play live,
0:01:46 > 0:01:49"doesn't know you. I do."
0:01:49 > 0:01:53And I said, "I trust you. Let's do it."
0:01:53 > 0:01:57Dr Edwards fought to put Mike on an experimental drug trial.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01The hope is that a new revolutionary chemotherapy regime
0:02:01 > 0:02:04will keep Mike's leukaemia under control.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07Life just seems to bring everything to a point,
0:02:07 > 0:02:13and now I'm looking to recover from the cancer, to get into remission,
0:02:13 > 0:02:15and I'm also looking to
0:02:15 > 0:02:20reaffirm what The Alarm and our music has stood for.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23This is the busiest and most remarkable year in
0:02:23 > 0:02:26the life of Mike and Jules Peters.
0:02:26 > 0:02:31We have been through so much, and we've survived so much.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33But you keep thinking,
0:02:33 > 0:02:35there's a little nagging thought of my head thinking,
0:02:35 > 0:02:38"But is one of these things going to come along
0:02:38 > 0:02:42"that I can't find a way out of?
0:02:42 > 0:02:46"Is there going to be something that's coming now
0:02:46 > 0:02:48"that is going to change everything?"
0:02:58 > 0:03:00One, two, three, four!
0:03:03 > 0:03:06Mike Peters formed The Alarm in Rhyl in 1981
0:03:06 > 0:03:09and they quickly exploded onto the British music scene.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11The Alarm's live performance with Mike at the centre of it
0:03:11 > 0:03:13had such an energy to it. It was U2
0:03:13 > 0:03:16and The Alarm that stood out for the extraordinary
0:03:16 > 0:03:18live energy they brought to their performance.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23They looked like buskers, but cool.
0:03:23 > 0:03:28They were of the street, and we were really just pretending.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32An extensive tour of America in support of U2 quickly followed,
0:03:32 > 0:03:35and The Alarm found success on both sides of the Atlantic.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39We were on an adventure. We were in our early 20s.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41Yeah, we began a friendship,
0:03:41 > 0:03:44the sort of friendship you get when you stay in shite hotels.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46We were playing these massive audiences
0:03:46 > 0:03:48and these journalists were going,
0:03:48 > 0:03:50"Who are they?" And it was while we were in America,
0:03:50 > 0:03:53in the middle of the night, we get a call to say,
0:03:53 > 0:03:56"You've got to fly back to do Top Of The Pops."
0:04:00 > 0:04:03# Sixty eight guns will never die
0:04:03 > 0:04:06# Sixty eight guns, our battle cry... #
0:04:06 > 0:04:09And when I get off the plane and spoke to the first journalist
0:04:09 > 0:04:12and I opened my mouth to talk, they said, "You don't sound American."
0:04:12 > 0:04:13I went, "What do you mean? He said,
0:04:13 > 0:04:15"Well, you're an American band, aren't you?"
0:04:15 > 0:04:18I said, "No, we're from Rhyl, North Wales."
0:04:18 > 0:04:21The Alarm and Mike Peters went on to play
0:04:21 > 0:04:24sell-out concerts across the globe and sell millions of records
0:04:24 > 0:04:27worldwide in a career spanning over 30 years.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40TUNING UP GUITAR
0:04:46 > 0:04:48I'm writing Time at the moment.
0:04:48 > 0:04:53It's a song which came to me around the piano at home.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55It's quite a reflective song, really.
0:04:55 > 0:04:56Check, one, two.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58I think I've come to a point in life
0:04:58 > 0:05:02where you want to make the most of everything I've enjoyed
0:05:02 > 0:05:06and everything I've got more so than I've ever felt before.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09Cancer makes you aware of life and what you could lose.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13Make the best of time.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15That's really what it's saying.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17Time, you can't take it with you.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19Time, it's all we've got.
0:05:20 > 0:05:25It's the most valuable commodity we have as humanity.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28# This is your life
0:05:29 > 0:05:32# These are your days
0:05:34 > 0:05:41# So take them and run while you can
0:05:41 > 0:05:44# While you've still got time. #
0:05:45 > 0:05:49Time has always been a big part of what I do
0:05:49 > 0:05:55through association with a band named after a time instrument.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58So I think, when you're young,
0:05:58 > 0:06:01you feel like you've got the whole of time ahead of you
0:06:01 > 0:06:05and you've got plenty of time to follow your dreams,
0:06:05 > 0:06:07to tear things down if you have to -
0:06:07 > 0:06:10there's plenty of time to rebuild.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12And I've done a lot of that in my life.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16But now, I feel I'm at a time where I want to consolidate everything
0:06:16 > 0:06:20and I want to spend time with those that are dearest to me
0:06:20 > 0:06:24and make the most of what is left
0:06:24 > 0:06:26because I'm 57 now, and...
0:06:28 > 0:06:30..it can't go on forever, unfortunately.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57You don't really feel ill from cancer,
0:06:57 > 0:06:59you feel ill from the treatments.
0:06:59 > 0:07:03It is a bit of a dichotomy to get your head around.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06And these are the only times when I actually feel ill.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09You can feel the effects of it, it slows you down,
0:07:09 > 0:07:13things start to get a bit slow motion.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17But, you know, ultimately, it is keeping you alive, as well.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21I was 29 when Mike was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25It was probably the most terrifying moment of my life.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31I remember him phoning me from New York
0:07:31 > 0:07:33and saying that he'd discovered a lump in his neck.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37And he came home and we went into our local hospital
0:07:37 > 0:07:39as you do, together,
0:07:39 > 0:07:43and I sat down and just could see the doctor opposite us
0:07:43 > 0:07:47with a little leaflet that said, "Living With Cancer."
0:07:49 > 0:07:52We had no preparation for it whatsoever.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56And it was 20 years ago, so it was a bit of a death sentence.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01We had an American tour booked a few days later.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03And his doctors wanted him to go
0:08:03 > 0:08:06and look at having a bone marrow transplant. And Mike just said,
0:08:06 > 0:08:10"No, I don't feel that that's the right decision.
0:08:10 > 0:08:15"I feel like I should not cancel anything, go to America,
0:08:15 > 0:08:18"get my head together and then review the situation."
0:08:23 > 0:08:25It caused a massive argument.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27I think part of it was I was scared,
0:08:27 > 0:08:29so I wanted to sort of run away from it,
0:08:29 > 0:08:30but I was listening to my instinct.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33My instinct said, "Go on tour."
0:08:33 > 0:08:36To be fair, Jules, it was really upsetting for her.
0:08:36 > 0:08:37Frightening.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39I had spoken to this faith healer
0:08:39 > 0:08:42and he said green was a healing colour for me.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46So in my mind, I turned it into this psychological warfare.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49I thought, "I'm going to war on cancer in my head.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52"And I am going to buy a combat jacket
0:08:52 > 0:08:54"and they're not coming off till I'm healed."
0:08:56 > 0:08:58I couldn't bear the sight of it.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01It broke my heart to see him dressed in it.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04He grew a beard and he changed his personality a little bit.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07And he'd just hunker down and just, again,
0:09:07 > 0:09:09pulled himself into his music.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11We all knew he had this diagnosis.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14The fans who were coming to the gigs every night didn't.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18And that had a slightly surreal quality because you knew he had this
0:09:18 > 0:09:21serious thing hanging over him, you knew he had this surreal audience,
0:09:21 > 0:09:22but he was putting on these amazing shows,
0:09:22 > 0:09:25getting an amazing response from fans at the shows,
0:09:25 > 0:09:29and none of them had any idea what he was carrying around with him.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31# Who will light the fire
0:09:31 > 0:09:33# I need to survive?
0:09:35 > 0:09:37# Who will be the lifeblood
0:09:37 > 0:09:40# Coursing through my veins? #
0:09:40 > 0:09:44When I got back and had the blood tests, ready to go into action,
0:09:44 > 0:09:47my count had started to reverse, which is very unusual.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50I thought it was a miracle.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53I saw it as an absolute sign that I'd been saved.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59They looked at everything.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01Basically, all their learning said,
0:10:01 > 0:10:03"That's lymphoma, we've got to act."
