Mike and Jules: While We Still Have Time


Mike and Jules: While We Still Have Time

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Transcript


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This programme contains some strong language

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It's a little bit like that line from Al Pacino in The Godfather,

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just when you think you're out, you're sucked right back in.

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In the summer of 2015,

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20 years after first being diagnosed with cancer,

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Mike Peters of the Welsh rock band The Alarm

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took an ominous turn for the worse.

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It's the 23rd of June.

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Went for my regular checkup with Dr Edwards and I just wasn't expecting

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-what had happened.

-The chemotherapy that had managed Mike's leukaemia

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for so long stopped working,

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and doctors at Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor were running out of options.

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Dr Edwards said to me,

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"OK, Mike, the thing is, I haven't got an answer for you today.

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"I need some time to think."

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He was standing on the edge of a cliff,

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and another little nudge could have been just one step too far.

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He came out of that hospital and he hit the floor in a way

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that I've never seen before.

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He doesn't like not having a plan. He likes to be in control.

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Just kind of scary. It's like being back in the dark again.

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Into the unknown.

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Another journey we've got to make together for me and Jules.

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I went to London to the Chelsea Westminster,

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and the specialist there said to me,

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"If you want to see your kids in two years,

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"you need to come and have a transplant here.

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"Don't mess about in North Wales."

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And it really scared the life out of me.

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But I came home to talk about it with Dr Edwards, and he said,

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"That's one theory, but he's not looking at your children,

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"he's not looking at your music, he doesn't go to see you play live,

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"doesn't know you. I do."

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And I said, "I trust you. Let's do it."

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Dr Edwards fought to put Mike on an experimental drug trial.

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The hope is that a new revolutionary chemotherapy regime

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will keep Mike's leukaemia under control.

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Life just seems to bring everything to a point,

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and now I'm looking to recover from the cancer, to get into remission,

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and I'm also looking to

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reaffirm what The Alarm and our music has stood for.

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This is the busiest and most remarkable year in

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the life of Mike and Jules Peters.

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We have been through so much, and we've survived so much.

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But you keep thinking,

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there's a little nagging thought of my head thinking,

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"But is one of these things going to come along

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"that I can't find a way out of?

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"Is there going to be something that's coming now

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"that is going to change everything?"

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One, two, three, four!

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Mike Peters formed The Alarm in Rhyl in 1981

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and they quickly exploded onto the British music scene.

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The Alarm's live performance with Mike at the centre of it

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had such an energy to it. It was U2

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and The Alarm that stood out for the extraordinary

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live energy they brought to their performance.

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They looked like buskers, but cool.

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They were of the street, and we were really just pretending.

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An extensive tour of America in support of U2 quickly followed,

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and The Alarm found success on both sides of the Atlantic.

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We were on an adventure. We were in our early 20s.

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Yeah, we began a friendship,

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the sort of friendship you get when you stay in shite hotels.

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We were playing these massive audiences

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and these journalists were going,

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"Who are they?" And it was while we were in America,

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in the middle of the night, we get a call to say,

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"You've got to fly back to do Top Of The Pops."

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# Sixty eight guns will never die

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# Sixty eight guns, our battle cry... #

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And when I get off the plane and spoke to the first journalist

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and I opened my mouth to talk, they said, "You don't sound American."

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I went, "What do you mean? He said,

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"Well, you're an American band, aren't you?"

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I said, "No, we're from Rhyl, North Wales."

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The Alarm and Mike Peters went on to play

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sell-out concerts across the globe and sell millions of records

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worldwide in a career spanning over 30 years.

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TUNING UP GUITAR

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I'm writing Time at the moment.

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It's a song which came to me around the piano at home.

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It's quite a reflective song, really.

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Check, one, two.

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I think I've come to a point in life

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where you want to make the most of everything I've enjoyed

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and everything I've got more so than I've ever felt before.

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Cancer makes you aware of life and what you could lose.

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Make the best of time.

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That's really what it's saying.

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Time, you can't take it with you.

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Time, it's all we've got.

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It's the most valuable commodity we have as humanity.

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# This is your life

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# These are your days

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# So take them and run while you can

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# While you've still got time. #

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Time has always been a big part of what I do

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through association with a band named after a time instrument.

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So I think, when you're young,

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you feel like you've got the whole of time ahead of you

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and you've got plenty of time to follow your dreams,

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to tear things down if you have to -

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there's plenty of time to rebuild.

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And I've done a lot of that in my life.

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But now, I feel I'm at a time where I want to consolidate everything

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and I want to spend time with those that are dearest to me

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and make the most of what is left

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because I'm 57 now, and...

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..it can't go on forever, unfortunately.

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You don't really feel ill from cancer,

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you feel ill from the treatments.

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It is a bit of a dichotomy to get your head around.

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And these are the only times when I actually feel ill.

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You can feel the effects of it, it slows you down,

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things start to get a bit slow motion.

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But, you know, ultimately, it is keeping you alive, as well.

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I was 29 when Mike was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

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It was probably the most terrifying moment of my life.

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I remember him phoning me from New York

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and saying that he'd discovered a lump in his neck.

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And he came home and we went into our local hospital

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as you do, together,

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and I sat down and just could see the doctor opposite us

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with a little leaflet that said, "Living With Cancer."

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We had no preparation for it whatsoever.

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And it was 20 years ago, so it was a bit of a death sentence.

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We had an American tour booked a few days later.

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And his doctors wanted him to go

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and look at having a bone marrow transplant. And Mike just said,

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"No, I don't feel that that's the right decision.

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"I feel like I should not cancel anything, go to America,

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"get my head together and then review the situation."

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It caused a massive argument.

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I think part of it was I was scared,

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so I wanted to sort of run away from it,

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but I was listening to my instinct.

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My instinct said, "Go on tour."

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To be fair, Jules, it was really upsetting for her.

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Frightening.

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I had spoken to this faith healer

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and he said green was a healing colour for me.

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So in my mind, I turned it into this psychological warfare.

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I thought, "I'm going to war on cancer in my head.

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"And I am going to buy a combat jacket

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"and they're not coming off till I'm healed."

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I couldn't bear the sight of it.

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It broke my heart to see him dressed in it.

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He grew a beard and he changed his personality a little bit.

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And he'd just hunker down and just, again,

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pulled himself into his music.

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We all knew he had this diagnosis.

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The fans who were coming to the gigs every night didn't.

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And that had a slightly surreal quality because you knew he had this

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serious thing hanging over him, you knew he had this surreal audience,

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but he was putting on these amazing shows,

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getting an amazing response from fans at the shows,

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and none of them had any idea what he was carrying around with him.

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# Who will light the fire

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# I need to survive?

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# Who will be the lifeblood

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# Coursing through my veins? #

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When I got back and had the blood tests, ready to go into action,

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my count had started to reverse, which is very unusual.

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I thought it was a miracle.

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I saw it as an absolute sign that I'd been saved.

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They looked at everything.

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Basically, all their learning said,

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"That's lymphoma, we've got to act."

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They put it down to a miracle.

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They called it spontaneous remission

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and all the signs of the cancer had disappeared.

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It's rather like seeing a grove of oak trees.

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You can see the oak trees, you can send out your guys with a chainsaw,

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you can say, "We cut down every single oak tree."

