Heather Whitestone's Personal Success

Heather Whitestone was born on February 24, 1923 in Dothan, Alabama. Whitestone was the first woman with a disability to be crowned Miss America 1995. Her mother, Daphne Gray, was a seventh grade math teacher and her father, Bill Whitestone, was an owner of a furniture store. She is the youngest of three sisters. She is married with John A. McCallum, a hearing man and they have four children’s.

She lost her hearing when she was just eighteen months after she was rushed to the hospital with a dangerous high fever, which was later identifying as the Haemophilus influenzae virus. The doctors administer her two powerful antibiotics that reduced her fever and saved her life because she was only hours from death when she arrived in the hospital.

Whitestone S.T.A.R.S. program (Success Through Action and Realization of your dreamS) was originally developed for her local school system. Her program has five points that she believes are necessary for success: have a positive attitude, believe in our dreams, be willing to work hard, face our obstacles and build a support team. Whitestone has used these methods in her own personal success. She believes that everyone has different talents, personalities and abilities and she loves to see people reach for their dreams.

Whitestone has written four books: Listen With My Heart in 1997, where she shared her life and the life of other that were an inspiration to her and showing that with strength and faith, anything is possible. Whitestone published her second book called Believing The Promise in the summer of 1999, she wrote this book to promote strength, faith, determination and empowerment. Her third book was Let God Surprise You, this book introduces readers to men and women whose extraordinary stories demonstrate how God can turn around any situation and bring good in the most difficult moments in our lives. Her fourth book is Heavenly Crowns, this book discusses how God’s glory is revealed in the way we live our

Niparko operated Whitestone’s right ear. The operation took six weeks to recover but she was able to hear a clap. Then she started hear the voice of her husband and children’s. Then she gets a second cochlear implant but now in her left ear. Whitestone with her experienced with implants, she did help raise awareness among the hearing-impaired community about the opportunities available for improving their speech and language.

Whitestone has earned many awards and Honors. She was invited to the National Press Club in Washington, DC for a campaign about identifying early hearing loss. Whitestone won the Spirit of Achievement Award by Paula Zahn and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She was an executive board member of the of the President’s Committee on the Employment People with Disabilities.

Whitestone accepted Jesus as her savior at her high School year. She is proud to say that Jesus became her biggest role mole. Her faith was a major role in her life. She overcomes many obstacles in her life with courage and confidence. She a truly inspirational and she prove that anything is possible with God’s help.

She resides in Georgia with her husband and her four children’s. She gives speech across the country and uses her S.T.A.R.S. program to motivate people of all ages to find their own paths to overcome their obstacles and achieve their