0:10:03 > 0:10:05They put it down to a miracle.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07They called it spontaneous remission
0:10:07 > 0:10:10and all the signs of the cancer had disappeared.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14It's rather like seeing a grove of oak trees.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18You can see the oak trees, you can send out your guys with a chainsaw,
0:10:18 > 0:10:20you can say, "We cut down every single oak tree."
0:10:20 > 0:10:22You can't see the acorns in the ground.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26What you don't know is if, in six months, 12 months, 18 months,
0:10:26 > 0:10:29how many of those acorns are going to start to sprout?
0:10:30 > 0:10:36Almost ten years to the day, Mike developed lymphs on his neck.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39All hell let loose.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43I couldn't believe he was so ill.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47He had his first chemotherapy the day before Christmas Eve
0:10:47 > 0:10:51and everything changed. It's like you've gone from Technicolor,
0:10:51 > 0:10:55which is how I like to live my life, to black and white, all drained.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59Like a weed killer, is what it is.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02But I've never given in.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06Now I feel like it's knocking me out, but I try to stay awake.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10I think we've been quite hard-core about the chemotherapy, haven't we?
0:11:10 > 0:11:14Mike will always tease that I've never allowed him to stay
0:11:14 > 0:11:15in bed the next day.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19It's always, like, "Get up, get busy, get focused."
0:11:19 > 0:11:23So, this is his one time when he's allowed to sit,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26get a bit sleepy and a bit tired.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30But tomorrow, it will be up and at 'em.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32Every year for the last ten years,
0:11:32 > 0:11:35Mike and Jules have organised the Snowdon Rocks trek to
0:11:35 > 0:11:38the summit of Snowdon to raise money for their
0:11:38 > 0:11:40Love Hope Strength Foundation.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43It supports the North Wales Cancer Centre,
0:11:43 > 0:11:46where Mike has been treated for the last 20 years.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48Jules and I have always loved climbing in the mountains.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52And it was while lying in the hospital,
0:11:52 > 0:11:55see Snowdon in the distance from the window from the cancer centre,
0:11:55 > 0:11:58and got that yearning to go back up the mountain.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01To go up the mountain symbolises a journey back to health.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05If I can climb that, that's where I used to be before cancer.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09I reckon we're hitting about 1,000 people that are involved
0:12:09 > 0:12:11- in the whole event now.- Definitely.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13It's really engaged the whole community.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23The work that Mike is doing is fantastic.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25We know he's battling cancer himself
0:12:25 > 0:12:28and he's raised so much money with the help of so many people
0:12:28 > 0:12:31right across North Wales. He's such an inspiration.
0:12:31 > 0:12:32# You always need a weatherman
0:12:32 > 0:12:34# To know which way the wind blows. #
0:12:34 > 0:12:36LAUGHTER
0:12:36 > 0:12:38He's the kind of chap that he'll say, "Do something,"
0:12:38 > 0:12:42and everybody goes, "How high, where do I go and what next?"
0:12:42 > 0:12:44He really does lead from the front, though.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47He never asks you to do anything that he wouldn't do himself,
0:12:47 > 0:12:50and he isn't doing himself, which I think makes a big difference.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57The combination of Mike and Julie is just incredible.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59They are the perfect partnership.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02They drive each other on, they feed each other and they push each other.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04Mike goes off and performs,
0:13:04 > 0:13:07Julie does the work and inspires other people to join the journey,
0:13:07 > 0:13:11which is not only this, but it's a global one, isn't it?
0:13:13 > 0:13:16Base Camp Everest, Machu Picchu,
0:13:16 > 0:13:18Mount Fiji, Kilimanjaro.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21We will climb mountains and raise a lot of money
0:13:21 > 0:13:24and give it to the people of that mountain.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28The Love Hope Strength Foundation also uses gigs around the world
0:13:28 > 0:13:30to recruit organ and bone marrow donors
0:13:30 > 0:13:34to create life-saving matches for leukaemia sufferers like Mike.
0:13:34 > 0:13:41We've been able to save 2,620 lives to date.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46I think it's really important to have a challenge.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49When you're there and the needles are in your arms
0:13:49 > 0:13:51and the doctor's reading out the results,
0:13:51 > 0:13:54you need that focus to get through that
0:13:54 > 0:13:56and that comes with looking ahead.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00You can climb a mountain and get back to the life you choose to live.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04# I'm a soldier marching in an army
0:14:04 > 0:14:07# Got no guns to shoot
0:14:07 > 0:14:10# All I got is a one guitar
0:14:11 > 0:14:14# I got one guitar
0:14:14 > 0:14:16# And it sounds like
0:14:16 > 0:14:18# Nah, nah, nah
0:14:18 > 0:14:20# Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah
0:14:20 > 0:14:22# Nah, nah, nah
0:14:22 > 0:14:24# Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah
0:14:24 > 0:14:26# Nah, nah, nah
0:14:26 > 0:14:28# Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah... #
0:14:29 > 0:14:33Yeah. There we go. Give us a kiss.
0:14:35 > 0:14:36High five, then?
0:14:36 > 0:14:39I can still give you a kiss, I'm your dad.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41It's allowed.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48Gareth Bale.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51Bale, for Wales. In!
0:14:54 > 0:14:56In towards Vokes. Vokes!
0:14:59 > 0:15:01Kicked in towards Robson-Kanu.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04Taylor's available. What a turn! What a goal!
0:15:04 > 0:15:08Been a rocking summer. I've enjoyed it. It's been lovely.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10Mike and I, before we had the kids,
0:15:10 > 0:15:14used to have open house all the time and throw lots of parties.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17It feels like over the last ten years - I don't know if it's because
0:15:17 > 0:15:19we've been on the road a lot or concentrating on the kids -
0:15:19 > 0:15:21but we haven't done that as much.
0:15:21 > 0:15:22So the Euros have been great.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24We've had open house every week.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26- THEY CHANT:- Wales! Wales!
0:15:29 > 0:15:31We were all looking forward to the next three weeks
0:15:31 > 0:15:35of just being carefree
0:15:35 > 0:15:39and not even worrying about anything.
0:15:39 > 0:15:44I couldn't believe it, this weekend just gone, I came across a lump...
0:15:44 > 0:15:47on my nipple, just below my nipple.
0:15:47 > 0:15:52I didn't give too much concern about it but, because I'm used to acting
0:15:52 > 0:15:58fast with health issues, I phoned my doctor on Monday morning.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01By Monday afternoon, I was in surgery.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03I'd been checked out and they established
0:16:03 > 0:16:07that it was indeed a lump and that I needed a mammogram.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10So, that's where I'm heading today, to get checked out.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15I'm hoping it will be something of nothing.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18You know, the important thing to remember is that
0:16:18 > 0:16:2110% of lumps that women find are cancerous,
0:16:21 > 0:16:23so that's some good odds.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27But we're used to walking into places hand in hand
0:16:27 > 0:16:28and expecting the worst.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32So there's part of me that expects, because it's Mike and I,
0:16:32 > 0:16:33that it will be bad news.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37There's that sick sense of humour that just thinks,
0:16:37 > 0:16:41"If there's going to be someone in that 10%, it probably will be me."
0:16:47 > 0:16:49I wouldn't wish living with cancer on anyone.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51But I think for Mike and I,
0:16:51 > 0:16:53if anyone has had to deal with it as a couple,
0:16:53 > 0:16:56we're probably the best couple to take it.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59But were lucky, we're fulfilled, we're enriched,
0:16:59 > 0:17:01we have a really exciting life.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05I count myself really lucky that I happened to bump into Mike in
0:17:05 > 0:17:10the high street in Prestatyn, in 1986.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12- How you feeling?- Nervous, babe.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15- Are you?- A little bit, yes. - Yeah?- Yeah.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23Jules and I met through the hand of fate, really.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26I'd come from touring with The Alarm at probably
0:17:26 > 0:17:29the peak of our career in the '80s.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33It was 1986 and we'd played to 25,000 people at UCLA.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37We'd come home to Britain and played at Wembley Stadium.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40I was always a bit of a home bird.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42Whenever we moved to London, Friday night,
0:17:42 > 0:17:46I'd be hitchhiking up the M1 and the M6 to get home and see all my mates,
0:17:46 > 0:17:49back in Rhyl. I still lived at home, you know?
