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As the drummer with highly acclaimed band Spiritualized, Kevin Bales is an inspiration to a legion of music fans. After all, who wouldnt want to be a part of a widely acclaimed group, touring the world, playing festivals and be responsible for recording some of the best music to come out of the UK in the past 20 years. From the age of 16, being a drummer was all Kevin dreamed of doing and after having been involved in a number of projects, he joined the line up of Spiritualized in 1999.
"Joining Spiritualized was quite a big thing. Musically, it is an amazing band to be in. You can play just about anything. From quiet, reflective music to the most ferocious white noise. I feel really fortunate to do it."
But in 2002 Kevin's fortunes took a turn for the worse and he feared he had played his final gig. Worst than that, he thought his life was over as he was diagnosed with leukaemia.
"It was August 8th 2002. The date is embedded into my brain, I will never forget it.”
"We'd been touring for most of that year. All over the US, Europe, the UK and we were in the middle of travelling around doing the summer festivals. We went to Japan and Australia and I was feeling really tired all of the time. Also I kept picking up minor infections, that I just couldn't shake off - I just put it down to jetlag and the rigours of touring”.
"Then, when I was in Australia, I woke up in the middle of the night and there was blood all over my pillow. I had been bleeding from my gums and it made me feel that there was something seriously wrong.”
"I got home on a Monday and we were due to go to the Oya Festival in Norway on the Thursday. I saw my doctor on the Wednesday and he took a blood test. I explained that I needed to go to London that evening to fly to Norway the following day and went home to wait for the results.”
"When I hadn't heard anything, I rang to speak to him, but the receptionist told me he was out on an urgent house call. Just as I put the phone down, I saw the doctor walk past my window. Then, there was a knock at the door. The doctor came in and told me he thought I had leukaemia and that I needed to go to the hospital immediately.”
"I went straight to City Hospital in Nottingham and the next day started my first course of chemotherapy. I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia. I knew that this was a cancer of the blood and I asked the doctor if I was going to die, that is what I thought."
The news came as a massive shock for Kevin, his partner Gill and their three year old son Joe. But the three of them received plenty of support from hospital staff, family, friends and the band.
Kevin said: "Jason (Pierce, lead singer) told me no matter what, the gig was always mine. Which meant a lot. They were all amazing. There were a lot of people, who were so supportive. You really know who your friends are at times like that."
Fortunately, Kevin responded well to his treatment and was told the leukaemia was in remission. But he was not completely in the clear and was advised that, if he could find a donor, a transplant would give him the best chance of making a full recovery.
"As it happened, and unbeknown to me, my brother Dean was already on The Anthony Nolan bone marrow register and proved to be a good match. It was so lucky really as the chances of a sibling being a match is quite small”.
“I had the transplant on October 23rd 2002. I was thinking at the time about how they were going to stick my brother and myself side by side and wondering how they were going to squeeze and grind his bones to get all the marrow out and how they were going to inject it into my system. It was daft really, but I just didn't know what the procedure was going to be like. There was this big fear of the unknown.”
Kevin’s brother, Dean, was surprised how simple the procedure was: "I was a regular blood donor and had been asked at a session whether I would be interested in giving an extra sample in order to be placed on the bone marrow register. I agreed, little realising that just a few months later, I would be making a donation very close to home”.
“When I received the good news that I was a match for Kev and found out what the procedure consisted of, I was quite surprised. I was expecting my bones to be drilled into and to be in quite a lot of pain. The stem cell harvest was much less invasive and, apart from being a bit tired at the end of the day, had no adverse effects on me. If the public were aware of this and of the life-saving potential of being on the register, I'm sure more people would sign up”.
Kevin continued “I’ve recently read Adrian Sudbury's blog - http://baldyblog.freshblogs.co.uk/ - and think if there had been something like that, when I had my transplant, it would have made things easier as I would have been more aware of what I was going to go through and the things I would feel. The campaign, which Adrian started, to educate 16 to 18 year olds on bone marrow transplants and about joining the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register is such a simple idea and one that would be easy to implement”.
“I recently asked the rest of the band if they knew about The Anthony Nolan Trust and they said they hadn't heard of it. There are a lot of people, who have no idea of the work they do and what a difference they make. We need to begin to change that.”
“I think, if people knew what is involved, a lot more people would sign up on the register.
It is thanks to the donors on the register like Kevin's brother Dean that many leukaemia patients are given the chance to survive. But for the patients having the transplant, it is not the end of the story."
Kevin added: "The post-transplant period was probably the most difficult as you have to remain in isolation. I was kept in for two weeks, but that was quite a short time compared to a lot of other patients I knew. You do sit and worry that the transplant hasn't worked, that your body won't accept the new cells. Even after leaving the hospital, you still have to be careful not to pick up any infections. I had to avoid large crowds and make sure I didn't go to places that use recycled air”.
"Luckily, I didn't have to spend another night in hospital after that. I did still have to go back to the hospital for checks every week, then every two weeks, then every month and now I only need to go once a year. Strangely, I do miss the routine and the people who took such good care of me. I was very lucky in so many ways and I am so grateful to the staff at the City Hospital in Nottingham. They are so inspiring and just wonderful, amazing people.”
"One of the big things, while I was recovering, was the fear that I wouldn't be able to play again. I just didn't know if I would ever be strong enough to go on tour and play with the band again."
But Kevin did recover and quite quickly. In fact, less than a year after being diagnosed, he was back playing with the band.
"I got my energy and confidence back and played the Field Day festival in New York in June 2003."
And he couldn't have dreamed of a better venue for his comeback.
“To play in Giants Stadium as my first gig back was amazing. But I felt so different. Ever since I have been through this, everything has been different. It has changed my attitude to life and how I play. I know it is a cliché to play every gig as if it is your last, but that is how I approach things now because I have been there. I did feel as if I had played my last gig. It has definitely changed me as a person."
Soon after the transplant operation, Kevin and Gill got married and have since had a second child, Leon, who is now 4. In August 2004 Spiritualized played at the Oya Festival in Norway - the festival they were due to play when Kevin was diagnosed with leukaemia. It was a symbolic gig for Kevin. It completed the cycle of events and the feeling that he had been given a second chance really hit home.
"To go back to Norway and play the gig was such a great feeling. This year is the 7th anniversary of my transplant, I've just completed another world tour, and I'm close to gaining my black belt in Tae-Kwon do. In some ways the whole experience was a blessing. It was a mortality check, I now look at things differently and I live a much fuller life. I have never felt healthier."
