When Judy Elsley, an English professor at Weber State University, was diagnosed with breast cancer, she had more than chemotherapy as treatment. She used her quilt-making skills as a form of therapy to make it through the process.

The quilts she made tell the story of Elsley’s journey through the course of the disease, from the initial diagnosis and throughout her treatment. Her quilts are currently available for students and staff to observe in the Shepherd Union Art Gallery. She will be going through each piece in the order they were created and will be explaining their importance and relevance to her journey in an artist review on Feb. 16 at 2 p.m.

Elsley is passionate about her work and expressed how quilting helped her deal with her illness, as well as the plethora of emotions she felt over the course of learning of the diagnosis and undergoing therapy.

“As I went through the process of the illness and recovery, each quilt addressed some particular issue that I was dealing with at that time,” she said, adding that, along with quilting, her family and friends helped guide her through that difficult time in her life, and that help and guidance is reflected in her quilt work.

As students were able to walk through the gallery, some expressed their opinions on the pieces.

“I enjoyed how each quilt had a unique story behind it related to her illness. The different colors and patterns looked beautiful,” said sophomore Monica Annoh, adding that she is looking forward to attending and hopes that other students attend the event as well.