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You can't see the acorns in the ground.

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What you don't know is if, in six months, 12 months, 18 months,

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how many of those acorns are going to start to sprout?

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Almost ten years to the day, Mike developed lymphs on his neck.

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All hell let loose.

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I couldn't believe he was so ill.

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He had his first chemotherapy the day before Christmas Eve

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and everything changed. It's like you've gone from Technicolor,

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which is how I like to live my life, to black and white, all drained.

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Like a weed killer, is what it is.

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But I've never given in.

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Now I feel like it's knocking me out, but I try to stay awake.

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I think we've been quite hard-core about the chemotherapy, haven't we?

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Mike will always tease that I've never allowed him to stay

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in bed the next day.

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It's always, like, "Get up, get busy, get focused."

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So, this is his one time when he's allowed to sit,

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get a bit sleepy and a bit tired.

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But tomorrow, it will be up and at 'em.

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Every year for the last ten years,

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Mike and Jules have organised the Snowdon Rocks trek to

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the summit of Snowdon to raise money for their

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Love Hope Strength Foundation.

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It supports the North Wales Cancer Centre,

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where Mike has been treated for the last 20 years.

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Jules and I have always loved climbing in the mountains.

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And it was while lying in the hospital,

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see Snowdon in the distance from the window from the cancer centre,

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and got that yearning to go back up the mountain.

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To go up the mountain symbolises a journey back to health.

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If I can climb that, that's where I used to be before cancer.

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I reckon we're hitting about 1,000 people that are involved

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-in the whole event now.

-Definitely.

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It's really engaged the whole community.

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The work that Mike is doing is fantastic.

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We know he's battling cancer himself

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and he's raised so much money with the help of so many people

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right across North Wales. He's such an inspiration.

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# You always need a weatherman

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# To know which way the wind blows. #

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LAUGHTER

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He's the kind of chap that he'll say, "Do something,"

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and everybody goes, "How high, where do I go and what next?"

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He really does lead from the front, though.

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He never asks you to do anything that he wouldn't do himself,

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and he isn't doing himself, which I think makes a big difference.

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The combination of Mike and Julie is just incredible.

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They are the perfect partnership.

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They drive each other on, they feed each other and they push each other.

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Mike goes off and performs,

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Julie does the work and inspires other people to join the journey,

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which is not only this, but it's a global one, isn't it?

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Base Camp Everest, Machu Picchu,

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Mount Fiji, Kilimanjaro.

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We will climb mountains and raise a lot of money

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and give it to the people of that mountain.

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The Love Hope Strength Foundation also uses gigs around the world

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to recruit organ and bone marrow donors

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to create life-saving matches for leukaemia sufferers like Mike.

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We've been able to save 2,620 lives to date.

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I think it's really important to have a challenge.

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When you're there and the needles are in your arms

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and the doctor's reading out the results,

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you need that focus to get through that

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and that comes with looking ahead.

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You can climb a mountain and get back to the life you choose to live.

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# I'm a soldier marching in an army

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# Got no guns to shoot

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# All I got is a one guitar

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# I got one guitar

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# And it sounds like

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# Nah, nah, nah

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# Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah

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# Nah, nah, nah

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# Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah

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# Nah, nah, nah

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# Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah... #

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Yeah. There we go. Give us a kiss.

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High five, then?

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I can still give you a kiss, I'm your dad.

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It's allowed.

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Gareth Bale.

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Bale, for Wales. In!

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In towards Vokes. Vokes!

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Kicked in towards Robson-Kanu.

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Taylor's available. What a turn! What a goal!

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Been a rocking summer. I've enjoyed it. It's been lovely.

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Mike and I, before we had the kids,

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used to have open house all the time and throw lots of parties.

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It feels like over the last ten years - I don't know if it's because

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we've been on the road a lot or concentrating on the kids -

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but we haven't done that as much.

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So the Euros have been great.

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We've had open house every week.

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-THEY CHANT:

-Wales! Wales!

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We were all looking forward to the next three weeks

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of just being carefree

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and not even worrying about anything.

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I couldn't believe it, this weekend just gone, I came across a lump...

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on my nipple, just below my nipple.

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I didn't give too much concern about it but, because I'm used to acting

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fast with health issues, I phoned my doctor on Monday morning.

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By Monday afternoon, I was in surgery.

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I'd been checked out and they established

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that it was indeed a lump and that I needed a mammogram.

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So, that's where I'm heading today, to get checked out.

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I'm hoping it will be something of nothing.

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You know, the important thing to remember is that

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10% of lumps that women find are cancerous,

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so that's some good odds.

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But we're used to walking into places hand in hand

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and expecting the worst.

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So there's part of me that expects, because it's Mike and I,

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that it will be bad news.

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There's that sick sense of humour that just thinks,

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"If there's going to be someone in that 10%, it probably will be me."

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I wouldn't wish living with cancer on anyone.

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But I think for Mike and I,

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if anyone has had to deal with it as a couple,

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we're probably the best couple to take it.

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But were lucky, we're fulfilled, we're enriched,

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we have a really exciting life.

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I count myself really lucky that I happened to bump into Mike in

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the high street in Prestatyn, in 1986.

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-How you feeling?

-Nervous, babe.

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-Are you?

-A little bit, yes.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

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Jules and I met through the hand of fate, really.

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I'd come from touring with The Alarm at probably

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the peak of our career in the '80s.

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It was 1986 and we'd played to 25,000 people at UCLA.

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We'd come home to Britain and played at Wembley Stadium.

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I was always a bit of a home bird.

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Whenever we moved to London, Friday night,

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I'd be hitchhiking up the M1 and the M6 to get home and see all my mates,

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back in Rhyl. I still lived at home, you know?

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Internationally famous rock star,

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living at home at home with his parents.

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Anyway, I was out on the street and I saw a vision...

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in a blue dress. Fell in love, right there and then.

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I remember walking her home.

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I'd never walked six foot off the floor before.

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I didn't know what that felt like, but I did when I met Jules.

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I opened the door, and there's this guy with the highest haircut

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you've ever seen and a coat down to the floor and these big boots.

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I thought, "Oh, my God.

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"What the hell's she brought home now?"

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I tell you what, she couldn't have brought home a nicer

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and a better man.

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Two weeks after we met, we got engaged.

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Our parents thought we were absolutely crazy, but I knew,

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Jules knew.

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It was binding, right there and then.

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I knew nothing in life would ever break it.

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I'm afraid it's looking like bad news, yeah.

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So, we're not going to know for two weeks,

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two weeks of torture, waiting.

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But it's looking pretty obvious that it's cancer, yeah.

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There's two areas on the right breast,

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the lump below the nipple that I'd found myself,

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which they said it was very unusual that I'd found that

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and it must have been some instinct for me.

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And then there's another mass, as well.

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I am prepared,

0:19:320:19:33

and I've had lots of experience dealing with these moments,

0:19:330:19:37

so if it's going to have to happen to anyone, I think I can manage it.

0:19:370:19:43

And I'll manage that by... I've got great girlfriends who look after me,

0:19:430:19:46

a great family.

0:19:460:19:48

I feel bad for them, more.

0:19:490:19:51

I know what's going on inside me.

0:19:510:19:54

It's the thought of...

