[Cover photo features Jules Peters with the Treat: Retreat attendees, Photo credit to Jules Peters]
When Jules Peters of The Alarm received her final dose of chemotherapy seven years ago this month in 2017, it also kicked off a new life mission to use her platform as a member of the band “to draw attention to breast cancer and connect with other women who are stricken with it”.
Her husband/bandmate Mike Peters was on a similar path, having been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma years before. Having co-founded the Love Hope Strength Foundation which raises awareness and funds for cancer research, care and awareness with Mike Peters, they have created a worldwide network of fundraisers that include mountaintop concerts, a B&B in Wales for cancer patients, and more.
Last month, Jules hosted the inaugural Love Hope Strength Treat: Retreat, a free weekend event in the U.K., which provided an opportunity for women affected by breast cancer the opportunity to “rest, relax, regroup, recuperate, reset, retreat, and heal.” Taking place at the Waterfalls Apartments and The Red Bar and Cafe in Dyserth, North Wales, Jules and 18 fellow women patients used this weekend retreat “to give them hope, build their strength and feel loved.
Jules shares:
We walked, we talked, we practiced yoga and pilates together. We lay side by side for a relaxing sound bath [an immersive therapy using sound for restorative purposes]. We laughed and cried, shared our inner fears, hopes, and dreams. It makes you feel less alone when you exchange stories and experiences. New friendships were made and promises of new adventures began here.
Nominated to take part in this first annual event, the 18 “retreaters” from across the U.K. and the U.S. were accepted via a nomination process by family, friends or themselves following a breast cancer diagnosis. The weekend was free to all attending.
Among the relaxing exercises during the weekend, the women were entertained by an acoustic performance by Jules’ husband and founder of The Alarm, Mike Peters, who performed “Walk Forever By My Side” from the Strength album and “Heroine,” a ballad he had written for Jules as she was undergoing breast cancer treatment.
Mike explains:
It was a very humbling experience to play to this exclusive audience of female warriors who have all endured so much and been through similar experiences to those which I had to watch my own wife Jules’ suffer. The ordeal of breast cancer leave scars that are often invisible to outsiders, but in this setting the emotion was so deep it was palpable in every word I sang for them. Respect.
There will be another retreat next year, in 2025, and nominations are now open for attendees.
Jules says:
I will be hosting another free Treat: Retreat at the Waterfalls Chapel next year in 2025. If you know of someone who has been affected by breast cancer who you feel would benefit from this weekend away, (there is no cost involved) please nominate them!
To nominate someone for the next Love Hope Strength Treat:Retreat who has been affected by cancer in some way for the next weekend in 2025, please enter them here.