0:17:49 > 0:17:51Internationally famous rock star,
0:17:51 > 0:17:54living at home at home with his parents.
0:17:54 > 0:18:00Anyway, I was out on the street and I saw a vision...
0:18:00 > 0:18:04in a blue dress. Fell in love, right there and then.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06I remember walking her home.
0:18:06 > 0:18:11I'd never walked six foot off the floor before.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15I didn't know what that felt like, but I did when I met Jules.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18I opened the door, and there's this guy with the highest haircut
0:18:18 > 0:18:22you've ever seen and a coat down to the floor and these big boots.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24I thought, "Oh, my God.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26"What the hell's she brought home now?"
0:18:26 > 0:18:28I tell you what, she couldn't have brought home a nicer
0:18:28 > 0:18:30and a better man.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35Two weeks after we met, we got engaged.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38Our parents thought we were absolutely crazy, but I knew,
0:18:38 > 0:18:40Jules knew.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43It was binding, right there and then.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46I knew nothing in life would ever break it.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04I'm afraid it's looking like bad news, yeah.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06So, we're not going to know for two weeks,
0:19:06 > 0:19:08two weeks of torture, waiting.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12But it's looking pretty obvious that it's cancer, yeah.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22There's two areas on the right breast,
0:19:22 > 0:19:25the lump below the nipple that I'd found myself,
0:19:25 > 0:19:27which they said it was very unusual that I'd found that
0:19:27 > 0:19:29and it must have been some instinct for me.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32And then there's another mass, as well.
0:19:32 > 0:19:33I am prepared,
0:19:33 > 0:19:37and I've had lots of experience dealing with these moments,
0:19:37 > 0:19:43so if it's going to have to happen to anyone, I think I can manage it.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46And I'll manage that by... I've got great girlfriends who look after me,
0:19:46 > 0:19:48a great family.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51I feel bad for them, more.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54I know what's going on inside me.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56It's the thought of...
0:19:56 > 0:19:58That makes me sad.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03The thought of my mum and dad, I don't want them to be worried.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05It's all right, darling.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07I can deal with it,
0:20:07 > 0:20:11but I don't want to blight their life and to worry about me.
0:20:14 > 0:20:15It'll be OK.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17They'll be amazing, you watch.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19Dad will be brilliant.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21- Your mum will be phenomenal. Yeah?- Mm.
0:20:28 > 0:20:29LINE RINGS
0:20:29 > 0:20:31- 'Hello?'- Hi, Mum. It's me.
0:20:31 > 0:20:36- 'Hiya.'- Hi. Sorry I've been late calling you,
0:20:36 > 0:20:39but it's just taken a long process this afternoon.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41I've seen loads and loads of people.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45- 'Right.'- But it is highly likely that it is breast cancer, Mum.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47'It's highly likely?'
0:20:47 > 0:20:49Yeah, I'm afraid, yeah.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54You always think it happens to other people.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56I play bowls, locally,
0:20:56 > 0:20:58and I was in matches,
0:20:58 > 0:21:01and I was crying as I played.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04I couldn't tell anybody because she didn't want anybody to know.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12Even though it was a horrendous feeling, from deep down here...
0:21:14 > 0:21:18..I suddenly thought, "Wait a minute, Peter,
0:21:18 > 0:21:20"look what she's been through so far.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22"Look how she's coped with Mike, you know?
0:21:22 > 0:21:26"The highs and lows, seeing that guy after his chemo, the next day."
0:21:27 > 0:21:31But, you know, she's special. Simple as that.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37- You're OK, though, yeah? - Yeah, I'm fine.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40- You are. I know you are.- I'm fine.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45You're doing great. That's the most important thing now.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48What did we used to do with IVF when we had bad news?
0:21:49 > 0:21:52- Watch 24.- Yeah.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54It's those kind of things we were talking about, you know?
0:21:54 > 0:21:56Joking apart, everyone's like,
0:21:56 > 0:21:59"It's good to have kids when you're going through bad stuff."
0:21:59 > 0:22:02But when you don't have kids, and we were going through IVF...
0:22:04 > 0:22:05..we could just completely...
0:22:05 > 0:22:07I think that's what I found easier,
0:22:07 > 0:22:12we could just go into a bubble and disappear.
0:22:12 > 0:22:17And we did. We used to watch 24 in real-time to distract us.
0:22:17 > 0:22:22You know what? Going through IVF is probably more devastating than this.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24I think that's why I can cope with it.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26I have got Dylan and Evan, after all.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28But IVF,
0:22:28 > 0:22:30because I dealt with that privately,
0:22:30 > 0:22:32I didn't really even tell my girlfriends.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37I do not wish that upon my worst enemy.
0:22:41 > 0:22:42I remember making the decision,
0:22:42 > 0:22:45"Right, come on, let's get pregnant. Next month I'll be pregnant."
0:22:45 > 0:22:50And then, of course, it all started, month, after month,
0:22:50 > 0:22:52with the periods arriving.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55And I kept making excuses.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58And it was Mike, after about 12 months, that said,
0:22:58 > 0:23:01"Babe, I think we've got a problem. Need to go to the doctors."
0:23:01 > 0:23:04They found out that my fallopian tubes were blocked as
0:23:04 > 0:23:06the result of an appendicitis operation
0:23:06 > 0:23:08when I was at Bangor University.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14And that broke her to pieces.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17She stayed at home, she didn't want to go out.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21Felt that she'd been violated somehow.
0:23:21 > 0:23:26So, together, we talked about the various options
0:23:26 > 0:23:29and then we decided to go seek out the IVF route.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35The first IVF failed,
0:23:35 > 0:23:37the second IVF I got pregnant.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39And then...
0:23:39 > 0:23:44about seven weeks into the pregnancy, and I felt amazing,
0:23:44 > 0:23:46then seven weeks, just...
0:23:46 > 0:23:49literally, like that, I looked at Mike and I just said,
0:23:49 > 0:23:51"I'm not pregnant any more."
0:23:51 > 0:23:53He's like, "What?" I said,
0:23:53 > 0:23:57"I can just tell." Everything is just gone...
0:23:57 > 0:24:00The hardest thing I've had to do as a human being,
0:24:00 > 0:24:02to this point in life,
0:24:02 > 0:24:06was sit in the consultation room with Jules, with the ultrasound,
0:24:06 > 0:24:09and the nurse looking at the screen
0:24:09 > 0:24:14hoping to see the bleep of a heartbeat, the shape of a child.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18- There was nothing there.- On my third attempt, I didn't get pregnant.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21I thought, "Right, I'm in for the long haul now."
0:24:21 > 0:24:23Fourth attempt, I just thought,
0:24:23 > 0:24:26"Right. A few beers," I relaxed.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28And it worked, I got pregnant.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35Not only did I get pregnant,
0:24:35 > 0:24:37I created lots of embryos and, as a result,
0:24:37 > 0:24:39I was able to freeze some embryos.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42Fast forward, Dylan was aged two,
0:24:42 > 0:24:46Evan has been easy-peasy from the beginning.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48I went down to Midland Fertility,
0:24:48 > 0:24:52they defrosted him overnight and popped him in.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55And as I drove away from Midland Fertility Services,
0:24:55 > 0:24:56I just knew I was pregnant.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03Explain the birds and bees to those two.
0:25:03 > 0:25:04That's going to be fun!