0:19:540:19:56

That makes me sad.

0:19:560:19:58

The thought of my mum and dad, I don't want them to be worried.

0:20:000:20:03

It's all right, darling.

0:20:030:20:05

I can deal with it,

0:20:050:20:07

but I don't want to blight their life and to worry about me.

0:20:070:20:11

It'll be OK.

0:20:140:20:15

They'll be amazing, you watch.

0:20:150:20:17

Dad will be brilliant.

0:20:170:20:19

-Your mum will be phenomenal. Yeah?

-Mm.

0:20:190:20:21

LINE RINGS

0:20:280:20:29

-'Hello?'

-Hi, Mum. It's me.

0:20:290:20:31

-'Hiya.'

-Hi. Sorry I've been late calling you,

0:20:310:20:36

but it's just taken a long process this afternoon.

0:20:360:20:39

I've seen loads and loads of people.

0:20:390:20:41

-'Right.'

-But it is highly likely that it is breast cancer, Mum.

0:20:410:20:45

'It's highly likely?'

0:20:450:20:47

Yeah, I'm afraid, yeah.

0:20:470:20:49

You always think it happens to other people.

0:20:500:20:54

I play bowls, locally,

0:20:540:20:56

and I was in matches,

0:20:560:20:58

and I was crying as I played.

0:20:580:21:01

I couldn't tell anybody because she didn't want anybody to know.

0:21:010:21:04

Even though it was a horrendous feeling, from deep down here...

0:21:080:21:12

..I suddenly thought, "Wait a minute, Peter,

0:21:140:21:18

"look what she's been through so far.

0:21:180:21:20

"Look how she's coped with Mike, you know?

0:21:200:21:22

"The highs and lows, seeing that guy after his chemo, the next day."

0:21:220:21:26

But, you know, she's special. Simple as that.

0:21:270:21:31

-You're OK, though, yeah?

-Yeah, I'm fine.

0:21:350:21:37

-You are. I know you are.

-I'm fine.

0:21:370:21:40

You're doing great. That's the most important thing now.

0:21:420:21:45

What did we used to do with IVF when we had bad news?

0:21:450:21:48

-Watch 24.

-Yeah.

0:21:490:21:52

It's those kind of things we were talking about, you know?

0:21:520:21:54

Joking apart, everyone's like,

0:21:540:21:56

"It's good to have kids when you're going through bad stuff."

0:21:560:21:59

But when you don't have kids, and we were going through IVF...

0:21:590:22:02

..we could just completely...

0:22:040:22:05

I think that's what I found easier,

0:22:050:22:07

we could just go into a bubble and disappear.

0:22:070:22:12

And we did. We used to watch 24 in real-time to distract us.

0:22:120:22:17

You know what? Going through IVF is probably more devastating than this.

0:22:170:22:22

I think that's why I can cope with it.

0:22:220:22:24

I have got Dylan and Evan, after all.

0:22:240:22:26

But IVF,

0:22:260:22:28

because I dealt with that privately,

0:22:280:22:30

I didn't really even tell my girlfriends.

0:22:300:22:32

I do not wish that upon my worst enemy.

0:22:340:22:37

I remember making the decision,

0:22:410:22:42

"Right, come on, let's get pregnant. Next month I'll be pregnant."

0:22:420:22:45

And then, of course, it all started, month, after month,

0:22:450:22:50

with the periods arriving.

0:22:500:22:52

And I kept making excuses.

0:22:520:22:55

And it was Mike, after about 12 months, that said,

0:22:550:22:58

"Babe, I think we've got a problem. Need to go to the doctors."

0:22:580:23:01

They found out that my fallopian tubes were blocked as

0:23:010:23:04

the result of an appendicitis operation

0:23:040:23:06

when I was at Bangor University.

0:23:060:23:08

And that broke her to pieces.

0:23:100:23:14

She stayed at home, she didn't want to go out.

0:23:140:23:17

Felt that she'd been violated somehow.

0:23:170:23:21

So, together, we talked about the various options

0:23:210:23:26

and then we decided to go seek out the IVF route.

0:23:260:23:29

The first IVF failed,

0:23:320:23:35

the second IVF I got pregnant.

0:23:350:23:37

And then...

0:23:370:23:39

about seven weeks into the pregnancy, and I felt amazing,

0:23:390:23:44

then seven weeks, just...

0:23:440:23:46

literally, like that, I looked at Mike and I just said,

0:23:460:23:49

"I'm not pregnant any more."

0:23:490:23:51

He's like, "What?" I said,

0:23:510:23:53

"I can just tell." Everything is just gone...

0:23:530:23:57

The hardest thing I've had to do as a human being,

0:23:570:24:00

to this point in life,

0:24:000:24:02

was sit in the consultation room with Jules, with the ultrasound,

0:24:020:24:06

and the nurse looking at the screen

0:24:060:24:09

hoping to see the bleep of a heartbeat, the shape of a child.

0:24:090:24:14

-There was nothing there.

-On my third attempt, I didn't get pregnant.

0:24:140:24:18

I thought, "Right, I'm in for the long haul now."

0:24:180:24:21

Fourth attempt, I just thought,

0:24:210:24:23

"Right. A few beers," I relaxed.

0:24:230:24:26

And it worked, I got pregnant.

0:24:260:24:28

Not only did I get pregnant,

0:24:330:24:35

I created lots of embryos and, as a result,

0:24:350:24:37

I was able to freeze some embryos.

0:24:370:24:39

Fast forward, Dylan was aged two,

0:24:390:24:42

Evan has been easy-peasy from the beginning.

0:24:420:24:46

I went down to Midland Fertility,

0:24:460:24:48

they defrosted him overnight and popped him in.

0:24:480:24:52

And as I drove away from Midland Fertility Services,

0:24:520:24:55

I just knew I was pregnant.

0:24:550:24:56

Explain the birds and bees to those two.

0:25:010:25:03

That's going to be fun!

0:25:030:25:04

We'll have to really think about how we manage it with Dylan,

0:25:070:25:10

-more than anybody.

-Well, he's that little bit older.

0:25:100:25:13

Evan, it will kind of bounce off him a little bit.

0:25:130:25:15

They both understand.

0:25:150:25:17

They've been living with the with the word cancer for a long,

0:25:170:25:20

long time, all their lives.

0:25:200:25:22

They'll say, "Well, Dad's OK, so Mum will be OK, too."

0:25:220:25:26

The day after we found out about Jules' condition,

0:25:330:25:35

we had to face up to the fact that I was booked to appear at

0:25:350:25:39

the homecoming of the Wales soccer team

0:25:390:25:42

after their incredible journey at the Euro 2016 tournament.

0:25:420:25:47

At first, when I walked out the hospital,

0:25:470:25:50

the last thing I felt like doing was going in a car to Cardiff,

0:25:500:25:53

from North Wales.

0:25:530:25:55

But as Jules woke up in the morning and I could start to see

0:25:550:25:59

some strength returning to her, she said, "Can we go?"

0:25:590:26:02

I thought, "Well, it's a bit like what I said when I was diagnosed,"

0:26:030:26:07

I still had a gig to go. I said,

0:26:070:26:08

"Do you mind if I go and play a gig?"

0:26:080:26:10

Hi, guys. How's it going? How are you?

