Heather & Bismarck Meet after Six Years

This blog focuses on a truly special relationship–a unique and blessed kind of relationship. If you’ve been following our recent trips, you may already know that early this month a few DCH staff, including the founder and president J.D. King, traveled to Kenya. Joining them on this unforgettable journey was a very special guest and longtime advocate, Heather Whitestone McCallum, along with her 17-year-old son, Wilson.

Heather and Wilson now live in Georgia with the rest of their family, but Heather grew up in Alabama, where she was crowned Miss Alabama, and went on to become Miss America in 1995. Heather remains the only Deaf woman ever to hold that title! Heather’s life story is one of determination, challenges, courage, hard choices, resilience, talent, and compassion among many other qualities. Above all, her love for Jesus spills out in her inspirational speech–a message 100 Deaf children living in poverty in Kenya had the chance to receive on this trip.

One of those Deaf children is a young man named Bismarck.

Bismarck is 15 years old and lives and goes to school at Lances Deaf Orphans, or LDO. All of the children at LDO are deaf and consider LDO their home because they do not have homes or families to live with. If Bismarck’s name sounds familiar, you may recall him from our blog and social media posts because he was featured a few times last year when he became severely sick. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters from all over who contributed to the Marisol Memorial Medical Care Fund (MMMCF), Bismarck received lifesaving treatment. Through funds in the MMMCF we were able to help Bismarck get the medical attention and medication he needed after he was diagnosed with Sickle Cell Anemia.

Today Bismarck is much better, and is definitely a student leader at LDO. He has a bright and wonderful smile and a great sense of humor. Bismarck was especially excited earlier this month when the DCH team arrived—because he knew that among the visitors were members of the family who had been sponsoring him for over six years. That family includes Heather and her son Wilson who were both on the trip. Bismarck and Heather (along with her whole family) have been corresponding with each other since his sponsorship began when he was only 8 years old.

It took the team three full days of travel to arrive at LDO. Not every sponsor gets the opportunity to meet the Deaf child they’ve been sponsoring for years, so this reunion was memorable. The experience is almost indescribable and we will let some of the photos from the trip do the rest of the talking. But first, we’ll leave you with a quote from Heather herself about the essence of our ministry and the mission of Deaf Child Hope.

“Deaf children in poor areas (in Kenya) often have no language and don’t even know their own names. Their relatives believe their deafness is a curse. Deaf Child Hope’s ministry reaches out to these deaf children (some of them orphans) and helps them receive shelter, food, an education and learn about Jesus’ love!” 

–Heather Whitestone McCallum, April 2025