[UPDATED] TRB Copper to Host Benefit for Cancer-Stricken China Daily Reporter Mike Peters, Aug 20

[UPDATE: Aug 17, 2.20pm] Several sources close to Mike Peters have confirmed that he passed away at approximately 1.30pm today. Please read the update below for details on how the fundraiser will proceed.

[UPDATE: Aug 16, 6pm] Mike Peters has sadly been put on life support since the initial posting of this article, and the doctors are not sure how much longer he has left. The TRB Copper benefit will go on regardless. In the event of his passing before the fundraiser, proceeds will go to his repatriation to the US, the costs of which will be considerable.

Attendees of the TRB Copper event can make a donation of their choosing at the door. For every RMB 100 donated, each attendee will be given a raffle ticket for various prizes, some of which are outlined below. Slow Boat will be the event's beer sponsor, while Cheers will provide wine, and the staff of BBC will provide limited cocktails. TRB Copper will serve canapes and sweets.

Bill Gaspard, an old friend who is helping to coordinate the benefit, says one of the reasons Peters decided to stay in Beijing after his diagnosis was "because of the number of friends and colleagues he's had here over the past eight years. He was very touched to learn about this benefit a few days ago, and I think it'll be great way to celebrate his life and all that he's done here in Beijing." 

Bejing's expat community was recently struck with some truly heart-wrenching news: Mike Peters, one of the city’s most talented lifestyle reporters and a fixture in the local food and beverage scene, has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Now to help raise funds for his hospice care, a benefit at TRB Copper will be held on August 20 from 3-6pm.

Meanwhile, a recently posted GoFundMe page for the China Daily reporter and editor's care expenses and his favorite charity – an aid organization that supports Tibetan children called StepUp! – was launched late last week. The page, posted by longtime friend and neighbor Delores Tyus Prichard, explains that Peters experienced rapid weight-loss as of late, and upon visiting the hospital doctors diagnosed him with “late-stage pancreatic cancer that has also spread to his liver and abdomen, beyond the scope of chemotherapy.”

Peters has decided to remain in Beijing for hospice care. However, costs for that care must be paid for out of pocket, which is where the crowdfund aims to help. Peters has asked any leftover contributions go to one of his favorite charities, StepUp!, which works to help nomadic Tibetan children by providing solar panels to give their schools electricity, arranging medical aid for children with cleft palates, and more. Prichard tells the Beijinger that this setup works best because there's no way to know how much the hospice care will cost in the end, but that any money left over will still go to a worthy cause. After all, the charity was founded by Peters' friend and colleague Erik Nilsson, who has long been an inspiration for him.

As a senior editor and lifestyle journalist for China Daily, Peters has penned numerous beautifully written restaurant reviews that kept his readers enthused and up-to-date with the local dining scene. His writing not only featured vivid details that whet readers' appetites, but also impassioned descriptions about the cultural backgrounds of the dishes he was reviewing. Peters made sure to cover innovative newbies (like Peruvian eatery Pachakutiq) and longtime favorites (such as Lebanese mainstay Alameen) alike.

Those well-regarded articles have been followed closely by many Beijing restaurateurs, including Ignace Lecleir, owner of TRB Copper, where the August 20 benefit will be held. Lecleir recalls that: "Mike was one of the first customers to visit my restaurant when I opened TRB. He has always been a great supporter for all of us in the F&B business in his efforts to assist in the development and growth of our industry I have great respect for his passion, and I am delighted to be able to have my restaurant group give back with this charity initiative."

Before his eight-year stint at China Daily, Peters worked in Anchorage, Alaska and in his native Texas. A lifelong journalist who moved into lifestyle reporting later in his career, Peters also has spent years honing his interviewing technique and other reportage skills. Those talents were on clear display during his 2012 interview with former US President Jimmy Carter along with his worldly Diplomat Pouch column.

Despite the turn his health has taken, Peters has kept his chin laudably high. Prichard wrote on the GoFundMe page that “Mike keeps positive. He continues to smile, and does his best to be cheerful through the pain. We all love him and want to make sure he doesn't have to worry about the cost of his care in this difficult time.”

That upbeat attitude won’t come as a surprise to those of us who know Peters, and who have long enjoyed his sense of humor and sharp wit. Indeed, his dry quips and sly smiles have provided even the dullest media functions with a dash of fun. He's pictured below, for instance, holding a durian dish at an embassy function, admitting at the time that he was a bit afraid to try the pungent fruit, while remaining curious nonetheless.

Longtime China Daily colleague and friend Erik Nilsson, founder of StepUp!, only discovered his friend's plans to donate the remainder of proceeds to his charity on August 10 while in the midst of an aid work project on the Tibetan plateau. He tells the Beijinger that the news has left him "bawling ... in front of a group of Tibetan teachers and nomadic kids." He adds that those children will make a video for Peters to show their thanks, before visiting a monastery to light butter lamps and pray for him.

The pair of journalists got to know each other while working in the same department at China Daily for years, during which Nilsson says Peters offered constant support for his charity.

Rob McDonald, another of Peters' numerous longtime friends, was quick to encourage others to donate to the crowdfund via Facebook. In that post, he wrote: "Mike and I met each other early in 2009. I was planning a trip to Iran (didn't go because of that year's election) and a great friendship grew out of him telling me about his two visits to that country." McDonald went on to describe Peters' "huge heart, filled with generosity and empathy" and praised his friend's "courage to constantly challenge himself in new ways and places. He's been an inspiration to me for years. If this speaks to your heart, I would encourage you to support one of the greatest guys I know!"

The August 20 benefit's details, such as the entry fee, are still being finalized. However, the coordinators confirmed there will be a raffle and auctions for prizes so far confirmed as:

• Dinner for two at The Georg from a RMB 650 menu, plus wine and champagne (about an RMB 3,000 value)
• A set dinner for two at Hatsune, sake included (worth RMB 2,000)
• A weekend night stay for two at the Fairmont Hotel in a Gold Junior Suite with Gold Lounge
• An exclusively designed hand-turned, hand-painted ceramic vase from Pop-Up Beijing (value of RMB 1,550)

We will update this article once more specifics are known.

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Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
Twitter: @MulKyle

Photos: Sino-US, Peters' GoFundMe, China Daily, Facebook, StepUp!