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Women’s event speaker to share message of hope

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Nika Maples was diagnosed with Lupus at age 12. Eight years later in 1994,  she was given 48 hours to live. Now, she travels the United States, giving messages of hope to all who hear her speak. Her next stop is Oklahoma Christian University where she is the feature speaker at the second annual She Speaks.

This all-women event on campus began last year with Duck Dynasty’s Missy Robertson as the guest speaker.

“We just wanted to make all women on campus feel free to come to a women’s event,” Kerri Cunningham, executive director of events management said. “We wanted to make some particular women’s events that are faith-based and encouraging to our students.”

Alumna Paige Bailey attended the event with Robertson last year and believed it was a success.

“I really loved the event last year,” alumna Paige Bailey said. “It was such a great encouragement in the middle of the week just to be lifted up and hear other people’s stories about stuff that they have gone through.”

Though sophomore Amanda Cooper was unable to attend Robertson’s speech, she looks forward to hearing Maples, after experiencing her speak at a previous event.

“I think it’s amazing to have all these women get together and just be empowered by someone as strong as Nika and just have a night to share our faith and hear some pretty amazing words,” Cooper said.

Cunningham created She Speaks to host women like Maples and Robertson.

“We hope to bring in speakers over the next years that are exciting and relevant… opportunities that our girls can see ‘I want to aspire to live like that,’” Cunningham said. “That’s what we’re trying to do.”

Cunningham said she wants the women of Oklahoma Christian to have role models to look up to in their faith.

“I know you learn all of your academics here, so you’ve prepared for a vocation, for a job when you leave here, but I also want women to be exposed to other women who have very strong faith stories,” Cunningham said. “Success to me doesn’t always mean money; it is how you handle situations. I want you to have great examples of that here.”

Cunningham decided Maples would fit the criteria for She Speaks after hearing her at a conference.

“[We] just thought she had a message that was great for our students and women in our area to hear,” Cunningham said.

During Maples sophomore year of college, she suffered a Lupus-induced stroke that nearly killed her. She was hospitalized and told she did not have long to live.

Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that attacks a person’s immune system. Though there is no cure, patients can have months of remission at times. When the disease flares up it can bring deadly consequences.

“I just remember when she said her best friend from school came in… and she just basically had to say all of her goodbyes and now she’s… got a new chance at life,” Cooper said. “I think that is pretty amazing.”

After her experience, Maples has made it her mission to bless those around her with her story. In 2011, Maples wrote a book entitled “Twelve Clean Pages” in order to further spread her story and faith.

“I think everyone handles situations differently and some people cling to hope,” Bailey said. “I feel like if you are one that clings to hope then once you realize you have been given such a big gift of living, you just live life and go for it.”

Though Maples had a long recovery process, she returned to school a year later and eventually graduated.

“She did go ahead and graduate, she became a teacher, she became teacher of the year,” Cunningham said. “She is just a really great motivational speaker about whatever God sends your way.”

Cooper was moved by Maples’s inspiring words and is looking forward to hearing her speak again.

“I just remember when she came and talked to us last year and I absolutely loved her… when I found out that she was the one who was coming to speak for She Speaks I was like ‘I have to go,’” Cooper said.

After hearing Missy Robertson last year, Bailey encourages women to attend She Speaks.

“I think every once in a while we all need a little bit of a reality check and it is really great to listen to someone who has suffered and realize that there is more suffering out there than we think,” Bailey said.

For more information on Maples, read her memoir “Twelve Clean Pages” or visit her blog nikamaples.com.

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