Auburn senior Josiah Gilbert is gearing up to attend the November 29 wedding of his close friend, roommate, and Auburn alumnus Brendan Valdes and Rachel Gourley. However, a phone call from Valdes in January this year led Gilbert on a journey to an unexpected reality check, ultimately changing his perspective on both life and his career.
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“I actually lived with him from the day he got diagnosed to the day he was cancer-free,” Gilbert told Smylie Kaufman on The Smylie Show. “I was with him the whole time. … It was an amazing process, and he’s one of the most positive dudes ever.”
That praise doesn’t come lightly. A few days before Christmas last year, Valdes got engaged to Gourley after returning from a holiday trip to England to visit her family. He was preparing for his second Korn Ferry Tour season when, on January 1st, what initially felt like a minor cold worsened and he began coughing up blood. Valdes went to an emergency room in Orlando.
Doctors discovered a 9-centimetre mass pressing against his heart and lung. He was subsequently diagnosed with primary mediastinal lymphoma, a form of cancer. Just a day after, Gilbert was at an airport on his way to Australia to compete in the Australian Masters of the Amateurs when his phone rang.
“He called me January 2nd or 3rd,” Gilbert added. “I was on my way to Australia to play the Masters of the Amateurs. I was in the airport, and he just gave me a call. I was like, ‘Hey dude, how you doing?’ He was like, ‘Your boy’s got cancer.’ I was like, ‘Who’s my boy?’ He’s like, ‘Me! I got cancer.’ And I can hear it on the phone that he’s laughing—got a smile on his face.”
Shocked and in disbelief, the Auburn senior asked whether Valdes was being “serious.” In response, he heard, “I’ll be all good… I’ll be out by August… I’ll be done.” Gilbert felt “that’s an insane perspective to have,” even though he understands that making light of some things in life can make things feel better. However, the amateur was in disbelief about how quickly Valdes was able to cope with his diagnosis.
“Every day, I’d walk in [the room] and talk to him at the house and sit down [to] watch some football. He’s like, ‘Yeah, I’ll beat it in a minute.’ He goes, ‘Whatever the deadline is, that’s the day I’m going to beat it.’ There wasn’t a thought, ‘Oh, it could stick around.’ It’s like, ‘Yep, it’s just another thing I have to do, and then I’ll come back out and play more pro golf.’
“I think that … it just gives you a whole new perspective on just life in general. Like, golf is not everything, but it can also be taken from you literally the day.”
While Valdes’ positive outlook, despite a critical diagnosis, gave Gilbert a new perspective in life, Valdes went on to prove everything he said.
Brendan Valdes’ return after cancer battle
After his diagnosis, Valdes took medical leave from the Korn Ferry Tour and travelled to Houston to consult specialists at MD Anderson Cancer Center before beginning chemotherapy in Alabama. His treatment proved challenging, with an infection linked to untreated pneumonia causing a partial lung collapse and an extended hospital stay.
However, Valdes continued fighting the disease and received his final chemotherapy treatment on May 15, 2026. A scan a few weeks later confirmed that he was cancer-free, allowing him to turn his attention towards rebuilding his strength and returning to competitive golf. He had spent more than six months without hitting a club.
So, Valdes returned to the course in late June for a match against his friend and caddie, Tiago Barni, at Isleworth Golf and Country Club near Orlando. The 23-year-old then made his competitive comeback at a G-Pro Tour event in Huntsville, Alabama. Valdes finished third at 12-under par, just three shots behind the winner, Beck Burnette.
The performance helped pave the way for his return to Tour-sanctioned competition. In September, Valdes received a sponsor exemption to compete in the inaugural Biltmore Championship Asheville in North Carolina. While he may have won the cancer battle, he failed to make the cut.