Heather Whitestone-Mccallum

Heather Whitestone became the first Miss. America with a disability in 1995. Heather stunned the audience of the world with a ballet routine despite being profoundly deaf since the age of 18 months. In that moment she proved to the world that no obstacle is too big with hard work, determination and God’s help.
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RAS: Robert Anthony Schuller
HWM: Heather Whitestone-Mccallum

RAS:
Heather Whitestone-McCallum, the first Miss. America with a disability in 1995. Heather stunned the audience of the world with a ballet routine despite being profoundly deaf since the age of 18 months. In that moment she proved to the world that no obstacle is too big with hard work, determination and God’s help. Since childhood, Heather’s life has revolved around her ballet. And Heather considers herself fortunate to have had the opportunity to dance before forty million viewers at the Miss. America pageant. She has just released her latest book: “Let God Surprise You; Trust God with Your Dreams”.

Heather, You have had a wonderful, miraculous surprise recently, haven’t you. A surgery.

HWM:
Yes. Last August I had a cochlear implant surgery and a Cochlear plant is for those who don’t benefit from hearing aid. So I lost hearing for both ears when I was eighteen months old. The only thing that was available for me to hear was my hearing aid when I was eighteen months old. And so I depended on hearing aid for my left ear for twenty eight years, but the hearing aid could not help me for my right ear. So I missed the opportunity to develop speech and language for my right ear because they didn’t have technology to help me.
So when I had my oldest son who was one years old, he start asking me questions, “Mom where did this sound coming from?” And I couldn’t answer the question. And I thought I heard fairly well with my hearing aid because I could talk on the on the phone with my family members and I could hear the oven beeping sound when I was in the kitchen. But my son, he proved me there are much more sound that I missed, then I thought. And then he fell down in the back yard, I didn’t hear his cry, I saw my husband walk to him and I say, “John how did you know he cried?” He said, “I heard him.” And I was not too far and it bothered me.

So I’m willing to open my heart to the Lord by having Cochlear implant. And it did help me to hear much more sound with the help of both hearing aid and Cochlear implant.

RAS:
So can you hear your baby cry now?

HWM:
Oh yes. And there are times I say Lord I cannot believe I asked You to help me to hear more. It’s not very pleasant, yes, yes. And I hear more gossip now. It is so funny. When I was at the airport and I didn’t notice this. I travel for ten years. And then I was at the airport and I stand in the security line and the security guy was asking me questions, but I couldn’t understand him because he was not speaking clear enough for me. And the person in front of me, I could read his lips, he said, “oh she’s from another country she doesn’t understand English”. And I wanted to tell him sir do you know I was Miss. America 1995. But I didn’t want to mess, you know, play with the security guards, no thanks.

RAS:
No. Not a good idea.

HWM:
No. So, but it’s getting better now.

RAS:
Congratulations. You have written a new book, “Let God Surprise You: Trust God with Your Dreams.” Tell us about your book.

HWM:
There are so many characters in the Bible who showed me that, the dreamed seem impossible for them but they never gave up on God. And it took a very long time for them to accomplish their dream. And they challenged me not give up on God. So God surprised me a lot in my life time. For example, I knew God called me to be a ballerina so when I graduated from high school and I told my mother that I’m going to be a ballerina. That’s a great desire for my heart, coming from God. And my mom said well God gave me a great desire to put you in college not a ballet ministry. So I had a hard time to agree with my mother. So I started reading the Bible. Looking at the characters and when Jesus was, I think he was twelve years old, you have to help me, in the temple He was sharing good news and Mary and Joseph they could not find Him for at least three days.

RAS:
Yes.

HWM:
So they went back to Jerusalem and they found Jesus in the temple and they say, “Jesus we have looked for you. You need to follow us home.” He said, “Mom this where I need to stay and share good news.” Jesus knew in His heart God called Him to be, to bring Good news to the world. But He choose to obey His mom. God challenged me to obey my mother. Even though it didn’t make sense because He gave me great desire to be ballerina and my mother wanted me to go to college where there was no dance class, but I chose to obey God, have a faith like a child and to make a long story short, I met first runner up to Miss. America 1979 when I was in college because she was working there. And she introduced me to the pageant and I dance for the forty million people.

