Does Everyone Knows Deaf Heather Whitestone McCallum ?

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PePe LePew

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The Inspiration.

Persecuted by birth.
Orphaned as a child.
Adopted by relatives.
Plucked from obscurity to lead.
Crowned queen of a nation.
Emancipator of her people.

Esther

God had an amazing plan for Esther's life...
He has a plan for you as well.

The Founder.

Esther is a unique company, inspired by a unigue woman---
Heather Whitestone McCallum.

Heather will forever be remembered for her triumph in the face of incredible adversity. Months after an unevenful birth in a small southern town in Alabama. Heather became gravely ill with meningitis. Though she managed to win the fight for her life, the battle inflicted one permanent scar---Heather was deaf.

Despite her deafness, Heather's life is a testament to the fact that she has the ability to hear---she just chooses to listen to a different voice. She has never heard the voices that tell us that we are not good enough, or smart enough, or brave enough to accomplish our dreams. Or in Heather's case, the voices of those that told her family that she would never accomplish any real goals, learn to speak, or develop much beyond a third grade level of education.

Obviously, she wasn't listening.

Clicks this links:

Official web site of Heather Whitestone McCallum, Miss America 1995
 
Yea, I know who she is.

Wonder why she is shunned by the deaf community? I wasnt involved with the deaf community when that happened.
 
yea i know her and i met her at my old school while she was dance ballet... :D
 
shel, she was shunned by the Deaf community because after she was crowned, she decided to undergo a cochlear implant surgery which really shocked the Deaf people. and so of course, most of the Deaf were against her getting the CI. she now has bilateral implants and seem to be doing great with them in terms of listening and speaking and raising a family as well.

i actually met her and got her autograph at the AGBell convention during the summer of 2004.

she's my hero. she made me believe that i can do just about anything despite my hearing loss.
 
angelstar819 said:
shel, she was shunned by the Deaf community because after she was crowned, she decided to undergo a cochlear implant surgery which really shocked the Deaf people. and so of course, most of the Deaf were against her getting the CI. she now has bilateral implants and seem to be doing great with them in terms of listening and speaking and raising a family as well.

i actually met her and got her autograph at the AGBell convention during the summer of 2004.

she's my hero. she made me believe that i can do just about anything despite my hearing loss.
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That's what I thought but I wasnt sure.
 
I do know who is Heather Whitestone, Miss Deaf America. It has been so long the last time I saw her at the mall where I shop at when they had this Deaf Awareness Week, I think that was back in 1994 or something like that, I cannot even remember. Lol! that's where I met Heather. I was soo shocked to see her in person and how beautiful she looks, so sweetheart. She is soo nice too. I've watched on I think it was CNN about how she was being criticized in the Deaf community for her choice to speak and read lips instead of signing, I'm like gosh what's wrong with the Deaf community? Not everyone is gonna uses the sign method of ASL only and not being able to learn to spreak and read lips, so I see nothing wrong with what Heather wanted. I'm in the same boat as Heather. But, she now has cochear implants if that's what she wanted, so be it, I'm happy for her, if she's happy. ;)
 
Cheri said:
I do know who is Heather Whitestone, Miss Deaf America. It has been so long the last time I saw her at the mall where I shop at when they had this Deaf Awareness Week, I think that was back in 1994 or something like that, I cannot even remember. Lol! that's where I met Heather. I was soo shocked to see her in person and how beautiful she looks, so sweetheart. She is soo nice too. I've watched on I think it was CNN about how she was being criticized in the Deaf community for her choice to speak and read lips instead of signing, I'm like gosh what's wrong with the Deaf community? Not everyone is gonna uses the sign method of ASL only and not being able to learn to spreak and read lips, so I see nothing wrong with what Heather wanted. I'm in the same boat as Heather. But, she now has cochear implants if that's what she wanted, so be it, I'm happy for her, if she's happy. ;)
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Well, if that was back in 1994 then I am not surprised cuz I am sure CIs were violently opposed more than it is now. It seems like it is more accepted than it was 13 years ago?
 
shel90 said:
Well, if that was back in 1994 then I am not surprised cuz I am sure CIs were violently opposed more than it is now. It seems like it is more accepted than it was 13 years ago?
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I don't believe she had her CI back in 1994, because I remember her wearing her hearing aids. :giggle:
 
Oh yeah I remember her, sheesh I forgot all about her, she was the one who got me interested in having a cochlear implant back around in 1995-1996 somewhere like that where I went to see a doctor about having a CI, but was told I wasn't candidates for cochlear implants back then, but my family told me to go for a second opinion, but I never did...then after hearing that they implanted children under the age of 5, I became against CI ever since, until I learned more and more about these implants and how well it can make a child hear etc so now I'm more neutral in this.....so now I'm stuggle to the point if I should get one or not for myself, I think most of the reason behind this, is what if people judge me for having one? or will I lose friends in the end?..or will it really help me like it helps the others? and having a surgery on my head where my brains are at... :shrugs: I :dunno:


Thanks for the link, it was nice hearing from her again....She's one of my hero!
 