0:25:07 > 0:25:10We'll have to really think about how we manage it with Dylan,
0:25:10 > 0:25:13- more than anybody. - Well, he's that little bit older.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15Evan, it will kind of bounce off him a little bit.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17They both understand.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20They've been living with the with the word cancer for a long,
0:25:20 > 0:25:22long time, all their lives.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26They'll say, "Well, Dad's OK, so Mum will be OK, too."
0:25:33 > 0:25:35The day after we found out about Jules' condition,
0:25:35 > 0:25:39we had to face up to the fact that I was booked to appear at
0:25:39 > 0:25:42the homecoming of the Wales soccer team
0:25:42 > 0:25:47after their incredible journey at the Euro 2016 tournament.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50At first, when I walked out the hospital,
0:25:50 > 0:25:53the last thing I felt like doing was going in a car to Cardiff,
0:25:53 > 0:25:55from North Wales.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59But as Jules woke up in the morning and I could start to see
0:25:59 > 0:26:02some strength returning to her, she said, "Can we go?"
0:26:03 > 0:26:07I thought, "Well, it's a bit like what I said when I was diagnosed,"
0:26:07 > 0:26:08I still had a gig to go. I said,
0:26:08 > 0:26:10"Do you mind if I go and play a gig?"
0:26:12 > 0:26:15Hi, guys. How's it going? How are you?
0:26:15 > 0:26:17I'm so pleased that I've come down today.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21It's fantastic to be part of this very upbeat, positive atmosphere.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24I feel fairly formidable, I have to say.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27Really looking forward to getting to grips with this.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29- Get cracking, that's what I need to do.- Yeah.
0:26:33 > 0:26:38I had to go on stage and sing the Burt Bacharach song which has become
0:26:38 > 0:26:43synonymous with the Wales team, Can't Take My Eyes Off You.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45# You're just too good to be true
0:26:47 > 0:26:50# Can't take my eyes off you
0:26:51 > 0:26:55# I want to hold you so much
0:26:55 > 0:26:58# You'd be like heaven to touch... #
0:26:58 > 0:27:00There's a line that says,
0:27:00 > 0:27:03"Now that love has arrived, I thank God I'm alive."
0:27:03 > 0:27:08And I looked at Jules at that point and, I have to say,
0:27:08 > 0:27:10it absolutely broke me for a second.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12I had to find all the...
0:27:12 > 0:27:16layers of professionalism that are steeped in what I do.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19I had to look away because if I carried on looking
0:27:19 > 0:27:21I would have broken down.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23# I love you, baby... #
0:27:23 > 0:27:24Mike is very invincible.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27So I'm married to somebody, for a start, who's very strong.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29He hasn't cried over this at all.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33But, interestingly, he just caught sight of me stood on my own,
0:27:33 > 0:27:35wallowing in my self-pity.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38I think that rocked him a little bit, and that's not like Mike.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45Have a great night with the Manic Street Preachers.
0:27:47 > 0:27:48Thank you.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55When I saw Jules at the side of the stage, I walked down the steps,
0:27:55 > 0:27:57I only had eyes for her.
0:27:57 > 0:28:02There was thousands of fans screaming, cheering and clapping.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06I just wanted to hold Jules in that moment and look in her eyes.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09To see Jules, in that moment...
0:28:09 > 0:28:1530 years we've been together from 1986 to 2016,
0:28:15 > 0:28:19and there's a depth to that and a strength to that and
0:28:19 > 0:28:24a reservoir of will that we can draw upon to see us through this period
0:28:24 > 0:28:27and it all came to me in that moment.
0:28:27 > 0:28:31When I had to sing, "Thank God love has arrived..."
0:28:31 > 0:28:35I found that hard. That was harder than I thought.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38You're just too good to be true, babe. I love you.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40I love you, too, babes
0:28:45 > 0:28:49I don't quite know what's going to happen yet, so I've got to wait.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52And I feel really sad that I might have to lose my breast.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55I really don't want to lose my hair.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58And in two weeks' time I will know
0:28:58 > 0:29:02how bad my tumour is, or how good my tumour is.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10I feel like I am in some bizarre, surreal -
0:29:10 > 0:29:13dare I use the word? - nightmare.
0:29:13 > 0:29:15And then hoping it will be less of a nightmare soon,
0:29:15 > 0:29:18in a few days, maybe, I don't know.
0:29:19 > 0:29:21So, feeling a bit blue.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24It's Monday and it's raining.
0:29:24 > 0:29:28I just can't shake off my malaise, really.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32I don't like knowing what's happening inside me.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37Mike clearly doesn't tell me when he is very worried.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40He sees his job to stay strong.
0:29:40 > 0:29:43So, who knows what he's feeling?
0:29:43 > 0:29:47He has written this song, Time, So Little Time.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49When you read the lyrics, it is heartbreaking.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59I'm really scared about having to have an operation
0:29:59 > 0:30:00and lose my breast.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03I'm scared about losing my femininity.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05I'm scared about losing my hair.
0:30:05 > 0:30:07I'm really, really fed up.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11This is a household full of cancer.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14They've had cancer to deal with for 20 years.
0:30:14 > 0:30:16It was just unbelievable that Jules then
0:30:16 > 0:30:19was going through this journey herself.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22Them both being ill...
0:30:22 > 0:30:27is a whole new level of difficulty...
0:30:27 > 0:30:30but...they're up to it.
0:30:36 > 0:30:38They'll win this fight,
0:30:38 > 0:30:41and the most important thing is that they have long lives
0:30:41 > 0:30:44because they've a lot to contribute.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46We need more people like this.
0:30:46 > 0:30:51But Jules is a jewel and she's precious.
0:30:51 > 0:30:53I know she's going to pull through, I know that much.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59Today's a results clinic,
0:30:59 > 0:31:03- so it's basically giving you your diagnosis today.- Yes.
0:31:03 > 0:31:06Now, you have got breast cancer...
0:31:06 > 0:31:09- Yeah.- ..as you thought.- Yes.
0:31:09 > 0:31:12You've got a lesion just around the nipple,
0:31:12 > 0:31:15which is the one you came in with and Dr Edwards scanned that,
0:31:15 > 0:31:16as you said.
0:31:16 > 0:31:19She said while she was scanning around there
0:31:19 > 0:31:22she noticed some subtle changes a bit higher up
0:31:22 > 0:31:24- in the centre of the right breast. - Yes.
0:31:24 > 0:31:28- They're both cancerous.- Yeah.
0:31:28 > 0:31:33Now, the one at the top, that, we reckon, is about two centimetres.
0:31:33 > 0:31:35- Wow.- OK?
0:31:38 > 0:31:42So, that lump there is a cancer lump, OK?
0:31:42 > 0:31:45And that would mean that, if you kept your breast,
0:31:45 > 0:31:47you would have to lose your nipple.
0:31:47 > 0:31:49- Right, OK.- Can I get you to sit up, please?
0:31:49 > 0:31:51Dangle your legs down, if you could.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54I'm just going to ask you to put your hands on your hips for me.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57- I'm going to move your breast round a little bit, OK?- Yeah.
0:31:57 > 0:31:59That's going to help me decide...
0:32:01 > 0:32:04- ..if we've got enough tissue in the lower breast...- OK.
0:32:04 > 0:32:08..to use to replace this tissue up here that I'm going to remove, OK?
0:32:11 > 0:32:13Now, I think we might just be able to get away with it.
0:32:13 > 0:32:15- OK.- OK?
0:32:15 > 0:32:17You'll have a much smaller breast, but it will be...
0:32:17 > 0:32:20I think we can still maintain a breast shape for you,
0:32:20 > 0:32:22you will be unmatched, on the other side.
0:32:22 > 0:32:25That will be bigger. But we can do surgery on that side to lift
0:32:25 > 0:32:29- and match.- Can you?- OK. Just cover you up there.- OK.
0:32:32 > 0:32:34- I believe you're going away?- Mm-hm.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37- So that's what we need to discuss. - Yes, OK.