0:26:120:26:15

I'm so pleased that I've come down today.

0:26:150:26:17

It's fantastic to be part of this very upbeat, positive atmosphere.

0:26:170:26:21

I feel fairly formidable, I have to say.

0:26:210:26:24

Really looking forward to getting to grips with this.

0:26:240:26:27

-Get cracking, that's what I need to do.

-Yeah.

0:26:270:26:29

I had to go on stage and sing the Burt Bacharach song which has become

0:26:330:26:38

synonymous with the Wales team, Can't Take My Eyes Off You.

0:26:380:26:43

# You're just too good to be true

0:26:430:26:45

# Can't take my eyes off you

0:26:470:26:50

# I want to hold you so much

0:26:510:26:55

# You'd be like heaven to touch... #

0:26:550:26:58

There's a line that says,

0:26:580:27:00

"Now that love has arrived, I thank God I'm alive."

0:27:000:27:03

And I looked at Jules at that point and, I have to say,

0:27:030:27:08

it absolutely broke me for a second.

0:27:080:27:10

I had to find all the...

0:27:100:27:12

layers of professionalism that are steeped in what I do.

0:27:120:27:16

I had to look away because if I carried on looking

0:27:160:27:19

I would have broken down.

0:27:190:27:21

# I love you, baby... #

0:27:210:27:23

Mike is very invincible.

0:27:230:27:24

So I'm married to somebody, for a start, who's very strong.

0:27:240:27:27

He hasn't cried over this at all.

0:27:270:27:29

But, interestingly, he just caught sight of me stood on my own,

0:27:290:27:33

wallowing in my self-pity.

0:27:330:27:35

I think that rocked him a little bit, and that's not like Mike.

0:27:350:27:38

Have a great night with the Manic Street Preachers.

0:27:420:27:45

Thank you.

0:27:470:27:48

When I saw Jules at the side of the stage, I walked down the steps,

0:27:510:27:55

I only had eyes for her.

0:27:550:27:57

There was thousands of fans screaming, cheering and clapping.

0:27:570:28:02

I just wanted to hold Jules in that moment and look in her eyes.

0:28:020:28:06

To see Jules, in that moment...

0:28:060:28:09

30 years we've been together from 1986 to 2016,

0:28:090:28:15

and there's a depth to that and a strength to that and

0:28:150:28:19

a reservoir of will that we can draw upon to see us through this period

0:28:190:28:24

and it all came to me in that moment.

0:28:240:28:27

When I had to sing, "Thank God love has arrived..."

0:28:270:28:31

I found that hard. That was harder than I thought.

0:28:310:28:35

You're just too good to be true, babe. I love you.

0:28:350:28:38

I love you, too, babes

0:28:380:28:40

I don't quite know what's going to happen yet, so I've got to wait.

0:28:450:28:49

And I feel really sad that I might have to lose my breast.

0:28:490:28:52

I really don't want to lose my hair.

0:28:520:28:55

And in two weeks' time I will know

0:28:550:28:58

how bad my tumour is, or how good my tumour is.

0:28:580:29:02

I feel like I am in some bizarre, surreal -

0:29:070:29:10

dare I use the word? - nightmare.

0:29:100:29:13

And then hoping it will be less of a nightmare soon,

0:29:130:29:15

in a few days, maybe, I don't know.

0:29:150:29:18

So, feeling a bit blue.

0:29:190:29:21

It's Monday and it's raining.

0:29:210:29:24

I just can't shake off my malaise, really.

0:29:240:29:28

I don't like knowing what's happening inside me.

0:29:290:29:32

Mike clearly doesn't tell me when he is very worried.

0:29:340:29:37

He sees his job to stay strong.

0:29:370:29:40

So, who knows what he's feeling?

0:29:400:29:43

He has written this song, Time, So Little Time.

0:29:430:29:47

When you read the lyrics, it is heartbreaking.

0:29:470:29:49

I'm really scared about having to have an operation

0:29:560:29:59

and lose my breast.

0:29:590:30:00

I'm scared about losing my femininity.

0:30:000:30:03

I'm scared about losing my hair.

0:30:030:30:05

I'm really, really fed up.

0:30:050:30:07

This is a household full of cancer.

0:30:090:30:11

They've had cancer to deal with for 20 years.

0:30:110:30:14

It was just unbelievable that Jules then

0:30:140:30:16

was going through this journey herself.

0:30:160:30:19

Them both being ill...

0:30:190:30:22

is a whole new level of difficulty...

0:30:220:30:27

but...they're up to it.

0:30:270:30:30

They'll win this fight,

0:30:360:30:38

and the most important thing is that they have long lives

0:30:380:30:41

because they've a lot to contribute.

0:30:410:30:44

We need more people like this.

0:30:440:30:46

But Jules is a jewel and she's precious.

0:30:460:30:51

I know she's going to pull through, I know that much.

0:30:510:30:53

Today's a results clinic,

0:30:570:30:59

-so it's basically giving you your diagnosis today.

-Yes.

0:30:590:31:03

Now, you have got breast cancer...

0:31:030:31:06

-Yeah.

-..as you thought.

-Yes.

0:31:060:31:09

You've got a lesion just around the nipple,

0:31:090:31:12

which is the one you came in with and Dr Edwards scanned that,

0:31:120:31:15

as you said.

0:31:150:31:16

She said while she was scanning around there

0:31:160:31:19

she noticed some subtle changes a bit higher up

0:31:190:31:22

-in the centre of the right breast.

-Yes.

0:31:220:31:24

-They're both cancerous.

-Yeah.

0:31:240:31:28

Now, the one at the top, that, we reckon, is about two centimetres.

0:31:280:31:33

-Wow.

-OK?

0:31:330:31:35

So, that lump there is a cancer lump, OK?

0:31:380:31:42

And that would mean that, if you kept your breast,

0:31:420:31:45

you would have to lose your nipple.

0:31:450:31:47

-Right, OK.

-Can I get you to sit up, please?

0:31:470:31:49

Dangle your legs down, if you could.

0:31:490:31:51

I'm just going to ask you to put your hands on your hips for me.

0:31:510:31:54

-I'm going to move your breast round a little bit, OK?

-Yeah.

0:31:540:31:57

That's going to help me decide...

0:31:570:31:59

-..if we've got enough tissue in the lower breast...

-OK.

0:32:010:32:04

..to use to replace this tissue up here that I'm going to remove, OK?

0:32:040:32:08

Now, I think we might just be able to get away with it.

0:32:110:32:13

-OK.

-OK?

0:32:130:32:15

You'll have a much smaller breast, but it will be...

0:32:150:32:17

I think we can still maintain a breast shape for you,

0:32:170:32:20

you will be unmatched, on the other side.

0:32:200:32:22

That will be bigger. But we can do surgery on that side to lift

0:32:220:32:25

-and match.

-Can you?

-OK. Just cover you up there.

-OK.

0:32:250:32:29

-I believe you're going away?

-Mm-hm.

0:32:320:32:34

-So that's what we need to discuss.

-Yes, OK.

0:32:340:32:37

Our problem is,

0:32:370:32:39

Mike's a musician, so he's got some shows booked.

0:32:390:32:43

We go away every year for a month to New York,

0:32:430:32:46

so we're planning to go on Sunday.

