Courtesy Ted Gilbert
Ted Gilbert with his fiancée, Elise Workman.

Student embraces life after surviving leukemia

Mandy Atwood ATW05001@BYUI.EDU scroll staff

Ted Gilbert, a sophomore from Idaho Falls, had been in the Ghana Accra Mission for 14 months when he was diagnosed with leukemia. His life has been a bit of a roller coaster since, but Gilbert said it’s been a good one.

He started having problems with his eyes in April 2003. He had some blood samples taken and the mission doctor told him he had leukemia.

“My first thought was, ‘Leukemia. Leukemia kills people,’” Gilbert said. “But that night I just had a real feeling of peace and I knew that things would be okay. I felt as though the Lord still had things that he needed me to do.”

He was able to find a flight home the next day, something unheard of in Ghana. It would normally take at least a week to get a flight out. Gilbert said it was just one of many of God’s miracles he has seen in his life.

“When he got home he was as yellow as you could get. It was a shock for the family. Sheldon, his brother, didn’t even recognize him,” said Ken Gilbert, Ted’s father.

When he arrived in Salt Lake City he was taken to the University of Utah’s Medical Center. There he received three rounds of chemotherapy.

Gilbert had only been home for five days when he received a visit from President Thomas S. Monson. Gilbert said it was a huge comfort and that President Monson made him feel like his own grandson. Both Gilbert and his mother received blessings of comfort from President Monson.

Gilbert’s brother, Sheldon, who is also his role model, donated his bone marrow so Gilbert could receive a transplant Aug. 1, 2003.

Gilbert’s mom, Joan, was with him every step of the way. Joan, Sheldon and Katie, his younger sister, lived in Salt Lake for the duration of Ted’s stay there. “Faith kept us going. Doctors, nurses, the ward, they were all praying for him and for us,” Joan said.

He also had a visit from Elder Neal A. Maxwell. Elder Maxwell recalled that Elder Packer is always saying “we are not exempt from common sense.” Then he said, “Remember that. Always listen to your doctors.” Gilbert said he would never forget that.

“I think as Latter-day Saints we forget to use our heads and common sense. One thing I learned is to use your head,” he said.

Gilbert said his motivation through this whole experience was the thought of finishing his mission. He was told he could go back to serving the Lord, so he never lost faith that he would.

On Aug. 18, 2004 he left to finish his mission in the Georgia Atlanta Mission. Since it took 15 months to recover, it became a family joke that he served a 40-month mission.

“One of the hardest things was humbling myself and accepting charity and service from others. As a missionary I was used to always giving. Now I needed others to help me. You just need to humble yourself,” Gilbert said.

Now a sophomore at BYU-Idaho, Gilbert said he is moving on with his life by putting this trial behind him but never forgetting it. He is majoring in math and he and his fiancée getting married Dec. 27 to the love of his life, Elise Workman.

“There are always hard times,” Gilbert said. “But the thing that got me through was the thought of going back out and serving Heavenly Father. I have a hard time remembering the hard times. I remember thinking if there would be an end to my trial. But it was just a bump in the road. Instead of asking, why is this happening to me, we need to ask, what am I supposed to learn from this? That is the key.”