MILWAUKEE — For years, Will and Kevin Bush have been making music together, building their relationship as brothers.
The two Milwaukee musicians created the group Immortal Girlfriend, producing music for other artists and making their own songs.
Watch: Local musicians' dreams on hold after medical complications emerge:
"Whenever I say I'm in a band with my brother, people are oh," Kevin said. "They automatically may not be able to relate to that."
Just as they got started, adversity arrived. Will was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2018.
"I remember playing shows with the chemo pack on, like it was, it was kind of a crazy time," Will told TMJ4. "It was a turning point for us, but also in a good way, it kind of like really redefined what we were doing,"
Will beat the disease and the band found success in the coming years. They licensed their music out to TV shows and video games and performed all around Milwaukee.
This month was going to be a milestone for the duo. They were scheduled to go on their first-ever tour, hitting West Coast cities like Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Seattle.
But just weeks before they were going to take off, adversity hit again. Will was experiencing medical complications in his colon stemming from his diagnosis almost a decade ago. The doctors told him he should have his entire colon removed.
That surgery happened last week, and he says he is doing well after the procedure.
Friends of the brothers created a GoFundMe fundraiser to help Will with medical expenses and everyday expenses as he'll have to miss work, and of course the tour.
A link to that page can be found here.
The support has meant a lot to the brothers.
I can't even love all the comments," Kevin said. "There's people in Polish saying, I'm praying for you. There are people all over the world. Like, it's overwhelming."
As March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness month, Will preaches prevention, especially in the Black Community where Black Men have the highest rate of the disease in the United States.
"Don't be afraid, like if they can catch it sooner, they can do more about it," Will said. "You have one body to take care of for a lifetime."
For the brothers, it's just an unfortunate hurdle. They say their plan is to reschedule the dates. For them, overcoming adversity is what people from Milwaukee do best.
"Milwaukee is a really unique, I feel like an underdog city," Will said. "I feel like, even as a band, we feel like underdogs, maybe in the music industry."
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