0:32:460:32:48

I think when I did my research,

0:32:480:32:50

I was working chronologically that...

0:32:500:32:53

someone probably wouldn't be able to operate on me until...

0:32:530:32:57

the end of August.

0:32:570:32:59

I don't know if that's right.

0:32:590:33:01

It's good to try and maintain some level of normality

0:33:010:33:04

and get on with it.

0:33:040:33:06

But if the MRI's fine,

0:33:060:33:08

it's not good to be a big issue for your leave date.

0:33:080:33:11

They're not sure yet, this all depends on the MRI,

0:33:110:33:14

whether it's a mastectomy

0:33:140:33:17

or rebuilding with the breast as it is.

0:33:170:33:21

These are all the answers that will come once they've studied the MRI.

0:33:210:33:26

I think there is a time when you have to say,

0:33:280:33:31

"OK, point out the risks, explain the risks,"

0:33:310:33:34

but if your patient turns around and says,

0:33:340:33:37

"No, I want to do this,"

0:33:370:33:38

then you ought to back them, you ought to try and support them.

0:33:380:33:41

Is life for living or not?

0:33:440:33:46

It was quite surreal getting on the plane and coming here,

0:33:490:33:52

but I knew I had to come.

0:33:520:33:53

I didn't want to cancel anything.

0:33:530:33:55

I think that gave out the wrong signals.

0:33:550:33:57

I've had a few moments where I've wobbled, which is only natural,

0:33:580:34:02

but it's a constant learning process for me, this,

0:34:020:34:05

but I seem to be winning the war on that.

0:34:050:34:08

She's been really focused on putting it out of her mind, really,

0:34:090:34:13

for the sake of her kids and for the family,

0:34:130:34:15

so we could enjoy a normal holiday.

0:34:150:34:18

I feel in a very good place, but I feel different.

0:34:210:34:24

It's definitely changed me.

0:34:240:34:26

I feel I have to sort of disappear for a little bit

0:34:260:34:29

and focus on all the positive things in my life

0:34:290:34:33

and just to stop being afraid.

0:34:330:34:35

During this break here in New York, there's always rock and roll.

0:34:400:34:43

There's always the tap on the shoulder that says,

0:34:430:34:45

"Hey, Mike, you're a singer and you play guitar."

0:34:450:34:47

There's songs to be sung, gigs to be played and people to be played to.

0:34:470:34:50

# Well, I find myself in reverie

0:34:500:34:53

# About what we might have had

0:34:530:34:56

# And what might have been

0:34:560:34:58

# We had something going once

0:34:580:35:01

# That was such a long, long time ago... #

0:35:010:35:05

I've enjoyed that experience, it's an escape route for me.

0:35:050:35:08

Diving into the music, it allows you a little bit of freedom from cancer

0:35:080:35:14

because I live with it every day. And every morning I wake up,

0:35:140:35:17

and open a bottle that says "chemotherapy" and...

0:35:170:35:20

..same when I go to bed at night.

0:35:210:35:23

I talk to Jules, and

0:35:230:35:24

cancer's exuding from her personality

0:35:240:35:26

because she's going through breast cancer,

0:35:260:35:29

so to play music is a real escape.

0:35:290:35:31

# Oh

0:35:310:35:33

# The spirit of '76. #

0:35:340:35:38

Still out there!

0:35:410:35:43

We're sort of both lucky, at this stage of our lives,

0:35:430:35:46

and the challenges we face that we're involved in

0:35:460:35:49

the Love Hope Strength Cancer Foundation.

0:35:490:35:51

That all is a constant reminder of the goodwill that is out there,

0:35:510:35:57

the outcomes that can happen in a positive sense.

0:35:570:36:01

-How are you, my friend?

-Good to see you. Thanks for making it out.

0:36:010:36:03

It's great to see you. It's been a long journey.

0:36:030:36:05

We've come to the John Varvatos clothing store.

0:36:050:36:08

They partnered with us today to do a stem cell donor drive,

0:36:080:36:12

here in the store. We're trying to encourage them to join the list,

0:36:120:36:15

to become life-saving matches for people like me with leukaemia

0:36:150:36:18

who might need a bone marrow transplant in the future,

0:36:180:36:20

a second chance at life. It's a really simple procedure,

0:36:200:36:23

it's a cheek swab that is the simplest part,

0:36:230:36:26

that gets you on the list.

0:36:260:36:27

Inside of your cheek, give a good 30-second hard swab.

0:36:270:36:31

Get those really good cells on there for us.

0:36:310:36:32

It's like a walrus.

0:36:320:36:34

As a charity, so far,

0:36:350:36:37

we've signed over 150,000 people to the list during this method,

0:36:370:36:40

events like today and bigger shows,

0:36:400:36:43

like at festivals like Lollapalooza or at Isle of Wight in the UK.

0:36:430:36:47

I'm not sure I'm looking forward to going home.

0:36:510:36:54

I could stay here for some time.

0:36:540:36:56

Wales is always the place I want to be,

0:36:570:36:59

but it's felt a bit different this time.

0:36:590:37:02

This time, I think we'd rather be staying here

0:37:030:37:05

and not have to go back to deal with what is going to happen next week.

0:37:050:37:09

Do you have any final questions?

0:37:170:37:19

No.

0:37:190:37:21

So, these are the important markings that will help us in theatre.

0:37:210:37:27

OK. Pop your arms back in there.

0:37:270:37:29

-I'll see you in theatre, OK?

-Thanks ever so much.

0:37:290:37:32

Being the carer,

0:37:350:37:36

I think it's more exhausting than being the one going through it,

0:37:360:37:39

you know? And Mike has always said that, to be fair.

0:37:390:37:41

He's like, "I know how I'm feeling.

0:37:410:37:43

"You're asking me all the time, how am I feeling?"

0:37:430:37:47

He's probably going to have that experience now.

0:37:470:37:50

I don't want cancer to take anything away from me and Jules,

0:37:510:37:56

the two of us and our boys.

0:37:560:37:58

I still want us to lead the life we always dreamt of and imagined.

0:37:580:38:02

I'm hugely aware that we - all of us - have so little time.

0:38:040:38:09

All our lives are terminal.

0:38:090:38:11

We all come into this world by ourselves,

0:38:130:38:14

we leave this world by ourselves.

0:38:140:38:17

When it cuts to the quick,

0:38:170:38:18

you have to be able to be strong enough to deal with it by yourself.

0:38:180:38:22

When you're on your own, that's when cancer really comes up

0:38:220:38:25

and gives you the hardest time of all

0:38:250:38:27

because all your fears are there.

0:38:270:38:30

The battle is very personal and it is for Jules now.

0:38:300:38:33

It's a very personal, one-on-one conflict within yourself,

0:38:330:38:38

with something that is inside you that is eating at you all the time

0:38:380:38:42

and you're trying to make it stop.

0:38:420:38:43

"Why?" You keep asking yourself, if there is a God up there...

0:38:450:38:49

..because of what we've been through.

0:38:500:38:52

I've held her hand when she's not well.

0:38:520:38:54

I'm thinking, "Why? Why? Why?"

0:38:540:38:57

Well, she's everything to me.

0:38:570:38:59

During the operation,

0:39:010:39:03

Mr Khattak finds some more suspicious areas on Jules' breast,

0:39:030:39:06

which he believes could also be cancerous.

