When Ada Dooley was a high school student seeking out a Christian college, she was drawn to Anderson University.
“I came in my freshman year as a worship leadership major because I’m super passionate about singing and leading worship and still am,” Ada said, adding that she investigated several degree programs before Anderson University caught her attention.
When Ada auditioned with Anderson University and was offered a place on the worship band with a scholarship, she immediately accepted. She knew without question that Anderson was where she wanted to be.
Although she later switched from being a Worship Leadership major to Human Development and Family Studies, Ada continued leading worship at Baptist Collegiate Ministries (BCM) and at Upstate Church, where she attends.
At the start of her junior year, Ada started noticing bumps on her head, so she went to a dermatologist who told her they were pilar cysts and not cancerous. When Ada began experiencing pain around her stomach accompanied by fever and night sweats, she went to Thrive, Anderson University’s student health service. After checking Ada out, the Thrive staff advised her to go to an ER immediately.
Arriving at a Greenville emergency room, Ada recalls, “They took me back for some tests finally and did a CT scan and saw that my appendix was fine. It was my ovaries and my kidneys that were super swollen and inflamed.”
Ada’s parents, Nick and Heather Dooley, brought her home to Charlotte for more tests, which included multiple CT scans, ultrasounds, blood work, biopsies and a PET scan. All signs pointed to cancer, but getting treatment had to wait until a specific type of cancer could be identified.
After enduring long, painful days of waiting in uncertainty, Ada received a preliminary diagnosis of T-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia/Lymphoma. She began receiving treatments at Atrium Health’s Levine Children’s Hospital.
Looking back on her hospital stay, Ada said, “When I first went in the hospital, I didn’t realize how serious it was. I was confused on what is happening, thinking ‘Why am I feeling this way? I’ll be back at school in no time,’ when in reality, I didn’t realize it was going to be an eight-month-long journey, that I was going to be in and out of the hospital, that I was going to be getting treatments twice a week for months, that I wouldn’t be going back to school. I didn’t know what I was in store for, and, honestly, I’m thankful for that because I would’ve been too overwhelmed if I knew.”
At the same time, Nick and Heather were trying to get their heads around what was happening with their daughter, while trying to understand cancer treatment terminology. While hospital staff administered meds to ease Ada’s pain, Nick and Heather were enduring a pain of their own.
“Ada was relying on Nick and me to try to understand what was happening because she just felt so overwhelmed. She was on pain meds and was kind of out of it. She probably doesn’t remember a lot of her hospital stay because she was sedated,” Heather said. “I feel she has a very different perspective because we saw her hurting.”
During the darkest days of Ada’s illness, the Dooleys were encouraged when they saw their neighbors showing up in loving and supportive ways.
“God has shown up for us over and over, when we’re like, ‘God, why?’ We have a dinner club Bible study in our neighborhood,” Heather said. “One of Ada’s hardest days was when she was in her room and couldn’t get out of bed. She was crying and Nick and I were praying over her. We stood up, and saw one of our neighbors taking a walk and just had her hand stretched out and was praying over our house… She didn’t know we could see her out of the bedroom window. The Christian community, they’ve taken care of us, whether it’s helping with medical bills or bringing a meal train. They redecorated Ada’s room when she was in the hospital for a couple of weeks. They redid Ada’s bathroom when we were in the hospital.”
Now in remission, Ada explains, “I have a year and a half of maintenance, which is monthly visits and chemo pills that I’m taking,” Ada said. “That started in July, so from July until March 2027 I’ll be taking chemo pills and going in for monthly treatments.”
From day one, Ada an her parents have experienced an outpouring of support from the Anderson University community consistent with all of the institution’s pillars—Great Academics, Great Faith, Great Hospitality and Great Purpose. They are grateful to the Anderson University Center for Student Success and her professors who stepped up and helped her complete her assignments that fall and stay on track to graduate this May.
Center for Student Success Assistant Director Molly Bray describes Ada as a wonderful student and a strong, resilient person. Bray and the center staff worked with Ada’s professors to make sure she stayed on track academically, while at the same time encouraging her to focus on getting well and not be burdened over keeping up with her studies.
“When all of this happened,” Molly said, “she had so much going on and so many things to worry about and think about, and still is a perfect straight ‘A’ student who really cares deeply about her academics… We would contact a lot of the faculty on her behalf, but also Ada did a really great job of staying on top of the assignments that she could do, in the coursework that she could do, in contacting her professors as well.”
Molly and the center staff were able to help Ada obtain credit even for some of her high school coursework, helping her stay on track, even during the spring semester when she couldn’t yet carry a full courseload.
“It’s great to see how the Lord has provided for her,” Molly said.
“I’m so grateful for how my professors really cared for me during that time,” Ada said. “I was able to finish all five of my classes that semester and get credit for all of them, which is a huge blessing, because now I’m able to stay on track and graduate on time.”
When Ada was lying in a hospital bed, she received a call from President Evans P. Whitaker expressing he and Diane’s support and prayers for her recovery.
Because a healthy diet is essential to Ada’s recovery, Diane saw to it that the house she lives in was equipped with a stove to help in meal preparation.
Heather said she saw Ada’s roommates and friends come alongside her in amazing ways.
“When she couldn’t shave her legs, one of them shaved her legs, and her friends threw a wig party for her. They all wore wigs… so she wouldn’t stand out. They came up with the most creative ways to love and care for her. They have a depth at age 21 to their relationships that a lot of us adults don’t,” Heather said. “She is in remission, but she’s still in treatment for another year and a half. She’s on chemo calls every day and comes home once a month. Her journey’s not over and we’re praying and believing she’s not going to relapse.”
Looking back on Ada’s college choice, Heather couldn’t be happier.
“Ada chose Anderson and now, looking back, God knew that’s where she needed to be. And the teachers were so caring for her,” Heather said. “Watching your kids struggle—it’s the hardest thing to see, but she loves Jesus and has a super close relationship with Him… She was strong and steady when I was in the waiting room and hallway, crying and a mess. She has a strong, steady faith.”
Ada hopes to become a counselor like her mom, but specifically working to help children and their families overcome the fear and anxiety of hospital stays.
“I’m starting to look into maybe being a child life specialist, which works with children in hospitals just helping them navigate their diagnosis and helping the parents navigate the medical side of things,” Ada said.” I feel like I can use what I’ve gone through to help kids who are scared and don’t know what’s going on… Or maybe even social work, because my social worker in the hospital has been really just a huge support to me.”
Reflecting on her experiences over the past months, Ada made note of several things the Lord has revealed to her.
“One of them is ‘I may not always be happy with my situation, but I can be joyful if I seek the Lord daily.’ Happiness is so fleeting; it’s an emotion that comes and goes, but joy is a choice. I had to choose to be joyful despite what I was going through,” Ada said, adding, “I also learned to not be afraid to ask for help. I felt like I was a burden to the people who were trying to help me… I lost all my independence. I needed someone to help me walking up and down the stairs. I needed someone to feed me. I did feel like a burden, but my parents truly love me and truly want to help me, so I shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help.”
Ada is grateful to those who have come alongside her.
“I feel like the Lord has just provided so many people to come around me and support me, and just seeing the church come together and love my family and love me,” Ada said. “It was definitely an adjustment coming back and learning how to be independent again, without my parents taking care of me, and living on my own again, but trusting the Lord and trusting that I can do this and that I have a great year ahead of me and I have friends who are going to support me and my fiancé is going to be there for me.”
By the way, Ada was crowned 2025 Homecoming Queen October 4.
Ada and her family appreciate your prayers and support. A Caring Bridge has been set up for Ada. Here is a link for more details.
