Jeff Lewis is only 20 years old, but he has experienced a lifetime of challenges over the past two years, answering a missionary call to the Philippines and now trying to make BYU's football team.
The son of former NFL All-Pro tight end and current BYU associate athletic director Chad Lewis is now mowing lawns full-time and working weekly with Dave Stroshine of Stroformans in Pleasant Grove. I have trained 4 times.
He previously played as an offensive lineman at Orem High School along with former Kansas City Chiefs second-round pick Kingsley Suamataia. But after graduating after helping him win a state title, Lewis put football aside and accepted a call as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He left for Santiago, Philippines in July 2022 with a suitcase, a holy book, and a growing knowledge of Tagalog.
Lewis, who was preferred as a walk-on, was coached at Orem by Gabe Sewell, father of Chicago Bear linebacker Noah Sewell, and former BYU and NFL lineman Dallas Reynolds. What are his skills? He was known for his pass blocking. He has the reach, size and fundamentals to play beyond high school.
Two months into his missionary work, Lewis began having stomach problems. The following year, the 6-foot-6, 305-pound athlete lost 70 pounds and had to return to his home for treatment.
After what he described as a series of miracles, he returned to the Philippines and continued what he had started, answering telephone calls.
“I am so grateful to have been called to serve a mission to the Philippines under the direction of President Russell M. Nelson, a prophet of God,” Lewis explained.
After he started having stomach problems, tests revealed he had a parasitic worm infection. He continued to serve in Santiago with the help of mission nurse Janet Shirt, but eventually mission president Ricardo Cobbing decided to allow Luis to undergo treatment, including a colonoscopy. It was decided that he should return to Japan in May 2023.
During this procedure, a precancerous polyp was discovered and removed. I was told that if it hadn't been discovered, I could have developed life-threatening stage 4 cancer.
Upon returning to Provo, Luis continued to believe that he would fulfill his mission to educate the Filipino people. He sent a letter to church leaders, who reviewed his case and approved his return to Santiago. Upon returning to Santiago, he says the experience changed his life.
“I was a completely different person. My perspective changed. I was able to teach and serve and dedicate myself to that work because I love the Filipino people. It was a life-changing experience. It was an experience,” Lewis said.
Eventually, Ruiz encountered another health-related issue in Santiago City in March. He felt numbness on the right side of his body. Doctors in the Philippines thought it was something serious, possibly a tumor or multiple sclerosis. The decision was made in April to return to Orem, two months before June 5, the official date of departure from the Philippines.
Last month, he continued testing at home. He is scheduled to have an MRI scan to see if something is compressing the nerves in his neck.
“I'm still trying to get a proper diagnosis. They thought it was something serious, like MS or a tumor or something, so that's why I came home again,” he said. Told. “I haven't had any pain through this whole process since March. My right side was numb and scary, but that's gone too. I'm fine. Now both my hands are numb. So we… I have worked with several doctors and I will forever know that God is in the details of my life. I know he is in charge. We are preparing for the.
“Everything is in God's hands. He is in control,” Lewis said.
During that time, he gained 35 pounds back in preparation for football, and his weight has increased to 275 pounds, which is still below his pre-mission weight of 305 pounds.
Lewis has a big frame so he can carry that weight. All he needs is to find an answer to the numbness that forced him to return from the Philippines two months early.
He is humble and sensitive, his faith is genuine and he has a positive outlook. He is the fourth of seven children in the Chad and Michelle Lewis family.
Former Deseret News colleague Jeff Call knows Jeff Lewis as a former neighbor and current friend of his son Janson. Jeff Lewis and Janson were doing mission work and corresponding at the same time.
“My sons grew up in the Lewis household,” Cole said. “My youngest son Janson has become really good friends with Jeff, who is a gentle giant. My son is so small that he looks like something that fell out of Jeff's pocket. They joked that they were bodyguards.Janson and Jeff stayed in touch as much as possible during their mission.Jeff Lewis is another humble young man with a great sense of humor. He will be roommates with the gentle giant Joe Brown.Jeff has been an amazing and positive influence on Janson over the years. I did.”
Decades ago, I stood by a storage shed in downtown Orem, wearing shoulder pads and helmets to my father, Chad, and brother, Mike, to participate in the city's youth football program hosted by the Orem Jaycees. I remember leaving it there. Years later, I remember BYU offensive coordinator Norm Chou telling me one summer that they had a 6-foot-6 tight end prospect who was returning as a missionary and would be a big part of the team. There is.
“Keep your eyes on Chad Lewis,” Chow said.
Hooray. He was that kid I checked off the helmet and pads list that day.
His father played on the 1996 Cotton Bowl team with fellow NFL tight end Itura Milli, but was injured just before the bowl in Dallas. Chad not only excelled in the NFL as an All-Pro, but also served as the league's ambassador to China.
As I sat at a restaurant in Orem and chatted with Chad's son, I was struck by Jeff's aura and belief in miracles. Because he's been through a lot in the past two years. Much of his father's positivity is built into his personality.
Jeff's world is headed for a unique crossroads. His health and dreams of playing college football must be addressed.
Although the winner has not been announced, it is clear that his hope and optimism stem from his physical and mental genetic makeup.
