Those who know Sylvia best describe her as sharp, a great conversationalist, a deep thinker who easily makes connections. She is resourceful and knows what she wants and is willing to outwork everyone around her for it. For Sylvia, providing for her kids, and the stray kids she picks up along the way, is success for her, not wealth.
Karen, Sylvia’s Client Advocate at And Then There Were None, says, “Sylvia, despite her history, puts two and two together faster than man or machine. She is simply brilliant.”
“I grew up in a typical black family,” Sylvia said. “I think my mom did the best she could at the time. We grew up in church. We sang in the choir. I was the baby of my three sisters.”
The lack of basic necessities like food as well as enough clothing caused Sylvia to feel embarrassed and search for a way out of her living arrangements. She started running away, which in Nebraska at the time, was treated like a crime instead of a cry for help.
“My mom was always working low paying jobs. I was embarrassed that I had nothing decent to go to school in. It might seem unimportant, but to me it was a big deal and caused me a lot of shame,” Sylvia said. “We barely had food, and when we got it, we scarfed it up so fast that it was gone.”
Sylvia had no responsible adult around to help her with her schoolwork or help her understand the importance of her education.
“It was straight out neglect,” Sylvia said. “My mom was always working, but we never had what we needed. Even on Christmas and birthdays. We didn’t have necessities, we didn’t go on vacations, and my dad was in jail for most of my life and passed away in 2019. He was a crackhead. Mom always said that whatever happened in the home stayed in the home. We were never her priority.”
Sylvia did have a grandmother nearby, but it was not a loving relationship.
“My grandmother had plenty of money,” Sylvia said. “She came over once and saw how dirty our house was. I will never forget how much she judged us and called us pigs.”
Despite Sylvia growing up going to church, abortion never came up at church at home.
“I only learned about abortions when my friends started getting them.”
Sylvia continued to run away and got caught up in the state system and was put into juvenile hall. She was there for several months.
“I could not read or write well at the age of 12,” she said. “Someone at the detention facility helped me write a letter to Boys Town. Father Peter was the head of Boys Town at the time. It took a few months of waiting in juvenile hall, but finally I found out I was accepted.”
Sylvia made significant progress at Boys Town and the program changed her life.
“For the first time, I lived in a home that had a husband and wife,” she said. “I had my own room. The house mom and dad saw that I had nothing. No clothes, absolutely nothing. Boys Town bought me everything I needed. We all did chores, and our house was so clean. It gave me a sense of pride. Our house was actually the cleanest one, and they gave me a lot of positive reinforcement.”
Boys Town had both Catholic and Protestant churches for the residents to attend and Sylvia enjoyed attending with her house mom and dad.
“They quickly learned that I was delayed in my education,” Sylvia said. “They hopped on that real fast. They gave me assignments, taught me, and we would read novels. They always made sure that I did all of my assignments. I even became a cheerleader at the school and loved it.”
Sylvia’s house parents, Shawn and Salley loved her well. She stayed at Boys Town for three years and continues to think of them fondly and is grateful for the care they showed her.
“They gave me hope and gave me self-esteem,” she said. “When I made a mistake, they corrected me, but never judged me. They gave me hope. They literally saved my life. It was such a wonderful program. I often wish that I had stayed there.”
While Sylvia had sporadic contact with her family while at Boys Town, she did miss them. Her mother was doing much better at the time and had moved to a much nicer neighborhood. She had taken a job advocating for abused women, took parenting classes, and even became a foster parent.
“I left Boys Town and went back to living with my family because I just wanted to be a normal teenager. I was a cheerleader at every school I ever went to. I absolutely loved to cheer.”
It did not take long for things to go downhill once Sylvia returned home.
“I started partying, drinking a lot,” she said. “I met the man who would become the father of my kids. I became pregnant and dropped out of school and started living with my kids’ dad.”
Despite it all, Sylvia still knew that she was intelligent and driven. She knew that a high school diploma was important. She enrolled in an alternative program during her pregnancy.
“I am so thankful to Boys Town for teaching me how to read and make sure I comprehended what I was reading so that I could pass the tests. My daughter was one when I graduated, and I walked across the stage with her to collect my diploma.”
Things became rocky with her kid’s dad. Her mom and my sisters moved from Omaha to Charlotte. Sylvia joined them with her two children in 2016.
