Heather Whitestone McCallum, previously a beauty queen and now a known conservative activist, was the first deaf Miss America. She lost most of her hearing at the age of 18 months. In 2002, she had a cochlear implant operation to regain some of her hearing.

Whitestone was born on February 24, 1973, in Dothan, Alabama. At 18 months old, she contracted a dangerously high fever caused by the Haemophilus influenza virus. Only hours after death, the doctors used two antibiotics to reduce the fever and save her life. Returning home, it became clear that things were not normal. Taken back to the hospital, she was diagnosed as “profoundly deaf” with no hearing in either ear, the result of the virus and the high-dose antibiotics.

Whitestone attended public school without an interpreter until she was twelve years old, inspired by another young woman from Alabama, Helen Keller. Falling behind, she was enrolled in the Central Institute for the Deaf in Missouri in 1991. She learned two grade levels per year and, three years later, caught up with her peers. Returning to Alabama, she graduated with a GPA of 3.6. She then went on to study at Jacksonville State University, also continuing to pursue her passion for ballet.

In 1994, Whitestone won the Miss Alabama title and in the following year, she was crowned Miss America. Her accomplishments also include being a spokesperson for the Starkey Hearing Aid Foundation and for Cochlear America. She filmed public service announcements for "Dogs for the Deaf," a hearing-dog organization. Moreover, she spearheaded a public service campaign to identify early hearing loss. Her appearances in media include "CNN," ABC's "Good Morning America," and "The View." She has been featured in print articles for USA Today and People Magazine.

As Miss America, Whitestone showcased her S.T.A.R.S. program. It stands for “Success Through Action and Realization of your dreams.” The five points are: positive attitude, belief in a dream, the willingness to work hard, facing obstacles, and building a strong support team – all things Heather had done in her life. During this time she also served as an executive member on the President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities. She has spoken at Republican National Conventions and was appointed to the National Council on Disability by President Bush, but resigned in 2010.

Since Miss America, Whitestone has continued to promote awareness of deaf issues. She is a motivational speaker and author, with four books to her name. She served on the National Council on Disability, the Helen Keller Foundation for Research and Education, and was appointed to the Advisory Council for the National Institutes of Health on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders in 2002. She is married to John McCallum and they have four children.

Deafness, Health, Inspirational, Disability, Pageants, Activists, Motivational