0:32:37 > 0:32:39Our problem is,
0:32:39 > 0:32:43Mike's a musician, so he's got some shows booked.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46We go away every year for a month to New York,
0:32:46 > 0:32:48so we're planning to go on Sunday.
0:32:48 > 0:32:50I think when I did my research,
0:32:50 > 0:32:53I was working chronologically that...
0:32:53 > 0:32:57someone probably wouldn't be able to operate on me until...
0:32:57 > 0:32:59the end of August.
0:32:59 > 0:33:01I don't know if that's right.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04It's good to try and maintain some level of normality
0:33:04 > 0:33:06and get on with it.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08But if the MRI's fine,
0:33:08 > 0:33:11it's not good to be a big issue for your leave date.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14They're not sure yet, this all depends on the MRI,
0:33:14 > 0:33:17whether it's a mastectomy
0:33:17 > 0:33:21or rebuilding with the breast as it is.
0:33:21 > 0:33:26These are all the answers that will come once they've studied the MRI.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31I think there is a time when you have to say,
0:33:31 > 0:33:34"OK, point out the risks, explain the risks,"
0:33:34 > 0:33:37but if your patient turns around and says,
0:33:37 > 0:33:38"No, I want to do this,"
0:33:38 > 0:33:41then you ought to back them, you ought to try and support them.
0:33:44 > 0:33:46Is life for living or not?
0:33:49 > 0:33:52It was quite surreal getting on the plane and coming here,
0:33:52 > 0:33:53but I knew I had to come.
0:33:53 > 0:33:55I didn't want to cancel anything.
0:33:55 > 0:33:57I think that gave out the wrong signals.
0:33:58 > 0:34:02I've had a few moments where I've wobbled, which is only natural,
0:34:02 > 0:34:05but it's a constant learning process for me, this,
0:34:05 > 0:34:08but I seem to be winning the war on that.
0:34:09 > 0:34:13She's been really focused on putting it out of her mind, really,
0:34:13 > 0:34:15for the sake of her kids and for the family,
0:34:15 > 0:34:18so we could enjoy a normal holiday.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24I feel in a very good place, but I feel different.
0:34:24 > 0:34:26It's definitely changed me.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29I feel I have to sort of disappear for a little bit
0:34:29 > 0:34:33and focus on all the positive things in my life
0:34:33 > 0:34:35and just to stop being afraid.
0:34:40 > 0:34:43During this break here in New York, there's always rock and roll.
0:34:43 > 0:34:45There's always the tap on the shoulder that says,
0:34:45 > 0:34:47"Hey, Mike, you're a singer and you play guitar."
0:34:47 > 0:34:50There's songs to be sung, gigs to be played and people to be played to.
0:34:50 > 0:34:53# Well, I find myself in reverie
0:34:53 > 0:34:56# About what we might have had
0:34:56 > 0:34:58# And what might have been
0:34:58 > 0:35:01# We had something going once
0:35:01 > 0:35:05# That was such a long, long time ago... #
0:35:05 > 0:35:08I've enjoyed that experience, it's an escape route for me.
0:35:08 > 0:35:14Diving into the music, it allows you a little bit of freedom from cancer
0:35:14 > 0:35:17because I live with it every day. And every morning I wake up,
0:35:17 > 0:35:20and open a bottle that says "chemotherapy" and...
0:35:21 > 0:35:23..same when I go to bed at night.
0:35:23 > 0:35:24I talk to Jules, and
0:35:24 > 0:35:26cancer's exuding from her personality
0:35:26 > 0:35:29because she's going through breast cancer,
0:35:29 > 0:35:31so to play music is a real escape.
0:35:31 > 0:35:33# Oh
0:35:34 > 0:35:38# The spirit of '76. #
0:35:41 > 0:35:43Still out there!
0:35:43 > 0:35:46We're sort of both lucky, at this stage of our lives,
0:35:46 > 0:35:49and the challenges we face that we're involved in
0:35:49 > 0:35:51the Love Hope Strength Cancer Foundation.
0:35:51 > 0:35:57That all is a constant reminder of the goodwill that is out there,
0:35:57 > 0:36:01the outcomes that can happen in a positive sense.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03- How are you, my friend?- Good to see you. Thanks for making it out.
0:36:03 > 0:36:05It's great to see you. It's been a long journey.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08We've come to the John Varvatos clothing store.
0:36:08 > 0:36:12They partnered with us today to do a stem cell donor drive,
0:36:12 > 0:36:15here in the store. We're trying to encourage them to join the list,
0:36:15 > 0:36:18to become life-saving matches for people like me with leukaemia
0:36:18 > 0:36:20who might need a bone marrow transplant in the future,
0:36:20 > 0:36:23a second chance at life. It's a really simple procedure,
0:36:23 > 0:36:26it's a cheek swab that is the simplest part,
0:36:26 > 0:36:27that gets you on the list.
0:36:27 > 0:36:31Inside of your cheek, give a good 30-second hard swab.
0:36:31 > 0:36:32Get those really good cells on there for us.
0:36:32 > 0:36:34It's like a walrus.
0:36:35 > 0:36:37As a charity, so far,
0:36:37 > 0:36:40we've signed over 150,000 people to the list during this method,
0:36:40 > 0:36:43events like today and bigger shows,
0:36:43 > 0:36:47like at festivals like Lollapalooza or at Isle of Wight in the UK.
0:36:51 > 0:36:54I'm not sure I'm looking forward to going home.
0:36:54 > 0:36:56I could stay here for some time.
0:36:57 > 0:36:59Wales is always the place I want to be,
0:36:59 > 0:37:02but it's felt a bit different this time.
0:37:03 > 0:37:05This time, I think we'd rather be staying here
0:37:05 > 0:37:09and not have to go back to deal with what is going to happen next week.
0:37:17 > 0:37:19Do you have any final questions?
0:37:19 > 0:37:21No.
0:37:21 > 0:37:27So, these are the important markings that will help us in theatre.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29OK. Pop your arms back in there.
0:37:29 > 0:37:32- I'll see you in theatre, OK? - Thanks ever so much.
0:37:35 > 0:37:36Being the carer,
0:37:36 > 0:37:39I think it's more exhausting than being the one going through it,
0:37:39 > 0:37:41you know? And Mike has always said that, to be fair.
0:37:41 > 0:37:43He's like, "I know how I'm feeling.
0:37:43 > 0:37:47"You're asking me all the time, how am I feeling?"
0:37:47 > 0:37:50He's probably going to have that experience now.
0:37:51 > 0:37:56I don't want cancer to take anything away from me and Jules,
0:37:56 > 0:37:58the two of us and our boys.
0:37:58 > 0:38:02I still want us to lead the life we always dreamt of and imagined.
0:38:04 > 0:38:09I'm hugely aware that we - all of us - have so little time.
0:38:09 > 0:38:11All our lives are terminal.
0:38:13 > 0:38:14We all come into this world by ourselves,
0:38:14 > 0:38:17we leave this world by ourselves.
0:38:17 > 0:38:18When it cuts to the quick,
0:38:18 > 0:38:22you have to be able to be strong enough to deal with it by yourself.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25When you're on your own, that's when cancer really comes up
0:38:25 > 0:38:27and gives you the hardest time of all
0:38:27 > 0:38:30because all your fears are there.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33The battle is very personal and it is for Jules now.
0:38:33 > 0:38:38It's a very personal, one-on-one conflict within yourself,
0:38:38 > 0:38:42with something that is inside you that is eating at you all the time
0:38:42 > 0:38:43and you're trying to make it stop.
0:38:45 > 0:38:49"Why?" You keep asking yourself, if there is a God up there...
0:38:50 > 0:38:52..because of what we've been through.
0:38:52 > 0:38:54I've held her hand when she's not well.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57I'm thinking, "Why? Why? Why?"
0:38:57 > 0:38:59Well, she's everything to me.
0:39:01 > 0:39:03During the operation,
0:39:03 > 0:39:06Mr Khattak finds some more suspicious areas on Jules' breast,
0:39:06 > 0:39:09which he believes could also be cancerous.
