Arizona woman competes to be Ms. Wheelchair America: 'There's nothing I can't do'

PHOENIX - An Arizona woman is hoping to take home a national crown for our state in a pageant like no other.

"There's nothing I can't do," Sharon Malone said. "I just gotta do it a different way."

Malone won a pageant to take home the state title, but now she's headed to Michigan to compete to become Ms. Wheelchair America.

"It's not your typical pageant because it's all about advocacy," she explained.

Sure, there's a sash and a tiara, but it's so much more.

Sharon Malone

Don Price was one of the judges who said he was impressed by her.

"She was really knowledgeable and confident about her platform for safety education for women with disabilities," Price said.

Malone suffered a spinal cord injury in a wreck. It paralyzed her.

"It will be almost 12 years this coming October," she said.

Malone has learned a lot. She's taken multiple self-defense courses through the years and that's led her to her platform of safety education.

"People with disabilities are four times more likely to be targeted and assaulted than able-bodied counterparts, so we want to make sure our community is safe," Malone said.

Her daughter, Brooke Malone, couldn't be more proud.

"Seeing how far she's come has been really, really life-changing," she said.

Her daughter says her mom is an inspiration. She'll be by her side as her mother competes for the top sash.

"Getting to experience this with her has been very fun, and I've had such a blast doing it," Sharon's daughter said.