Today, for the 30th day of the Women’s History Month project, we are celebrating this amazing woman
Meet Heather Sylvester, 44, wife, mother of 2, woman of faith and soon to be ordained as a Deacon.
Heather Danielle Gray Sylvester became concerned with people in the wider world when she was still a little girl. Born in Blue Hill, Maine in 1977 she watched on television informercials about sending money and food to Africa. Although happy in her idyllic childhood the images stayed with her.
In her Sophomore year of High School after having moved with her family a couple of times, she went on her first mission trip to the Dominican Republic. She and her father along with a group of 30 or so worked on building a hospital in La Romana which would house a free clinic. Heather loved actively helping people and building relationships as well as experiencing other languages and cultures.
Influenced by summer camp at a Christian Conference Center in China, ME, Heather chose a Christian Liberal Arts College on the Northshore of Mass. She studied prerequisites for continuing education in genetic counseling; biology, chemistry, genetics, counseling and psychology. She was in pursuit of a career that would help people, provide valuable information, and support for difficult medical decisions. She also truly enjoyed the spiritual education she received in Bible classes and chapel services.
Heather experienced her first time with uncontrollable anxiety as a Sophomore in college. She developed an obsessive compulsive disorder called Trichitillomania. It is a behavior of hair picking, and usually during periods of stress she picks out all her eyebrow hair. She pursued counseling that summer and has continued for many years. With a supportive family, her faith, and counseling the disorder is not gone, but it is manageable.
Also during college, Heather spent a semester abroad in Kenya. Her experience brought her face to face with prejudice she didn’t know she possessed. She was surprised to find she was feeling superior to her African peers and realized how pervasive racism can be in the U.S. even when you aren’t being racist.
She also traveled to India a couple of times on mission trips to provide supplies for a children’s home in Southern India and to volunteer at various programs with the Sisters of Mercy in Calcutta. Our team of college students discussed how we wrestled with our actions only being a small drop in the great big bucket of poverty and classism we found in India. Although we had gone there with a mission to help others, we found that we had been helped in having our hearts and minds expand to understand the greater world and the people in it. For Heather it also led her to recognize the struggles and hardships of people in the United States.
Heather was also struck by how similar people are even between different cultures. The following verse from Galatians became real for her. “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Heather believes that, We are all made in the image of God and therefore everyone (even the people we don’t agree with) deserves respect, dignity, and justice.
Unfortunately, it was while on one of these trips that Heather injured her lower back. While volunteering at the children’s home in India she was playing with some kids, picked one up, and then felt something “give way.” She finished out the trip, and upon returning home was immediately examined. She had herniated a disc in her low back and the hernia was impinging on her sciatic nerve. After having reparative surgery, Heather spent the last semester of her college career laying down in classrooms, having friends carry her books for her, and doing daily stretches. It was during these times that God’s love was evidenced through the care she received from her friends and family. Heather believes that this experience, although painful and challenging, put her in a place to understand other people with back issues and chronic pain. Heather believes that, sometimes God gives us the challenges we need in order for us to be available to others who need empathetic support.
Heather went on to graduate school at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY. Her interest in science and immense desire to help people led her to a Masters of Science degree in Human Genetics and pursuit of a job as a genetic counselor. It was at this time that she dated and married a wonderful man, Gary Sylvester who also had a heart to serve others for the glory of God.
They bought a house in Freeport, ME and her husband likes to say that “Freeport is close to everything and far from ordinary, which is a lot like them.” They have had 16 wonderful years living downtown with wonderful neighbors and a supportive community. Although, Heather had the privilege to stay-at-home with her children, her experience with a newborn baby was a very difficult time. She developed post-partum depression and again relied on counseling therapy as well as every social resource available to her. It really wasn’t until her daughter was 2 years old and she had been using medicinal therapy that she was able to be more like herself. Now her children are 13 and 9 years of age. The four of them rely on the love from their extended families, their church community, God’s unconditional love, and a welcoming attitude towards those around them.
Heather has now begun the journey of becoming a Deacon in the Episcopal Church. She is taking her faith and experience to lead others within and without the Episcopal Church to care for the marginalized among us.
Most recently Heather has started a new service project called Laundry Love in Portland with those at the Trinity Episcopal church. Once a month they provide money for people to do their laundry at a local laundromat as well as conversation and friendship. It has only occurred three times, but it has already been rewarding. Heather says that to see the relief on the face of a single dad when he found his laundry was paid for was absolutely priceless. Another person made the comment that they felt the people from Trinity were providing some light in a dark world.
Heather will be ordained this summer as a Deacon in the Episcopal Church. She plans on continuing Laundry Love, but is also looking forward to other opportunities through which to serve Jesus Christ.
1 Comments
Mar 30, 2022, 9:36:39 PM
Faith Gray - My other niece there in Maine...sisters. thank you for this lovely story of Heather...a lot of her I just now read about. Thank you.