Mooseheads’ anthem singer diagnosed with aggressive form of brain cancer

Just weeks ago, Peter Baylis was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer after experiencing dizziness and “kaleidoscope vision.”

The 62-year-old and well-known Mooseheads’ anthem singer — and entertainer — is trying to take this diagnosis in stride, even though the next several weeks of his life will be difficult.

“(At birth) you are handed a deck of cards… And I happened to draw this card, and that is the card I have to play,” Baylis told CityNews in an interview. “So, going forward, I’m going to play this with all the positive mental attitude I possibly can.”

He was fixing a package at his job when the symptoms hit. Knowing something wasn’t right, he called his wife, Jennifer, who brought Baylis to Cobequid Community Health Centre, where “this great young doctor” sent him for further tests.

On May 21, Baylis was diagnosed with a glioblastoma, a brain tumour, and the same type of cancer that Gord Downie was diagnosed with, he said.

While the situation was “shocking” and “eye-opening” Baylis said it also gave him the opportunity to look at this moment in a different way than most people would.

Over the past year and a half, he’s been involved in a recovery network, Reframe, for alcohol use disorder. Not only has this provided a support community for Baylis it has also encouraged him to become a certified recovery coach, hoping to help others that were in his position.

“I truly believe that when you can embrace the goodness that we are actually surrounded by, it will help your self-discovery, it will help your self-realization, it’ll help processing and comprehension of life in a much healthier way,” Baylis said of the diagnosis.

This clarity has allowed him to think about the people closest to him and how this changes their lives. That’s why Baylis started a GoFundMe to help out his wife and daughter while he undergoes treatment.

“We do have a house and a mortgage and debt like the normal stuff that people, but when you crush half your income, it puts a lot of stress on it,” he said.

Although there’s a treatment plan, Baylis is starting, there’s no way to know how the chemo and radiation will impact his body and energy levels. While he has a few singing gigs lined up for late summer, he knows it won’t be enough.

Baylis didn’t think he’d ever be in a position where he would start a fundraiser, something he said is “a very humbling experience.”

“I don’t take any of it for granted…you almost feel a little embarrassed or guilty to talk about it, but you know I’ve got to be proactive about this,” he said.

This experience of setting up the fundraiser is his version of the buffalo principle which is where the animals run into the storm, what he’s doing with his cancer diagnosis.

“I’m standing on the shoulders of a lot of people right now.”