0:39:060:39:09

I started to take it there, as we drew.

0:39:120:39:14

But then I wanted a bit more of a margin

0:39:140:39:16

because I could feel a nodule much deeper and more lateral,

0:39:160:39:19

more on the outside.

0:39:190:39:21

That can go. Thank you.

0:39:220:39:25

Jules will now have another anxious two-week wait

0:39:250:39:27

to find out whether the cancer has all been taken out

0:39:270:39:30

or if the new lumps that Mr Khattak found

0:39:300:39:32

are a sign that the disease has spread further than first thought.

0:39:320:39:36

And now we just have to wait for healing

0:39:380:39:41

and the results in two weeks.

0:39:410:39:43

-Are you ready to rock?

-That's it. I can carry that now.

0:39:520:39:54

I slept in the kids' bed last night.

0:39:580:40:00

I just made up the bed for Jules before I took her to hospital

0:40:000:40:04

and it felt like it was her bed, not mine.

0:40:040:40:07

It's nice, but when you come home from hospital, you want nice,

0:40:090:40:12

clean bed, fresh linen and then it feels more relaxing, doesn't it?

0:40:120:40:18

And it wasn't sweaty rock and roll bloke messing up the sheets

0:40:180:40:23

before she got in after her hospital escapades.

0:40:230:40:27

I can't believe it, really, that you're sat there smiling,

0:40:290:40:33

drinking a cup of tea and you look so well.

0:40:330:40:35

I'm thinking the mental, psychological combat zone over

0:40:350:40:39

the next two weeks because you're going to be away.

0:40:390:40:42

I like to be prepared for all eventualities,

0:40:440:40:46

so I think I'm psyching myself up that it's going to be a

0:40:460:40:50

-yes to chemo. But...

-I don't think it will, but...

-Don't you? Yeah.

0:40:500:40:53

We've got over one hurdle,

0:40:530:40:55

now the second one doesn't look as scary as it did.

0:40:550:40:58

It's the 6th of September and I'm in Washington, DC,

0:41:060:41:09

heading to the US Capitol Building to host Love Hope Strength

0:41:090:41:13

cheek swab donor drive, in the building itself, with senators,

0:41:130:41:18

Congressmen, representatives in attendance,

0:41:180:41:22

and it's a difficult day as well because Jules is back in the UK,

0:41:220:41:28

in Wales, a visit with Mr Khattak and the oncologist,

0:41:280:41:32

and she'll find out today if she has to face up to chemotherapy.

0:41:320:41:36

So, hopefully, today is the day where we can really

0:41:360:41:40

find out what the journey involves.

0:41:400:41:43

So, it's a massive day for Jules today

0:41:430:41:45

and a massive day for Love Hope Strength in Washington, DC.

0:41:450:41:50

I remember delivering pizzas and listening to The Alarm.

0:41:510:41:55

But it was really, I guess, about a year ago that we connected

0:41:550:41:58

and he told me about what he'd done in Westminster

0:41:580:42:01

and done the drive in Parliament.

0:42:010:42:03

I said, "Well, you know,

0:42:030:42:04

"let's talk about maybe doing one here some day."

0:42:040:42:06

And so a year later, here we are.

0:42:060:42:08

Welcome to the list.

0:42:080:42:09

It doesn't matter whether you're a Democrat, Republican, senator,

0:42:090:42:13

Congressman, representative or a visitor in the Capitol Centre,

0:42:130:42:17

if you come and get on the list

0:42:170:42:18

you could be the one to save someone else's life.

0:42:180:42:21

Mike's donor drive in the Capitol has struck a chord with one of

0:42:220:42:25

the most powerful members of Congress -

0:42:250:42:28

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy,

0:42:280:42:31

whose family have felt the effects of cancer -

0:42:310:42:33

and he invites Mike to his office for a meeting.

0:42:330:42:36

So you battled leukaemia three times?

0:42:360:42:38

-I am in the midst of it.

-In the midst of it.

0:42:380:42:41

-All right.

-Yeah.

-I lost my father to cancer.

0:42:410:42:44

-I read.

-I lost an uncle to leukaemia, though.

0:42:440:42:47

-Did you?

-For a number of years. Yeah.

0:42:470:42:49

I'm appearing at the World Cancer Congress in Paris in October

0:42:490:42:54

and I've been brought this guitar and I'd like you to sign it.

0:42:540:42:57

-Oh, I'd love to!

-Because I want to play this at the opening ceremony

0:42:570:43:01

because I think there's a great opportunity to amplify the message

0:43:010:43:04

that we're a cancer community, aren't we?

0:43:040:43:07

-Yeah.

-And we're really engaged.

0:43:070:43:08

There's not one family doesn't know somebody.

0:43:080:43:10

That's right. And what happened to you, what's happened to me

0:43:100:43:13

-brings us together and for the benefit of others.

-Yeah.

0:43:130:43:16

So, I really appreciate you supporting our mission today,

0:43:160:43:19

-to say...

-I'll be glad to.

-And it's fantastic.

0:43:190:43:21

-You want to sit for a second?

-Yeah. Absolutely.

0:43:210:43:23

-Did you bring a swab here?

-We did. You going to sign up? Yay!

0:43:230:43:27

That was amazing.

0:43:290:43:31

Congressman McCarthy just registered to get on the list.

0:43:310:43:35

That's such a powerful message to send out.

0:43:350:43:38

It's been a momentous day here in the Capitol Building.

0:43:400:43:43

But, really, all I've been thinking about is Jules back at home because

0:43:430:43:47

she's been having a consultation with Mr Khattak, the surgeon.

0:43:470:43:51

PHONE RINGS

0:43:520:43:56

-Hey, Jules.

-Hi, darling. How you doing?

-Yeah.

0:43:570:44:00

How'd did it go?

0:44:000:44:02

Can you believe it? No results.

0:44:030:44:05

No results?

0:44:050:44:07

No. I've got to wait another week.

0:44:070:44:09

They want to run one more test and it...

0:44:090:44:12

I asked, "Does that mean because it's... There's something sinister?"

0:44:120:44:16

And he said, "No, it's just what they have to do."

0:44:160:44:19

So, I'm not well.

0:44:190:44:22

That's been a bit hard over the last couple of days.

0:44:220:44:24

I've got a urine infection, which was missed when I went into surgery,

0:44:240:44:28

so it's a little bit of a palaver there,

0:44:280:44:32

so the one thing I've noticed the last couple of days,

0:44:320:44:35

because I've felt so ill,

0:44:350:44:37

you know, we are going to have to

0:44:370:44:40

either go in, move in with my parents.

0:44:400:44:43

No, no, we won't, darling.

0:44:430:44:45

We'll come through it together. We'll have to change the diary.

0:44:450:44:48

Yeah, but I don't think you will, that's the point.

0:44:480:44:50

You're already talking about going to Paris.

0:44:500:44:52

-You know, I might be having chemotherapy that weekend.

-I know.

0:44:520:44:56

So we need to talk.

0:44:560:44:57

Do you want to go and I'll deal with it with my friends and family?

0:44:570:45:00

-No. No. No.

-It will be a hard question

0:45:000:45:03

because I do think you'll want to go,

0:45:030:45:05

so just have a little think about that.