RAS:
Now how is it that you can dance when you can’t hear?

HWM:
I could hear some music with the help of my hearing aid but I didn’t move as far as I should put my hand on the speaker and I listen to the sound and I count the numbers with the music and I memorize them in my heart. So when I was dancing for the Miss America Pageant, the music I used at the pageant is called “Via de la Rosa.” It lasts two and a half minute. It took me three months to memorize the numbers and I did not dance at all. At the end then I learned to practice the dance with the step, with the music at the same time later on. So that’s how I danced to the music.

RAS:
Amazing.

HWM:
But God, you know, it’s amazing now I can hear more music with the help of hearing aid and Cochlear implant. I could not believe how well I could dance at the pageant. I thought I heard everything. And I think the Lord tricked me. He, you know, put the music in my heart. Yes.

RAS:
He definitely has put music in your heart and in your spirit. That is for sure. You came to the Glory of Christmas what, last night with your family?

HWM:
Yes, last night. It was, yes, it is beautiful. I cried. I miss it and I want to go back and dance again. And I’m 30 years old. I’ve never seen 30 years old dancer here.

RAS:
Well, we’ll have to do it next year. You’re up for it next year?

HWM:
Okay, we could do that.

RAS:
Okay.

HWM:
And I love the Lord and I was dancing all my life and when I was sitting right next to the one way and I was watching the dancer and all of a sudden I heard from the.. I don’t remember hearing it before, it was the water; the sound of the water. And I turned to my and I saw the water was coming up. It was beautiful and this.. it sound so natural and bring me memory of my first day with my Cochlear implant. And I heard the waters, the sound of the water for the first time and I thought about Helen Keller because Helen Keller first discovered the word, I mean the water has a name. And that was her first time to discover the world so I was thinking of this memory how good God has been to me. It’s amazing how God will help you with your dreams, but He doesn’t want you to do it in a normal way, in a mortally way. He want you to trust Him completely and let Him surprise you in a great way. There is another surprise I want to share with this Crystal Cathedral.

RAS:
Yes.

HWM:
And I want Dr. Schuller come here. I want you come here because I want to see his face. I really want to see his face. And when I was teenager I couldn’t give much communication with my church because of my deafness. I didn’t know sign language, there was no sign language interpreter so I didn’t get to hear a lot of good news, you know, from my church. And I felt left out. And then I went home and I discover a television show. And I was a teenager and I was very, I had very low self esteem and I couldn’t understand why I was deaf, why there was part of God’s plan for me. And then I watch your show every Sunday and because your show have closed caption and it gave me a chance to hear God’s news, yeah, through your television.

So I’m very thankful that your church and the people who gave the money to the church and you make an effort to bring good news to the deaf community. Because they’re a small percent of deaf population became Christian and it’s so important to reach out more and you did that for me. And then, no there’s more. On my birthday, on my birthday, my sister she came to this church she volunteered, you know handled with the phone calls. And then one day on my birthday my mom say Heather come over here. I say “Okay Mom.” And I could talk on the phone a little bit with the help of hearing aid. And I pick up the phone and “Heather this is Dr. Robert Schuller,” that’s long before I became Miss. America. Long before I became Miss. America. I think I was thirteen or fourteen. And she did, this is Dr. Robert Schuller and I want to say Happy Birthday. And you sang Happy Birthday song. Now I didn’t believe it was you. I said, “cut it out Granddaddy, I know this is you Granddaddy.” Because Granddaddy always played jokes on me. And my Mom said, “Heather this is really Dr. Robert Schuller.” And I said, “Are you Dr. Robert Schuller?” “Yes, Heather.” And then I recognized your voice because I was watching your show. I said, “Oh my gosh Mama this is Dr. Robert Schuller.”

She said, “I know this what I’m trying to tell you.” And so it meant a lot to me. It’s so amazing how God worked in my world long before I became Miss. America. And now I dance in your Christmas show and have my second interview with you. God and this church, it’s amazing how God work in our lives. God really does care about all of us, whether we’re celebrities or not. So thank you so much for bringing me hope to my life because you encouraged me not to give up on God.