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Angel said:
Oh yeah I remember her, sheesh I forgot all about her, she was the one who got me interested in having a cochlear implant back around in 1996-1996 somewhere like that where I went to see a doctor about having a CI, but was told I wasn't candidates for cochlear implants back then, but my family told me to go for a second opinion, but I never did...then after hearing that they implanted children under the age of 5, I became against CI ever since, until I learned more and more about these implants and how well it can make a child hear etc so now I'm more neutral in this.....so now I'm stuggle to the point if I should get one or not for myself, I think most of the reason behind this, is what if people judge me for having one? or will I lose friends in the end?..or will it really help me like it helps the others? and having a surgery on my head where my brains are at... :shrugs: I :dunno:


Thanks for the link, it was nice hearing from her again....She's one of my hero!
Click to expand...

Angel, think for yourself not for others.... well if you think you'll lose your friends if you decide to go ahead with it then they aren't your True Friends or not accepting it (may take time)... that's all I can say... it's your life not theirs... "who cares what other thinks" For me, I wouldn't want CI (who know it may change my mind in near future) but I do have friends that have it, I respect them still.
 
I've met heather several times. once in college and once in my hometown. I had a chat with her.. she seems nice but isn't very involved in the deaf world. But she's sweet and tries to succeed in life which she did! now she's married and has kids. I haven't heard from her in a while now.
 
Does anyone remembers the year when she first got her cochlear implant?
 
Cheri said:
Does anyone remembers the year when she first got her cochlear implant?
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She start talking about having a cochlear implant after she became Miss America in 1995, but I think she didn't get her cochlear implant surgery until August of 2002, but I may be wrong :dunno:...
 
Canuckian_Chick said:
Angel, think for yourself not for others.... well if you think you'll lose your friends if you decide to go ahead with it then they aren't your True Friends or not accepting it (may take time)... that's all I can say... it's your life not theirs... "who cares what other thinks" For me, I wouldn't want CI (who know it may change my mind in near future) but I do have friends that have it, I respect them still.
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True, I'll think about it cause I have to be really sure this is what I want, right now I'm just in the middle of not knowing what I should do....but Thanks
 
Angel said:
She start talking about having a cochlear implant after she became Miss America in 1995, but I think she didn't get her cochlear implant surgery until August of 2002, but I may be wrong :dunno:...
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Wikipedia says 2002, yeah.
 
Angel On Heather with CI

It's your body, you do what you want to do with it and matters of fact we can't change hearing people to be deaf or hearing impaired like us, right, so the deaf cannot change deaf or hearing impaired to be like them...

This is a free world we do as we pleased to do what we wants to do, not what others want us to do, they have no right to judge anybody how or what they wanted, it's wrong, nobody own you or me or anybody on this earth, this is our free will, not their's to judge...

If they don't like me for who I'am they can hit the road all they want the buffet....LOL!!!

Does everybody forgot what's the words means R E S P E C T S ???

Angel said:
Oh yeah I remember her, sheesh I forgot all about her, she was the one who got me interested in having a cochlear implant back around in 1995-1996 somewhere like that where I went to see a doctor about having a CI, but was told I wasn't candidates for cochlear implants back then, but my family told me to go for a second opinion, but I never did...then after hearing that they implanted children under the age of 5, I became against CI ever since, until I learned more and more about these implants and how well it can make a child hear etc so now I'm more neutral in this.....so now I'm stuggle to the point if I should get one or not for myself, I think most of the reason behind this, is what if people judge me for having one? or will I lose friends in the end?..or will it really help me like it helps the others? and having a surgery on my head where my brains are at... :shrugs: I :dunno:


Thanks for the link, it was nice hearing from her again....She's one of my hero!
Click to expand...
 
I had never heard of her until yesterday, when one of my ASL classmates did a poster project on her. It was very interesting.
 
Angel said:
Oh yeah I remember her, sheesh I forgot all about her, she was the one who got me interested in having a cochlear implant back around in 1995-1996 somewhere like that where I went to see a doctor about having a CI, but was told I wasn't candidates for cochlear implants back then, but my family told me to go for a second opinion, but I never did...then after hearing that they implanted children under the age of 5, I became against CI ever since, until I learned more and more about these implants and how well it can make a child hear etc so now I'm more neutral in this.....so now I'm stuggle to the point if I should get one or not for myself, I think most of the reason behind this, is what if people judge me for having one? or will I lose friends in the end?..or will it really help me like it helps the others? and having a surgery on my head where my brains are at... :shrugs: I :dunno:


Thanks for the link, it was nice hearing from her again....She's one of my hero!
Click to expand...


Aww Angel..important RR still loves and accepts u. F*&ck the rest! :)

Follow your heart and if u are unsure maybe it is not the right time. I know it is not the right thing for me but in the future, who knows?
 
I met Heather at the Cochlear Kids Camp in Colorado in 2003, and I really like her. She is a really neat person, and very inspirational I think. She was a guest speaker at the Cochlear Kids Camp, and she spoke of her deafness and of her experience in getting the CI.
 
I know her she is my hero too. She was the first person that helped me along my way in life after I became deaf in 1997 and that was the year a friend gave me her book(heather whitestone's) I was like this child is deaf but one an award? but as things went on in my journey as a deaf person I read about other deaf people: Helen keller, thomas edison, laurent clerc, beethoven, it was simply helping me cope with my lost of hearing and now its almost 10 years ago and still helen keller, heather whitestone are my role models in dealing with life the way I do today.
 
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