0:45:050:45:08

I'm feeling more vulnerable today and because I felt ill,

0:45:080:45:12

I felt it really tiring to feed the kids and ferry them around

0:45:120:45:16

and also stay upbeat with them.

0:45:160:45:18

You know, it's really hard when you're doing it by yourself.

0:45:180:45:21

I know, darling. I know. It sucks.

0:45:210:45:23

-Bye. I'm going to go now.

-All right, babe. Love you.

-Love you.

0:45:230:45:27

-Bye.

-See ya.

0:45:270:45:28

I'm so tired!

0:45:520:45:54

I'm fine when I'm with people and I can put a brave face on,

0:45:570:46:00

but I'm so ill with my urine infection and I just feel so lonely.

0:46:000:46:07

It was a difficult time for everybody around her, really.

0:46:070:46:10

I think a lot of us felt you're going to need that support.

0:46:100:46:13

I think perhaps with me, coming from a nursing background,

0:46:130:46:15

knowing what potentially lay ahead for her, I thought,

0:46:150:46:18

"You're going to need him close to you."

0:46:180:46:21

But I've learnt not to question.

0:46:210:46:23

Jules is a very strong-minded person,

0:46:230:46:26

but I know Mike also struggled with that. He wanted to be here.

0:46:260:46:30

They've found a little bit of extra cancer.

0:46:310:46:35

They want to take me in for more surgery on Monday morning.

0:46:350:46:40

-'Oh, fuck.'

-Yeah.

0:46:400:46:42

To receive the call that, you know,

0:46:430:46:46

there'd been a third tumour found, Jules

0:46:460:46:48

was going to have to have more surgery,

0:46:480:46:51

well, that just floored me and all I wanted to do was come home then.

0:46:510:46:55

'Listen, I'm going to come home on Sunday.'

0:46:550:46:58

-No, you're not!

-'I am!'

0:46:580:47:00

-Mike, you're not!

-'Obviously I can't have you go to hospital

0:47:000:47:02

-'and not be there.'

-Mike, it's fine.

0:47:020:47:05

-'Yeah.'

-Mike...

0:47:050:47:07

No, that's not happening. That's not happening, OK?

0:47:070:47:11

As a father, I wanted to come home.

0:47:110:47:13

As a husband, I wanted to come home and normally,

0:47:130:47:15

in my life, I've been able to make them all come together,

0:47:150:47:19

so the kids can come on tour and we can share in the whole experience

0:47:190:47:22

together as a family, but now,

0:47:220:47:26

as cancer can do, it starts to tear us apart.

0:47:260:47:29

Cancer is changing me by the day

0:47:320:47:34

and I thought I was already changed

0:47:340:47:36

after my experiences with Mike, but because it's happening to me,

0:47:360:47:40

it feels even different again.

0:47:400:47:42

And I just feel immensely grateful that my tumours have been found.

0:47:420:47:48

I've had to be strong because Mike's away,

0:47:480:47:50

but I wanted him to stay away.

0:47:500:47:52

I felt it was like no help him coming home.

0:47:520:47:54

I know that he will be home two weeks today.

0:47:540:47:57

Thanks a lot. Cheers!

0:48:040:48:06

-You've been gone for so long. Wow!

-I tell ya...

0:48:100:48:14

It's been a tough month, hasn't it, babe,

0:48:160:48:18

with everything that's gone on?

0:48:180:48:21

It has. It was pretty devastating, but with this process, you know,

0:48:210:48:24

you find a lump and you want someone to tell you straightaway what

0:48:240:48:28

the diagnosis is, what's going to be involved,

0:48:280:48:31

but it's just the complete opposite of that.

0:48:310:48:34

Cancer is a moving target all day long.

0:48:340:48:36

Just when you think you've got your eyes on the sight,

0:48:360:48:39

it will jump and then it will come at you from another angle.

0:48:390:48:42

We're at the point where really we are going to have to go public

0:48:440:48:48

because Jules is having a lot of treatment.

0:48:480:48:50

She's been in hospital, two surgeries.

0:48:500:48:52

Today, we're in for a consultation.

0:48:520:48:55

It's nonstop now.

0:48:550:48:56

And I don't think we can keep it quiet for long

0:48:560:48:59

before it slips out into the community, and when it goes public,

0:48:590:49:03

that's the time we're going to have to say something to the boys so that

0:49:030:49:06

they don't pick up on something from a person outside the family.

0:49:060:49:11

The end outcome from our team is that

0:49:130:49:17

-you will require chemotherapy.

-Yes.

0:49:170:49:20

You will require radiotherapy.

0:49:200:49:23

So you're going to need the full spectrum of treatment.

0:49:230:49:26

The full hit.

0:49:260:49:27

And what is important is we do all this in a timely fashion

0:49:270:49:31

-because there's a certain window of opportunity...

-Yeah.

0:49:310:49:34

..in which we have to deliver chemotherapy

0:49:340:49:36

-to get the maximum benefit.

-Yeah.

-OK?

0:49:360:49:40

I agonised over whether I should even bother going public.

0:49:470:49:51

I think really I'd have preferred to just...

0:49:510:49:53

told everybody next year once I'd got through it.

0:49:530:49:56

But I think once I knew that I was going to have to have chemotherapy,

0:49:560:50:01

it looks like I'm going to lose my hair,

0:50:010:50:04

and that we're having to cancel Alarm shows.

0:50:040:50:07

It just seemed easier to go public.

0:50:070:50:10

I think my main concern was having to go public to the boys.

0:50:100:50:14

It was a shock, but we just took it really good.

0:50:160:50:20

The doctors have got it under control, so we don't worry about it.

0:50:200:50:25

And it's, like, just a normal life.

0:50:250:50:28

The day's finally arrived,

0:50:310:50:33

the day that I've probably been dreading from

0:50:330:50:36

the moment I found the lump.

0:50:360:50:38

I start my first chemotherapy session.

0:50:380:50:41

-It's got a chin strap on it...

-Yes.

0:50:410:50:43

-So you actually look in the end like you're riding a horse.

-Yeah.

0:50:430:50:47

I'm going to start off with a cold cap

0:50:470:50:49

and it's an ice-cold cap treatment, which I'm more than happy to take.

0:50:490:50:54

Apparently, it's painful for about eight or nine minutes

0:50:540:50:56

and it's very, very cold.

0:50:560:50:58

This will shut me up!

0:50:580:51:00

But there is a chance that it can conserve your hair,

0:51:000:51:03

although I think, being honest with myself,

0:51:030:51:05

I think it's unlikely that I'll be able to save my hair.

0:51:050:51:08

Now, this treatment doesn't come in a bag, it comes in syringes.

0:51:100:51:12

-Right.

-Like this. So I just put in...

0:51:120:51:15

Just nice and gently, and in it goes.

0:51:150:51:18

-You all right, love?

-Yeah.

-Smashing. You're doing great.

0:51:190:51:22

Absolutely great.

0:51:220:51:24

I'm a little bit taken aback and upset

0:51:240:51:26

that it's going to be such a long process.

0:51:260:51:28

At the same time,

0:51:280:51:30

it's eradicating every single little millimetre of cancer

0:51:300:51:34

that may be left.