0:39:12 > 0:39:14I started to take it there, as we drew.
0:39:14 > 0:39:16But then I wanted a bit more of a margin
0:39:16 > 0:39:19because I could feel a nodule much deeper and more lateral,
0:39:19 > 0:39:21more on the outside.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25That can go. Thank you.
0:39:25 > 0:39:27Jules will now have another anxious two-week wait
0:39:27 > 0:39:30to find out whether the cancer has all been taken out
0:39:30 > 0:39:32or if the new lumps that Mr Khattak found
0:39:32 > 0:39:36are a sign that the disease has spread further than first thought.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41And now we just have to wait for healing
0:39:41 > 0:39:43and the results in two weeks.
0:39:52 > 0:39:54- Are you ready to rock?- That's it. I can carry that now.
0:39:58 > 0:40:00I slept in the kids' bed last night.
0:40:00 > 0:40:04I just made up the bed for Jules before I took her to hospital
0:40:04 > 0:40:07and it felt like it was her bed, not mine.
0:40:09 > 0:40:12It's nice, but when you come home from hospital, you want nice,
0:40:12 > 0:40:18clean bed, fresh linen and then it feels more relaxing, doesn't it?
0:40:18 > 0:40:23And it wasn't sweaty rock and roll bloke messing up the sheets
0:40:23 > 0:40:27before she got in after her hospital escapades.
0:40:29 > 0:40:33I can't believe it, really, that you're sat there smiling,
0:40:33 > 0:40:35drinking a cup of tea and you look so well.
0:40:35 > 0:40:39I'm thinking the mental, psychological combat zone over
0:40:39 > 0:40:42the next two weeks because you're going to be away.
0:40:44 > 0:40:46I like to be prepared for all eventualities,
0:40:46 > 0:40:50so I think I'm psyching myself up that it's going to be a
0:40:50 > 0:40:53- yes to chemo. But...- I don't think it will, but...- Don't you? Yeah.
0:40:53 > 0:40:55We've got over one hurdle,
0:40:55 > 0:40:58now the second one doesn't look as scary as it did.
0:41:06 > 0:41:09It's the 6th of September and I'm in Washington, DC,
0:41:09 > 0:41:13heading to the US Capitol Building to host Love Hope Strength
0:41:13 > 0:41:18cheek swab donor drive, in the building itself, with senators,
0:41:18 > 0:41:22Congressmen, representatives in attendance,
0:41:22 > 0:41:28and it's a difficult day as well because Jules is back in the UK,
0:41:28 > 0:41:32in Wales, a visit with Mr Khattak and the oncologist,
0:41:32 > 0:41:36and she'll find out today if she has to face up to chemotherapy.
0:41:36 > 0:41:40So, hopefully, today is the day where we can really
0:41:40 > 0:41:43find out what the journey involves.
0:41:43 > 0:41:45So, it's a massive day for Jules today
0:41:45 > 0:41:50and a massive day for Love Hope Strength in Washington, DC.
0:41:51 > 0:41:55I remember delivering pizzas and listening to The Alarm.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58But it was really, I guess, about a year ago that we connected
0:41:58 > 0:42:01and he told me about what he'd done in Westminster
0:42:01 > 0:42:03and done the drive in Parliament.
0:42:03 > 0:42:04I said, "Well, you know,
0:42:04 > 0:42:06"let's talk about maybe doing one here some day."
0:42:06 > 0:42:08And so a year later, here we are.
0:42:08 > 0:42:09Welcome to the list.
0:42:09 > 0:42:13It doesn't matter whether you're a Democrat, Republican, senator,
0:42:13 > 0:42:17Congressman, representative or a visitor in the Capitol Centre,
0:42:17 > 0:42:18if you come and get on the list
0:42:18 > 0:42:21you could be the one to save someone else's life.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25Mike's donor drive in the Capitol has struck a chord with one of
0:42:25 > 0:42:28the most powerful members of Congress -
0:42:28 > 0:42:31House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy,
0:42:31 > 0:42:33whose family have felt the effects of cancer -
0:42:33 > 0:42:36and he invites Mike to his office for a meeting.
0:42:36 > 0:42:38So you battled leukaemia three times?
0:42:38 > 0:42:41- I am in the midst of it. - In the midst of it.
0:42:41 > 0:42:44- All right.- Yeah. - I lost my father to cancer.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47- I read.- I lost an uncle to leukaemia, though.
0:42:47 > 0:42:49- Did you?- For a number of years. Yeah.
0:42:49 > 0:42:54I'm appearing at the World Cancer Congress in Paris in October
0:42:54 > 0:42:57and I've been brought this guitar and I'd like you to sign it.
0:42:57 > 0:43:01- Oh, I'd love to!- Because I want to play this at the opening ceremony
0:43:01 > 0:43:04because I think there's a great opportunity to amplify the message
0:43:04 > 0:43:07that we're a cancer community, aren't we?
0:43:07 > 0:43:08- Yeah.- And we're really engaged.
0:43:08 > 0:43:10There's not one family doesn't know somebody.
0:43:10 > 0:43:13That's right. And what happened to you, what's happened to me
0:43:13 > 0:43:16- brings us together and for the benefit of others.- Yeah.
0:43:16 > 0:43:19So, I really appreciate you supporting our mission today,
0:43:19 > 0:43:21- to say... - I'll be glad to.- And it's fantastic.
0:43:21 > 0:43:23- You want to sit for a second? - Yeah. Absolutely.
0:43:23 > 0:43:27- Did you bring a swab here?- We did. You going to sign up? Yay!
0:43:29 > 0:43:31That was amazing.
0:43:31 > 0:43:35Congressman McCarthy just registered to get on the list.
0:43:35 > 0:43:38That's such a powerful message to send out.
0:43:40 > 0:43:43It's been a momentous day here in the Capitol Building.
0:43:43 > 0:43:47But, really, all I've been thinking about is Jules back at home because
0:43:47 > 0:43:51she's been having a consultation with Mr Khattak, the surgeon.
0:43:52 > 0:43:56PHONE RINGS
0:43:57 > 0:44:00- Hey, Jules.- Hi, darling. How you doing?- Yeah.
0:44:00 > 0:44:02How'd did it go?
0:44:03 > 0:44:05Can you believe it? No results.
0:44:05 > 0:44:07No results?
0:44:07 > 0:44:09No. I've got to wait another week.
0:44:09 > 0:44:12They want to run one more test and it...
0:44:12 > 0:44:16I asked, "Does that mean because it's... There's something sinister?"
0:44:16 > 0:44:19And he said, "No, it's just what they have to do."
0:44:19 > 0:44:22So, I'm not well.
0:44:22 > 0:44:24That's been a bit hard over the last couple of days.
0:44:24 > 0:44:28I've got a urine infection, which was missed when I went into surgery,
0:44:28 > 0:44:32so it's a little bit of a palaver there,
0:44:32 > 0:44:35so the one thing I've noticed the last couple of days,
0:44:35 > 0:44:37because I've felt so ill,
0:44:37 > 0:44:40you know, we are going to have to
0:44:40 > 0:44:43either go in, move in with my parents.
0:44:43 > 0:44:45No, no, we won't, darling.
0:44:45 > 0:44:48We'll come through it together. We'll have to change the diary.
0:44:48 > 0:44:50Yeah, but I don't think you will, that's the point.
0:44:50 > 0:44:52You're already talking about going to Paris.
0:44:52 > 0:44:56- You know, I might be having chemotherapy that weekend.- I know.
0:44:56 > 0:44:57So we need to talk.
0:44:57 > 0:45:00Do you want to go and I'll deal with it with my friends and family?
0:45:00 > 0:45:03- No. No. No. - It will be a hard question
0:45:03 > 0:45:05because I do think you'll want to go,
0:45:05 > 0:45:08so just have a little think about that.
0:45:08 > 0:45:12I'm feeling more vulnerable today and because I felt ill,
0:45:12 > 0:45:16I felt it really tiring to feed the kids and ferry them around
0:45:16 > 0:45:18and also stay upbeat with them.
