Oklahoma Miss Amazing Queen Advocates For Mental Health At National Competition

Oklahoma's current Miss Amazing Queen, Lindsey Spoon, is headed to the National competition with an important message about mental health.

The Miss Amazing Pageant is a Nationwide program aimed at enriching the lives of women with disabilities and boosting self-esteem.

July is Disability Pride Month and Spoon is hoping to share her message.

She's already an advocate, a YouTuber and Oklahoma's Current Miss Amazing Queen for 25 to 27-year-olds. 

At the National competition, Lindsey will share the hardest story she's had to tell. She almost took her own life last year.

"I mean 17.4 million adults with disabilities struggle with mental health issues," said Spoon. "It's not widely talked about. Here in the state of Oklahoma, there are no inpatient care facilities that will take someone who uses a wheelchair."

Lindsey needed help and found out there was nowhere in the state that would take her for inpatient mental health care.

"Just because we have a physical ailment that we can't take care of our daily living needs, primarily, doesn't mean that we don't need inpatient care," she said.

During that time, she even struggled to get an appointment with a provider and felt dismissed.

Lindsey and her family pushed for care. She now has a treatment plan and is working with experts to make care more accessible.

She says that's why this competition and this trip are so important.

She hopes her message on a national stage will highlight the unseen struggles of others like her.

"Being able to share what I've gone through has really been able to make an impact and will continue to make an impact and for that, I am extremely grateful."

The Miss Amazing Queen will be crowned on Sunday.

Lindsey hopes to bring home that crown and continue advocating for mental health accessibility in our state.

If you have thoughts of suicide or know someone who does:

Call/Text COPES at 988 or visit Family & Children Services Crisis Services HERE.