“I was looking for jobs everywhere. I found one on Craigslist that said it was for a receptionist, no experience necessary. I had absolutely no idea it was an abortion clinic,” she said. “During our group interview, they told all four of us that this was an abortion clinic and asked if we were okay with that. There was definitely a pause. None of us really knew what to say, but no one objected.”
Sylvia and the other new hires were given a “pregnancy wheel” which would help them determine the gestational age when they scheduled appointments.
“I didn’t have to see the girls cry. I didn’t have to hold their hands. I was just on the phone booking the appointments.”
As with everything she puts her mind to, Sylvia was exceptionally good at it. She had a talent for putting people at ease with her humor and empathy.
“One year I booked the most appointments,” she said. “That’s why they liked me. I never wanted to be involved in the abortion industry, I just needed a job.”
Initially, Sylvia was proud of the honor and congratulatory recognition of her customer service skills, but she began questioning. “They told me how good I was at my job, and I thought, ‘IS that good?’” Sylvia recalled.
Sylvia’s best friend also worked at the clinic’s call center when she was pregnant with the child who would become her goddaughter. She didn’t really have a strong opinion and wasn’t a staunch supporter of abortion, but as is the case with many clinic workers, she had her own abortions while living in Omaha performed by the infamous Leroy Carhart.
“I finally left because there was no leadership at all, and the women were always bickering. I voiced my concerns to my supervisor, and she continually rebuffed me.” she said. “Tensions were so high that a fight was about to break out, and our supervisor vacated the premises instead of diffusing the situation. Another co-worker was coming hard after my best friend, who was pregnant. They were getting ready to physically fight. We quit together that day. They didn’t care about us.”
A former co-worker had reached out to ATTWN and shared with Sylvia how much help she received, so she felt completely comfortable reaching out.
“Karen was my advocate. At that time, my life was still off the rails. I was terrified of becoming homeless. Karen would talk to me every day. She prayed with me every day.”
Sylvia quickly got a job at a security company. She didn’t have a car at the time, so she took the bus to work every day.
“I felt so grateful. Things were coming together in my life. I found a place and moved.”
Unfortunately, the company went out of business, and she was evicted. She went to live with another former co-worker who had also left the clinic. She quickly found another job at a customer service call center.
“I found a one-bedroom apartment and my kids just slept in the bed with me,” she said. “I felt like things were becoming consistent. My life was settling. I even got my CDL and was ready to get on the road. I got a call that my niece was in a very bad situation, so I took her in.”
While Sylvia and Karen remained in contact, it took Sylvia a long time to come on a retreat.
“My first retreat was so hard. It made me reflect on my part of the abortion machine,” she said. “I think of it like how during the Holocaust there were people who went into the synagogues to get the names of the Jews so they could hunt them down. It also caused me to reflect on my own abortions. I had never thought deeply about it.”
Even though it was difficult, Sylvia was so glad she went in the end.
“I bawled. It cut me deep. It made me deal with things I never even knew I needed to deal with. Everyone is affected by an abortion. I don’t care what they say, they are. In their hearts, they know it is murder. I started to worry about my own salvation.”
Karen and Sylvia continue to talk and pray together. They have developed a deep bond and friendship. Sylvia has also bonded with many of the former workers in ATTWN’s growing “Quitter Tribe.” She continued to go on retreats and now never misses one.
“I know God is forgiving if He will have a daughter like me,” she said with a laugh. “I can’t wait to see what Heaven looks like. I am now excited and not afraid of not having salvation. I love God. I feel like He whispers little things to me and steers me. Sometimes all I can do is cry. I also love my church family.”
Sylvia has also taken advantage of ATTWN’s counseling services with Amanda, and it has been extremely helpful as she bravely delves into the traumas of her past and things that she didn’t even consciously know she was battling.
“I have been met with genuine and unconditional love, friendship, and support by everyone,” she said. “We stand for life, love, and a relationship with Christ. That is what I am all about. ATTWN is welcoming and unites us all, no matter where you are from or what you did. The abortion industry does what the devil does—divides. ATTWN has changed my life in so many ways. They even helped my kids one year when I had nothing for my kids for Christmas. Now that I am independent and on my feet, I am happy to give back.”
Sylvia encourages all workers who are considering leaving or who have worked in the abortion industry in the past to call ATTWN.
“You gave that side of the fence a part of your life. Why not see the other side? I will promise you that you will be met with more light and love than you are getting there. Why not come on out, join the tribe and get some of this,” Sylvia said with a laugh.