Coal Chamber drummer Mikey Bug Cox reveals stage 3 cancer recovery, auctions kit for charity

Mikey Bug Cox turned a yearlong fight with stage 3 cancer into something fans can actually touch: a custom Coal Chamber drum kit now being used to raise money for cancer awareness and research. Cox said he was diagnosed on April 1, 2025, then pushed through radiation, chemotherapy and surgery before reaching cancer-free status.

The campaign, which began on April 23, 2026, pairs Cox with Fxck Cancer and puts a 7-piece custom ddrum Dios American-made kit on the line. The package also includes Gator Cases, TRX cymbals and Mikey Cox signature Scorpion Percussion sticks. Fxck Cancer says every donation during the campaign enters supporters into the giveaway, with the kit valued at more than $10,000. Donation tiers are set at $10 for one entry, $100 for 15 entries and $500 for 150 entries.

Cox framed the partnership as a fit with an organization that pushes cancer awareness and early detection directly. He said he fought the disease for his family, went through days when he could not get out of bed, and still kept moving forward. During treatment, he also finished building a house through Bash Construction Group and said he wrote some of the best music of his life in the middle of that ordeal.

The timing gave the story extra weight in the Coal Chamber world. The announcement landed just ahead of the band’s Sick New World appearance in Las Vegas on April 25, 2026, putting Cox’s recovery in front of fans as the group returned to a major festival stage. Coal Chamber first came back after nearly eight years away from live performance at Sick New World in Las Vegas on May 13, 2023, and later played Inkcarceration in July 2023.

For drummers, the kit itself matters as more than merch or memorabilia. This is the actual gear tied to Cox’s playing identity, now repurposed into a fundraising tool. In a scene where a drummer’s setup is often part of the story, Cox’s move gives the instrument a second life: not as a trophy, but as a way to fund the fight he just lived through.