0:45:18 > 0:45:21You know, it's really hard when you're doing it by yourself.
0:45:21 > 0:45:23I know, darling. I know. It sucks.
0:45:23 > 0:45:27- Bye. I'm going to go now. - All right, babe. Love you.- Love you.
0:45:27 > 0:45:28- Bye.- See ya.
0:45:52 > 0:45:54I'm so tired!
0:45:57 > 0:46:00I'm fine when I'm with people and I can put a brave face on,
0:46:00 > 0:46:07but I'm so ill with my urine infection and I just feel so lonely.
0:46:07 > 0:46:10It was a difficult time for everybody around her, really.
0:46:10 > 0:46:13I think a lot of us felt you're going to need that support.
0:46:13 > 0:46:15I think perhaps with me, coming from a nursing background,
0:46:15 > 0:46:18knowing what potentially lay ahead for her, I thought,
0:46:18 > 0:46:21"You're going to need him close to you."
0:46:21 > 0:46:23But I've learnt not to question.
0:46:23 > 0:46:26Jules is a very strong-minded person,
0:46:26 > 0:46:30but I know Mike also struggled with that. He wanted to be here.
0:46:31 > 0:46:35They've found a little bit of extra cancer.
0:46:35 > 0:46:40They want to take me in for more surgery on Monday morning.
0:46:40 > 0:46:42- 'Oh, fuck.'- Yeah.
0:46:43 > 0:46:46To receive the call that, you know,
0:46:46 > 0:46:48there'd been a third tumour found, Jules
0:46:48 > 0:46:51was going to have to have more surgery,
0:46:51 > 0:46:55well, that just floored me and all I wanted to do was come home then.
0:46:55 > 0:46:58'Listen, I'm going to come home on Sunday.'
0:46:58 > 0:47:00- No, you're not!- 'I am!'
0:47:00 > 0:47:02- Mike, you're not!- 'Obviously I can't have you go to hospital
0:47:02 > 0:47:05- 'and not be there.'- Mike, it's fine.
0:47:05 > 0:47:07- 'Yeah.'- Mike...
0:47:07 > 0:47:11No, that's not happening. That's not happening, OK?
0:47:11 > 0:47:13As a father, I wanted to come home.
0:47:13 > 0:47:15As a husband, I wanted to come home and normally,
0:47:15 > 0:47:19in my life, I've been able to make them all come together,
0:47:19 > 0:47:22so the kids can come on tour and we can share in the whole experience
0:47:22 > 0:47:26together as a family, but now,
0:47:26 > 0:47:29as cancer can do, it starts to tear us apart.
0:47:32 > 0:47:34Cancer is changing me by the day
0:47:34 > 0:47:36and I thought I was already changed
0:47:36 > 0:47:40after my experiences with Mike, but because it's happening to me,
0:47:40 > 0:47:42it feels even different again.
0:47:42 > 0:47:48And I just feel immensely grateful that my tumours have been found.
0:47:48 > 0:47:50I've had to be strong because Mike's away,
0:47:50 > 0:47:52but I wanted him to stay away.
0:47:52 > 0:47:54I felt it was like no help him coming home.
0:47:54 > 0:47:57I know that he will be home two weeks today.
0:48:04 > 0:48:06Thanks a lot. Cheers!
0:48:10 > 0:48:14- You've been gone for so long. Wow!- I tell ya...
0:48:16 > 0:48:18It's been a tough month, hasn't it, babe,
0:48:18 > 0:48:21with everything that's gone on?
0:48:21 > 0:48:24It has. It was pretty devastating, but with this process, you know,
0:48:24 > 0:48:28you find a lump and you want someone to tell you straightaway what
0:48:28 > 0:48:31the diagnosis is, what's going to be involved,
0:48:31 > 0:48:34but it's just the complete opposite of that.
0:48:34 > 0:48:36Cancer is a moving target all day long.
0:48:36 > 0:48:39Just when you think you've got your eyes on the sight,
0:48:39 > 0:48:42it will jump and then it will come at you from another angle.
0:48:44 > 0:48:48We're at the point where really we are going to have to go public
0:48:48 > 0:48:50because Jules is having a lot of treatment.
0:48:50 > 0:48:52She's been in hospital, two surgeries.
0:48:52 > 0:48:55Today, we're in for a consultation.
0:48:55 > 0:48:56It's nonstop now.
0:48:56 > 0:48:59And I don't think we can keep it quiet for long
0:48:59 > 0:49:03before it slips out into the community, and when it goes public,
0:49:03 > 0:49:06that's the time we're going to have to say something to the boys so that
0:49:06 > 0:49:11they don't pick up on something from a person outside the family.
0:49:13 > 0:49:17The end outcome from our team is that
0:49:17 > 0:49:20- you will require chemotherapy.- Yes.
0:49:20 > 0:49:23You will require radiotherapy.
0:49:23 > 0:49:26So you're going to need the full spectrum of treatment.
0:49:26 > 0:49:27The full hit.
0:49:27 > 0:49:31And what is important is we do all this in a timely fashion
0:49:31 > 0:49:34- because there's a certain window of opportunity...- Yeah.
0:49:34 > 0:49:36..in which we have to deliver chemotherapy
0:49:36 > 0:49:40- to get the maximum benefit. - Yeah.- OK?
0:49:47 > 0:49:51I agonised over whether I should even bother going public.
0:49:51 > 0:49:53I think really I'd have preferred to just...
0:49:53 > 0:49:56told everybody next year once I'd got through it.
0:49:56 > 0:50:01But I think once I knew that I was going to have to have chemotherapy,
0:50:01 > 0:50:04it looks like I'm going to lose my hair,
0:50:04 > 0:50:07and that we're having to cancel Alarm shows.
0:50:07 > 0:50:10It just seemed easier to go public.
0:50:10 > 0:50:14I think my main concern was having to go public to the boys.
0:50:16 > 0:50:20It was a shock, but we just took it really good.
0:50:20 > 0:50:25The doctors have got it under control, so we don't worry about it.
0:50:25 > 0:50:28And it's, like, just a normal life.
0:50:31 > 0:50:33The day's finally arrived,
0:50:33 > 0:50:36the day that I've probably been dreading from
0:50:36 > 0:50:38the moment I found the lump.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41I start my first chemotherapy session.
0:50:41 > 0:50:43- It's got a chin strap on it...- Yes.
0:50:43 > 0:50:47- So you actually look in the end like you're riding a horse.- Yeah.
0:50:47 > 0:50:49I'm going to start off with a cold cap
0:50:49 > 0:50:54and it's an ice-cold cap treatment, which I'm more than happy to take.
0:50:54 > 0:50:56Apparently, it's painful for about eight or nine minutes
0:50:56 > 0:50:58and it's very, very cold.
0:50:58 > 0:51:00This will shut me up!
0:51:00 > 0:51:03But there is a chance that it can conserve your hair,
0:51:03 > 0:51:05although I think, being honest with myself,
0:51:05 > 0:51:08I think it's unlikely that I'll be able to save my hair.
0:51:10 > 0:51:12Now, this treatment doesn't come in a bag, it comes in syringes.
0:51:12 > 0:51:15- Right.- Like this. So I just put in...
0:51:15 > 0:51:18Just nice and gently, and in it goes.
0:51:19 > 0:51:22- You all right, love?- Yeah. - Smashing. You're doing great.
0:51:22 > 0:51:24Absolutely great.
0:51:24 > 0:51:26I'm a little bit taken aback and upset
0:51:26 > 0:51:28that it's going to be such a long process.
0:51:28 > 0:51:30At the same time,
0:51:30 > 0:51:34it's eradicating every single little millimetre of cancer
0:51:34 > 0:51:36that may be left.
0:51:36 > 0:51:39I think the chemo has been tough for Jules,
0:51:39 > 0:51:43but she's got through it with real, real determination.
