04/21/2020
ALUMNI...Where are they now?
If anyone has ever lived in the Tulsa area, they are probably familiar with the intense allergies the shifting of winter into the spring and summer seasons bring. The combination of sticky, spring pollen and Oklahoma wind can produce the worst of sneeze attacks and itchy eyes. The allergy struggle is a widespread one, but no one was more familiar with it than one former ORU student.
After uncovering the reason for her severe allergies were polyps on her sinuses, Multimedia Production major Morgan Ellis Adams scheduled what was supposed to be a routine sinus surgery. While the doctors were operating, they found a tumor toward the back of her brain they had missed on the pre-operation MRI. The decision was made to operate a second time to remove the tumor. The recovery of this successful second surgery was characterized by paralysis on the right side of Ellis’ face, which the surgeons thought was a normal side effect due to the accidental hitting of a nerve during the operation. Nobody knew this was just the start of a journey Ellis never imagined taking.
“I was in Bed, Bath & Beyond on Christmas Eve and all of a sudden my vision started tunneling in, and it looked like I was seeing through pinholes,” Ellis said. “We called the doctors, and they told me to come in the day after Christmas. They did another MRI and found out it was being caused by a different tumor on my pituitary gland.”
Ellis didn’t return to ORU after the Christmas of 2013. Her life as an independent college student came to a sudden halt. She had terrible headaches, became light-sensitive and experienced numbness and pins-and-needles down her right side and right hand. Several months of waiting went by before the decision was made to forego another operation and treat the tumor with medication.
“I was just terrified and frustrated and angry,” Ellis said. “It was limiting what I could do. My parents were concerned, so then they wouldn’t let me drive - even after the doctors cleared me - so it was tough to not go back to normal life.”
Life outside of the spiritual growth bubble of ORU especially while dealing with a major health issue was difficult, making Ellis question her faith for the first time.
“Honestly, after leaving ORU, I kind of went through a difficult time,” Ellis said. “My husband, Charlie Adams, came into my life around the time when I was really struggling, and he kept my focus. I was negative and down and discouraged, but my husband was a positive person, and he pointed me back to God. We went to Gateway Church and got plugged in. It was easy after leaving ORU to not be involved in church, but he pushed me to go.”
Since then, her life has relatively quieted down and gone back to normal. Although the tumor is still there, it has shrunk around 50 percent in response to the medication, and Ellis hasn’t had to go back for an MRI for a few years. She maintains a healthy and active lifestyle. Later this year, Ellis and Charlie Adams, an ORU alum and proud former member of Men of God, will go on a medical missions trip to Panama in June. They will go on a second overseas trip to Indonesia with Church On The Move. Describing herself as a stay-at-home dog mom who loves Pilates and yoga, Adams enjoys doing freelance marketing and graphic design from home. She also helps people with business coaching on the side.
Ellis feels God has called her to help people reach their goals, specifically in the field of marketing, while helping others with fresh ideas and direction in business. Story/Mikala Lanferman
