Guest post: How Heather Sievers has helped this disabled Iowan

Sarah Ashby, an Altoona resident, talks about her interactions with Heather Sievers, who is running to represent House District 40 in the Iowa House.

I first met Heather Sievers in March while attending a public discussion about abortion rights, put on by the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, in the back room of Best Day Coffee in Altoona.

I knew she was running as the Democratic candidate for House District 40 (Altoona, East Des Moines, and Saylor Township), and I was hoping she would use the event as an opportunity to announce her candidacy, but when it came time for Heather to introduce herself to the group, she didn’t even mention her campaign. She just said she was a nurse and a mother to a child with rare disabilities, and spoke about the specific ways these abortion bans would (and already had) put the lives of pregnant Iowans at risk.

I was so confused why she didn’t even try to capitalize on the political opportunity that was right in front of her, but it didn’t take long for me to understand: That’s simply not the kind of person Heather is. 

Since our first meeting, I’ve seen time and time again just how much Heather truly cares about this community, and every single person in it, regardless of their party affiliation.

Even in the midst of running a whole campaign, she still made time to be a support for me while I dealt with my own chronic health struggles. 

This summer, I had planned on attending a flower-arranging event for Heather and Sen. Nate Boulton (D-Des Moines) with mom, but on the day of, my symptoms flared up and I had to stay home. My mom went alone and when she told Heather why I was absent, the first thing Heather asked was if I needed any extra support that day. The second thing she did was ask how she could help.

Heather has gone well beyond the shallow concern of a politician just looking for a vote, because that doesn’t seem to be what matters most to her. 

I think what matters most to Heather is actually helping the people she meets along the way, even if that means spending what little free time she has to go buy a carload of groceries for a young adult she just met at the doors to help with their food insecurity. Or to help someone with disabilities navigate an overly complicated health care system so that they could have a fighting chance to get the care they needed.

At the end of the day, intentions and hollow promises don’t mean much when it comes to making a positive impact on the lives of others. What we actually do with those intentions… Now that is where the magic lies.

So, as a disabled Iowan, I’m voting for Heather Sievers, because she is the first “politician” I’ve met who has genuinely asked me, “How can I help?” and has actually cared enough to listen.

Sarah Ashby is an autistic author, artist, disability & civil rights advocate from Altoona. She enjoys film photography, thrifting, and holding doors for strangers. You can contact her at [email protected].