0:51:43 > 0:51:46It was very important to her, I think, not to lose her hair
0:51:46 > 0:51:48and wearing that cap, the cold cap,
0:51:48 > 0:51:50I think, has been very important to her.
0:51:50 > 0:51:51And she's been very determined,
0:51:51 > 0:51:53despite the challenges of wearing it,
0:51:53 > 0:51:56to keep it on, so that she didn't lose her hair.
0:52:02 > 0:52:03I never thought I'd be on a journey
0:52:03 > 0:52:07going to a hairdresser's in Manchester to sort my wig out.
0:52:07 > 0:52:09Never in a million years.
0:52:09 > 0:52:14- Hello. How are you?- Hi. How are you? - I'm good. Are you?- Yeah.
0:52:14 > 0:52:16I had to do the wig to start going through the process,
0:52:16 > 0:52:19so this week is going to be a really...
0:52:19 > 0:52:20I'm going to Paris on Sunday
0:52:20 > 0:52:23and it's going to be a really strange countdown.
0:52:23 > 0:52:28It's like, is it my last week with hair for a good six months?
0:52:28 > 0:52:30- Who knows?- Here's one I fed earlier, girls.
0:52:34 > 0:52:36- Don't pull it off.- Gorgeous.
0:52:46 > 0:52:49Two years ago, in Melbourne, Australia,
0:52:49 > 0:52:52I introduced myself to you as Mike Peters,
0:52:52 > 0:52:55co-founder of the Love Hope Strength Foundation,
0:52:55 > 0:52:58lead singer of Welsh rock band The Alarm
0:52:58 > 0:53:01and a two-times cancer survivor.
0:53:01 > 0:53:04I was quoted then as saying that,
0:53:04 > 0:53:08"As a leukaemia patient, I never saw cancer coming.
0:53:08 > 0:53:12"But then again, cancer never saw me coming either."
0:53:12 > 0:53:15APPLAUSE
0:53:15 > 0:53:17Well, I tell you what,
0:53:17 > 0:53:20if cancer never saw me coming,
0:53:20 > 0:53:24then it certainly isn't going to be prepared for
0:53:24 > 0:53:28the force of nature that is my wife Jules.
0:53:28 > 0:53:30APPLAUSE
0:53:44 > 0:53:46It has been such a battle for me to stay strong,
0:53:46 > 0:53:49I felt really upset.
0:53:49 > 0:53:51I just feel thin all over.
0:53:51 > 0:53:54My hair's thinning, I'm thinning.
0:53:54 > 0:53:58I've woken up every morning and I have to de-tangle my hair
0:53:58 > 0:54:02and it is just...pouring out of me.
0:54:03 > 0:54:08The hair loss, it's really attacked at the heart of who Jules is.
0:54:08 > 0:54:11The damage that cancer is doing,
0:54:11 > 0:54:14it's visibly represented in that hair loss.
0:54:16 > 0:54:20We are very proud because they never, like,
0:54:20 > 0:54:22give up something they've started.
0:54:22 > 0:54:27And that's a good way to live your life, and you only live once.
0:54:36 > 0:54:39So, today, I'm on the next part of my journey.
0:54:39 > 0:54:41I've finished my chemotherapy
0:54:41 > 0:54:44and I've just started on my radiotherapy course.
0:54:44 > 0:54:48I've got 20 days, Monday to Friday,
0:54:48 > 0:54:52and I've decided to keep up the positivity
0:54:52 > 0:54:56that I'm going to walk here everyday and walk home,
0:54:56 > 0:54:57so it's ten miles a day.
0:54:59 > 0:55:01But I'm quite excited to be here.
0:55:01 > 0:55:07I've survived the chemotherapy, if you like, and it was...
0:55:07 > 0:55:09a difficult journey on many levels,
0:55:09 > 0:55:12'but I just feel so relieved and happy to have finished it,
0:55:12 > 0:55:15'and I just feel more excited about radiotherapy.
0:55:15 > 0:55:17'I feel like I'll be able to cope with that quite well,
0:55:17 > 0:55:19'so we shall see.'
0:55:24 > 0:55:26When I wake up in the morning and I've got my hairnet on,
0:55:26 > 0:55:29I have got a breast that's got a massive scar.
0:55:29 > 0:55:32I haven't got a nipple, you know. A bald patch...
0:55:32 > 0:55:35I mean, I've got a massive journey ahead of me.
0:55:35 > 0:55:38I cannot believe I'm going through it, but I am going to be fine.
0:55:38 > 0:55:40I can see all the positives.
0:55:40 > 0:55:44I will never get down about my hair not looking great.
0:55:44 > 0:55:46I'm going to have an uplift.
0:55:46 > 0:55:47I'm going to look bloody great by the...
0:55:47 > 0:55:49I'm 50 next year.
0:55:49 > 0:55:51It's all about celebration.
0:55:51 > 0:55:54We've got so little time and there's such a lot to do.
0:55:56 > 0:55:59I just enjoy lying and thinking about - reflecting, really,
0:55:59 > 0:56:01on my whole journey.
0:56:01 > 0:56:05So there's no pain, nothing to be afraid of,
0:56:05 > 0:56:07it's just...
0:56:07 > 0:56:09We are lucky to have this facility here
0:56:09 > 0:56:12and to get rid of cancer once and for all.
0:56:12 > 0:56:15So, it's all positive, all good.
0:56:15 > 0:56:18You can sit up there, when you're ready, Julie, if you want to.
0:56:18 > 0:56:19Too relaxed.
0:56:19 > 0:56:21I don't. I want to stay!
0:56:21 > 0:56:24Go on, go!
0:56:24 > 0:56:27- See you tomorrow, girls. - Yeah, see you tomorrow.
0:56:44 > 0:56:49The Gathering is the key moment for Mike's fan base every year.
0:56:49 > 0:56:51It takes place in North Wales
0:56:51 > 0:56:54and it's a moment when fans of Mike from all over the world
0:56:54 > 0:56:58come together to celebrate him and his music.
0:56:58 > 0:57:02You could sense it was going to be special long before it happened
0:57:02 > 0:57:06and it was a very victorious ending to a difficult period.
0:57:06 > 0:57:1120 years ago, at Gathering 5, I announced to the world that...
0:57:12 > 0:57:15..I was engaged in a struggle with cancer,
0:57:15 > 0:57:19and that fight has continued ever since, now in its 21st year.
0:57:19 > 0:57:23At first, I was fighting alone, but in my house right now,
0:57:23 > 0:57:27it's fighting on two fronts, with me and Jules, my wife,
0:57:27 > 0:57:28who is my heroine...
0:57:28 > 0:57:32CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:57:32 > 0:57:34We're here to keep each other alive,
0:57:34 > 0:57:37we're fighting the same battle alone and together
0:57:37 > 0:57:38for all this time.
0:57:41 > 0:57:44This is called Time.
0:57:44 > 0:57:46# I give you everything
0:57:48 > 0:57:51# Everything you see
0:57:53 > 0:57:55# All that I have
0:57:57 > 0:57:59# Everything you need
0:58:01 > 0:58:04# This bond can never be broken... #
0:58:04 > 0:58:06Let me hear you sing!
0:58:06 > 0:58:10# Tonight... #
0:58:10 > 0:58:14'Time is me looking at my children, looking at my wife Jules,
0:58:14 > 0:58:15'looking at my own life
0:58:15 > 0:58:21'and hoping that I've made the most of what I've been given.'
0:58:21 > 0:58:22# All we've got
0:58:24 > 0:58:28# All we've got is time
0:58:29 > 0:58:31# This is your life
0:58:33 > 0:58:36# These are your days
0:58:38 > 0:58:42# So take them and run
0:58:42 > 0:58:44# While you can
0:58:47 > 0:58:49# This is your life
0:58:51 > 0:58:55# These are your days
0:58:56 > 0:59:00# So make them the best
0:59:00 > 0:59:03# You can
0:59:03 > 0:59:06# It's your life... #