Heather Whitestone Speech Preview
Premiere Speakers Bureau: Exclusively Representing the World's Most Compelling Speakers Heather Whitestone, Miss America 1995 On September 17, 1994, Alabama's Heather Whitestone was selected as Miss America 1995.
During her year of service as Miss America, Heather focused her efforts and activities on motivating our nation's citizens to achieve their dreams through dedication, commitment and hard work.
As she delivered her message, “Anything is Possible,” throughout her term, Heather sought to inspire individuals to achieve their goals through the S.T.A.R.S. program (a five-point approach for personal empowerment).
As Miss America 1995, Heather traveled an average of 20,000 miles each month and spoke in a different city every other day. She has spoken to business corporations, non-profit organizations, churches, and government, including the FBI and CIA. Heather Whitestone was the first woman with a disability to be crowned Miss America in the Pageant’s 75 year history.
Heather lost her hearing at the age of eighteen months when she was rushed to the hospital with a dangerously high fever, the cause of which was later diagnosed as the Haemophilus influenza virus. According to the doctors, she was only hours from death when they administered two powerful antibiotics that reduced her fever and saved her life. With the doctors assurances, Heather's relieved family took her home believing that their once energetic toddler would be back to normal within a few weeks. After a few months, it became painfully obvious that there was a problem when Heather's mother accidentally dropped a pile of pans on the kitchen floor and Heather, who was playing nearby, did not even flinch. At the Children's Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, Heather tested as “profoundly deaf” with no hearing in either ear. Her condition was concluded to be the result of the virus, the antibiotics or a combination of both.
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