0:51:340:51:36

I think the chemo has been tough for Jules,

0:51:360:51:39

but she's got through it with real, real determination.

0:51:390:51:43

It was very important to her, I think, not to lose her hair

0:51:430:51:46

and wearing that cap, the cold cap,

0:51:460:51:48

I think, has been very important to her.

0:51:480:51:50

And she's been very determined,

0:51:500:51:51

despite the challenges of wearing it,

0:51:510:51:53

to keep it on, so that she didn't lose her hair.

0:51:530:51:56

I never thought I'd be on a journey

0:52:020:52:03

going to a hairdresser's in Manchester to sort my wig out.

0:52:030:52:07

Never in a million years.

0:52:070:52:09

-Hello. How are you?

-Hi. How are you?

-I'm good. Are you?

-Yeah.

0:52:090:52:14

I had to do the wig to start going through the process,

0:52:140:52:16

so this week is going to be a really...

0:52:160:52:19

I'm going to Paris on Sunday

0:52:190:52:20

and it's going to be a really strange countdown.

0:52:200:52:23

It's like, is it my last week with hair for a good six months?

0:52:230:52:28

-Who knows?

-Here's one I fed earlier, girls.

0:52:280:52:30

-Don't pull it off.

-Gorgeous.

0:52:340:52:36

Two years ago, in Melbourne, Australia,

0:52:460:52:49

I introduced myself to you as Mike Peters,

0:52:490:52:52

co-founder of the Love Hope Strength Foundation,

0:52:520:52:55

lead singer of Welsh rock band The Alarm

0:52:550:52:58

and a two-times cancer survivor.

0:52:580:53:01

I was quoted then as saying that,

0:53:010:53:04

"As a leukaemia patient, I never saw cancer coming.

0:53:040:53:08

"But then again, cancer never saw me coming either."

0:53:080:53:12

APPLAUSE

0:53:120:53:15

Well, I tell you what,

0:53:150:53:17

if cancer never saw me coming,

0:53:170:53:20

then it certainly isn't going to be prepared for

0:53:200:53:24

the force of nature that is my wife Jules.

0:53:240:53:28

APPLAUSE

0:53:280:53:30

It has been such a battle for me to stay strong,

0:53:440:53:46

I felt really upset.

0:53:460:53:49

I just feel thin all over.

0:53:490:53:51

My hair's thinning, I'm thinning.

0:53:510:53:54

I've woken up every morning and I have to de-tangle my hair

0:53:540:53:58

and it is just...pouring out of me.

0:53:580:54:02

The hair loss, it's really attacked at the heart of who Jules is.

0:54:030:54:08

The damage that cancer is doing,

0:54:080:54:11

it's visibly represented in that hair loss.

0:54:110:54:14

We are very proud because they never, like,

0:54:160:54:20

give up something they've started.

0:54:200:54:22

And that's a good way to live your life, and you only live once.

0:54:220:54:27

So, today, I'm on the next part of my journey.

0:54:360:54:39

I've finished my chemotherapy

0:54:390:54:41

and I've just started on my radiotherapy course.

0:54:410:54:44

I've got 20 days, Monday to Friday,

0:54:440:54:48

and I've decided to keep up the positivity

0:54:480:54:52

that I'm going to walk here everyday and walk home,

0:54:520:54:56

so it's ten miles a day.

0:54:560:54:57

But I'm quite excited to be here.

0:54:590:55:01

I've survived the chemotherapy, if you like, and it was...

0:55:010:55:07

a difficult journey on many levels,

0:55:070:55:09

'but I just feel so relieved and happy to have finished it,

0:55:090:55:12

'and I just feel more excited about radiotherapy.

0:55:120:55:15

'I feel like I'll be able to cope with that quite well,

0:55:150:55:17

'so we shall see.'

0:55:170:55:19

When I wake up in the morning and I've got my hairnet on,

0:55:240:55:26

I have got a breast that's got a massive scar.

0:55:260:55:29

I haven't got a nipple, you know. A bald patch...

0:55:290:55:32

I mean, I've got a massive journey ahead of me.

0:55:320:55:35

I cannot believe I'm going through it, but I am going to be fine.

0:55:350:55:38

I can see all the positives.

0:55:380:55:40

I will never get down about my hair not looking great.

0:55:400:55:44

I'm going to have an uplift.

0:55:440:55:46

I'm going to look bloody great by the...

0:55:460:55:47

I'm 50 next year.

0:55:470:55:49

It's all about celebration.

0:55:490:55:51

We've got so little time and there's such a lot to do.

0:55:510:55:54

I just enjoy lying and thinking about - reflecting, really,

0:55:560:55:59

on my whole journey.

0:55:590:56:01

So there's no pain, nothing to be afraid of,

0:56:010:56:05

it's just...

0:56:050:56:07

We are lucky to have this facility here

0:56:070:56:09

and to get rid of cancer once and for all.

0:56:090:56:12

So, it's all positive, all good.

0:56:120:56:15

You can sit up there, when you're ready, Julie, if you want to.

0:56:150:56:18

Too relaxed.

0:56:180:56:19

I don't. I want to stay!

0:56:190:56:21

Go on, go!

0:56:210:56:24

-See you tomorrow, girls.

-Yeah, see you tomorrow.

0:56:240:56:27

The Gathering is the key moment for Mike's fan base every year.

0:56:440:56:49

It takes place in North Wales

0:56:490:56:51

and it's a moment when fans of Mike from all over the world

0:56:510:56:54

come together to celebrate him and his music.

0:56:540:56:58

You could sense it was going to be special long before it happened

0:56:580:57:02

and it was a very victorious ending to a difficult period.

0:57:020:57:06

20 years ago, at Gathering 5, I announced to the world that...

0:57:060:57:11

..I was engaged in a struggle with cancer,

0:57:120:57:15

and that fight has continued ever since, now in its 21st year.

0:57:150:57:19

At first, I was fighting alone, but in my house right now,

0:57:190:57:23

it's fighting on two fronts, with me and Jules, my wife,

0:57:230:57:27

who is my heroine...

0:57:270:57:28

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

0:57:280:57:32

We're here to keep each other alive,

0:57:320:57:34

we're fighting the same battle alone and together

0:57:340:57:37

for all this time.

0:57:370:57:38

This is called Time.

0:57:410:57:44

# I give you everything

0:57:440:57:46

# Everything you see

0:57:480:57:51

# All that I have

0:57:530:57:55

# Everything you need

0:57:570:57:59

# This bond can never be broken... #

0:58:010:58:04

Let me hear you sing!

0:58:040:58:06

# Tonight... #

0:58:060:58:10

'Time is me looking at my children, looking at my wife Jules,

0:58:100:58:14

'looking at my own life

0:58:140:58:15

'and hoping that I've made the most of what I've been given.'

0:58:150:58:21

# All we've got

0:58:210:58:22

# All we've got is time

0:58:240:58:28

# This is your life

0:58:290:58:31

# These are your days

0:58:330:58:36

# So take them and run

0:58:380:58:42

# While you can

0:58:420:58:44

# This is your life

0:58:470:58:49

# These are your days

0:58:510:58:55

# So make them the best

0:58:560:59:00

# You can

0:59:000:59:03

# It's your life... #

0:59:030:59:06

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