Heather Whitestone lost her hearing at 18 months old due to a virus but was saved by antibiotics. She became the first deaf person to be crowned Miss America in 1995. As a ballerina, she had 15 years of training since age 6. When she won Miss America at age 21, the runner up had to notify her of her win since she couldn't hear the announcement. She later married and had two sons, writing three books about her experiences.

3. She is a very accomplished ballerina, she had 15 years of training. Heather has trained since she was about 6. Heather, age 12 (left) and performing ballet (right).

4. When Heather Whitestone became Miss America, she was 21 years old.

5. Heather was married to John McCallum in 1996. They have two boys, James and John. James is the younger of the two.

6. Heather and her family adopted a small pony. They named it Charlie Brown after the Peanuts character .

7. Heather has written three books. They are: “Listening With My Heart” (1997), “Believing The Promise” (1999), and “Let God Surprise You” (2003).