11 years after breaking her spine, this woman wants to be the next Ms. Wheelchair America
June Malone said she knew her daughter Sharon Malone was going to survive her injuries after she put her contacts in by herself. Her daughter had just injured her spine after being involved in a car accident.
"You know, they had her where she couldn't speak, and she had just remembered she had contacts, and I was gonna try to take them out, and she flagged me away that she was gonna do it herself," June said. "That's pretty strong."
Prior to her injury, Sharon said she had always been independent. She said that independence helped her through the injury and thrive.
"Everyone would ask me in the hospitals, in rehab, 'Who's gonna do this for you?'" Sharon said. "And I'm like, 'me, you're gonna have to teach me how to do it.'"
Eleven years after her injury, Sharon, 50, is representing Arizona in Ms. Wheelchair America in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in August.
Representing Arizona in Ms. Wheelchair America
Born in Scotland and an Arizona resident since middle school, Sharon was crowned Ms. Wheelchair Arizona in February.
Eleven years ago, however, she would have never imagined that would be a possibility.
"I broke my spine in two places, my T-5 and T-12," Sharon said. "I fractured my neck and broke my hip. I tore my ACL, all in one rollover accident. I don't remember the accident, thankfully, but no one expected me to live past 24 hours."
Her injury led her to work with the Arizona Spinal Cord Association, a state-based non-profit that promotes the well-being of people living with spinal cord injuries. It was during her work there that she watched Ms. Wheelchair America for the first time.
Started in 1972, the Ms. Wheelchair America pageant is a space for educating and advocating for Americans living with disabilities.
Sharon ran for Ms. Wheelchair Arizona for the first time in 2023 and came in second place. During her first run, she advocated for a better transportation system for people living with disabilities. Sharon then became an ambassador for the program so she could still advocate.
This year, she decided to compete again.
"If there's anything that I can do to make a difference in someone's life, then I want to do it ... even if it's just that one person that I can save or that one person that I can get out of bed and get out into the community," Sharon said. "That is life-changing."
The competition is unlike a typical pageant. From the start, Sharon said it was made clear the competition was about advocacy and making a difference in the disability community. To compete, each person had to pick a topic important to them.
Safety education for people with disabilities is what Sharon is advocating for this year. She said violence is the third largest contributor to injuries that result in disabilities. She said she wants to talk to law enforcement, violence shelters and domestic violence advocacy groups to make a difference and spread awareness.
While adjusting to life with a disability, thoughts of safety consumed her mind. She said she thought about how she would get her kids out in the case of a fire or what she would do if someone tried to kidnap them.
Sharon got into self-defense classes and then began teaching safety classes full-time.
'I was meant to take care of these kids'
In 2016, Sharon said she became a peer mentor for other people with spinal cord injuries.
"My family didn't have a lot of resources when I was injured, so I didn't want anybody to go through what I had to go through," she said.
Along with mentoring others who have disabilities, Sharon speaks to students in the medical field about what it is like to be in a wheelchair. She said she recently finished a mentor program with students at NAU. She said they thanked her for being open and letting them know how they could make a difference.
June said her daughter is dedicated to everything she does no matter what it is. June said she is "nonstop" advocating and working for and with different groups to make a difference.
"A person on two feet couldn't do it, would be struggling, never mind somebody that's in a wheelchair ... I honestly, I just don't know how she does it," June said. "She's a very strong, very strong individual."
At the time of her injury, Sharon's three kids were 2, 4 and 7. After her accident, Sharon said there was no chance to grieve. She had a child in diapers, one potty training and the other in first grade. A year after her injury, she became a single mom after a divorce.
She said, in a way, this was a blessing in disguise. Before her accident, she worked 40-60 hours a week. After her injury, she said she was able to be there for every school play and field trip.
"I knew I was meant to take care of these kids," Sharon said.
Sharon said she has been able to show her kids they can do anything. She would race them down the hallways of their school in her wheelchair. She said her kids thought her car was the "cool" car because of the ramp that would come down.
Sharon's children have been involved in sports, gymnastics and dance. Sharon said she wants to be able to do things for them just like any other mom would be able to. Since her accident, she has gone scuba diving, horseback riding, sky diving and always finds ways to do new things.
"There's nothing you can't do, I just got to do it differently," Sharon said.
'She would give you the shirt off her back'
June is excited to watch her daughter compete in the national competition, she said she hopes her daughter has a lot of support from Arizona, especially as people get to know her and experience her kind and courageous demeanor.
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"And truthfully, I hate to say it, but she would give you the shirt off her back," June said. "I think she gives so much away to people."
Sharon set up a GoFundMe to help raise funds to cover the costs of attending the competition.
Sharon also encourages anyone to reach out to her.
"That's the audience I really want to capture, the people that may think life is over because they have a disability. It's not, it's a new beginning. It's a new normal, and it may not be what you expected it to be, but it does not mean you can't make it the best you can be," Sharon said.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Meet Sharon Malone: representing Arizona in Ms. Wheelchair America
