HARRIS COUNTY, Ga. (WTVM) - Heidi Wyrick's roller coaster experience with the paranormal world started when she was just three years old...

She vividly remembers her times with Mr. Gordy, the first spirit she ever connected with.

The old man appeared in the backyard of her family's Ellerslie home from time to time, and at Heidi's young age, she had no clue he wasn't real.

"I saw him up until I was eight years old, on an everyday day basis. We would sit and have conversations...then he would take me by the hand, and we would go swing," said Wyrick.

"I would see her out in the yard, and see her hand raised, holding someone's hand.  Many times I would hear her talking, but never heard anybody talk back," said Lisa Wyrick, Heidi's mother.

As she grew older, spirits started coming to Heidi in different forms...humans, animals, and sometimes, figures she couldn't even explain.

"I can sense when it's an evil presence or if it's a good presence. If I can sense evil, you wouldn't believe the feelings you can get...I've been literally been sick to my stomach," said Wyrick.

"When the bad spirits started coming into play, it got difficult...she would always describe him as a dark figure, having no features, just like a silhouette. As a parent,you don't know how to deal with it because you don't know how to protect her.  If it was someone real, you would know what to do," said Wyrick's mother.

The media soon picked up on Heidi's story, and shined a global spotlight on her and her family.

After a Discovery Channel documentary, a book detailing her early years and appearances at paranormal conferences all over the world, many people have connected with Heidi and her struggles.

"It means so much to me to help people out there who are going through the same thing as me," said Wyrick.

Some out there, though, remain skeptics, and openly criticize the Wyrick family.

Hateful comments about Heidi fill Internet message boards on many paranormal web sites, showing just how polarizing a figure she can be.

"You'll have people believe you 100%, and then some people think you're crazy... there's no in-between," said Wyrick.

Even with all the media attention, Heidi has tried to lead as normal a life as possible, eventually getting married to her husband Aaron and starting a career in the medical field.

Now 22 years old, Heidi is slowly learning how to deal with her unusual gift.

"Most of the time, I've learned to keep a lot of it to myself, and I really don't even notice it.   You get used to seeing things after a while," said Wyrick.

Only the people closest to her really know when something is going on inside her head.

"Most of the time she gets really quiet, and she gets a look on her face, and if it's something bad, you can see the worry in her face.  Other times, if she's seeing something good, she's in this great mood and later she would tell me why," said Aaron Skipworth, Wyrick's husband.

Heidi has since moved from her house in Harris County, but she still continues to see visions all over her new home in Columbus.

Even with all the amazing yet scary things Heidi has experienced, her special gifts do come with a price.

Not a day goes by where Heidi doesn't wish her life could have been normal.

"Everyday, everyday, I wish these things wouldn't have happened because my life would be so much different...I wouldn't be known for something like this," said Wyrick.

Source: http://www.wtvm.com