The Alarm's Mike Peters Needs a Stem Cell Transplant. But First, He Must Find a Donor (Exclusive)

It was April 2022 and Mike Peters thought he was going to die.

“I was in a ward where people were dying around me,” Peters, 65, recalls in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE. “I was holding on. I could see that the doctors were taking care of things they couldn’t or couldn’t” you don’t want to talk to me about.”

To be sure, the lead singer of internationally acclaimed rock band The Alarm has already been through a lot in his life, having first been diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) back in 1995. But as Peters found himself touring the UK with The Alarm as part of their 40th anniversary tour, he noticed changes in his health that worried him greatly.

“I was coughing and sweating all day, and then the night sweats came,” Peters recalls. “It was out of control. I knew when I got to the end of the tour, I had be seen.”

Mike Peters of The Alarm.

Jules Peters

And when Peters he was saw, he received a rather dire diagnosis. “I was diagnosed with pneumonia, and for a leukemia survivor, pneumonia is the worst thing that can happen,” Peters explains. “It became very scary. The pneumonia did not go away, and then my lungs filled with blood. The leukemia got out of control, and I was also diagnosed with [chronic lung disease] bronchiectasis. I had to hold on just to stay alive.”

Luckily, Peters pulled through and stayed alive, and went on to pour the intense emotions of his various health scares into the hope that now resides on The Alarm’s album Forwardincluding the powerful track “Transition,” the music video of which is premiering exclusively on PEOPLE.

But then, in April 2024 and ahead of a 50-date US tour with The Alarm, Peters felt a lump on his neck. A biopsy of the lump showed that Peters had developed Richter’s syndrome, causing his CLL to “transform” into an aggressive fast-growing lymphoma.

“My glands were the size of tennis balls and I looked like an elephant man,” explains Peters, whose condition apparently forced the cancellation of The Alarm’s US tour. “At one point I had to think that this could be it. I had to face it because I had to find the strength to accept it and admit it and realize that this was potentially the right outcome. And then I had to figure out how I was going to deal with it ?”

Mike Peters from The Alarm with his wife Jules.

Jules Peters

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He’s dealt with it with the help of his loving family, including his wife Jules, who was also diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016. But while his wife is now in remission, Peters finds himself in yet another uncertain position when it comes to his health.

“I may be living with a rare and aggressive lymphoma and need a stem cell transplant, but I know I’m lucky,” says Peters, who continues to receive chemotherapy as he works with his doctors on the next steps in his still harrowing health journey. “I have my beautiful family, I live in an amazing part of the world, I have my music and everything that comes with it.”

And in many ways, Peters says his final prognosis remains firmly in his hands as he continues to do everything in his power to stay as healthy as he can. “I know that a good healthy body and a healthy mind are important weapons when you’re trying to deal with the diseases that I had to deal with,” he says.

Mike Peters of The Alarm.

Jules Peters

And while Peters instinctively knows that his time on Earth is limited, he also knows that he has an opportunity to do something miraculous in the time he has left.

“I am extremely fortunate because I have access to the best medical treatment and care and because it is very likely that a suitable stem cell donor will be found for me,” he tells PEOPLE. “Only 30% of people will have a matching stem cell donor within their own family, which means the vast majority of people will need an unrelated stem cell donor. A complete stranger will likely give me a potentially life-saving stem cell donation. My donor will be my one in a million, my chance of survival.”

Through the Love Hope Strength Foundation, Peters and his wife, Jules, are working to spread the word about the “One in a Million” campaign, hoping to get more people registered to become blood donors. For more information and to register to help, visit www.lovehopestrength.org.

Peters adds: “Currently only 60% of patients will find a suitable stem cell donor, which is why the need for new donors is critical. Think of your one in a million. Your partner, child, parent or best friend. Imagine if they needed a stem cell donation . Put yourself on the list to potentially save a life.”

Jules and Mike Peters from The Alarm.

Jules Peters

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Source: HIS Education