On 30th July 2017, Madeline Elizabeth Delp was crowned as Miss Wheelchair USA 2017-2018. The amazing diva, went out for a year for her project, where she reached out to a lot of people and listened to their stories and also helped them while showing them love and compassion and reflecting their worth. The diva is a keynote speaker as well as a model.
Madeline was about seven or eight when Miss Congeniality came out and she loved that movie. But as soon as she saw a glammed-up Sandra Bullock take the stage, she knew she could never do anything like that—beauty pageants weren’t for girls like her, was her belief. And that was before the accident that left her in a wheelchair.
Madeline was 10 when she learned that she would never walk again and that she’d lost control of her bladder. Her self-esteem plummeted, the belief that she wasn’t pretty enough to get up on a stage like Sandra further compounded. She also suffered from depression and anxiety for years, and even though she always tried not to show it, she was really struggling.
In her late teens she firmly decided that she didn’t want to be that person anymore. She may not be able to walk, but she wanted to find something inside herself that was stronger than all the reasons she had to be negative. So, she started trying to push herself in new ways. One day someone told her about the Ms. Wheelchair North Carolina pageant. She thought about it and considered it as a challenge that places her so much out of her comfort zone and she was ready to see what is going to happen.
And, yes, the diva ended up winning. In an interview with the Glamour, she said, “Suddenly, I was thrust into an entire year of out-of-my-comfort-zone situations, traveling all over the state and meeting new people. I went from being this incredibly shy girl who would never in a million years think she could get up and speak to people to doing it on a weekly basis. I hadn’t known that was inside of me. It was also during this time that I truly got the allure of pageants. They’re not about looking as pretty as Sandra Bullock on stage—they’re about becoming your best self and being able to connect with people. They’re about the chance to have a platform that allows you to spark a light in someone else. So, in 2017, I competed for Ms. Wheelchair USA with a platform aimed at redefining our expectations around what disabled people can do called Live Boundless. And I won. If I thought I’d been out of my comfort zone the year before, now I’d lost sight of it completely. I became the first paraplegic girl to BASE jump, I went rock climbing, I went skydiving—I did all these things to show people with disabilities that you don’t have to be stopped by the limitations that people put on you.”
There was a speaking event where, a little girl in a wheelchair, no more than seven, asked Madeline, “Do you think someone who looks like us could ever be considered pretty enough to compete in Miss USA?” That comment hit her hard while she kept thinking about what she should tell her. That of course a girl in a wheelchair could be Miss USA—even if she wasn’t sure she believed it. Madeline then realized that up to that point, she honestly hadn't thought that was possible. Madeline was competing in pageants for women in wheelchairs. As much as they’d been new to her, she didn’t have to worry about being completely different. Still, she wanted to prove to that little girl—and to herself—that people like her can be Miss USA and that, she can be an example.
Last year in 2018, she entered Miss North Carolina USA—the first woman to ever compete in a wheelchair in that pageant—and it was one of the most difficult and uncomfortable experiences that she ever had. But it was also amazing according to her experiences. She said, “Picture being backstage with girls who are towering above you, each of them with legs for days. I felt so insecure. I truly had to overcome a lot of that to be able to go out on stage.” The beautiful diva didn’t win but made it to be in the Top 15 for the Miss North Carolina USA 2019. But winning Miss Congeniality was her true honor as she believes that she would rather prefer being known for her kindness than for her beauty. She says that “True beauty is the one that no one sees”.
The diva recently posted on 6th November 2019, about her participation in Miss North Carolina USA again, as she expressed her feelings while quoting, “Guess who’s competing in Miss North Carolina USA THIS WEEKEND!! I am so excited to represent Asheville as I strive to win a title that can give major opportunities to truly change people’s lives. The woman you see today is so different than the girl who felt like she was invisible and unworthy for most of her life. I know I can be an example for others to show them that you can have the courage and confidence to pursue your greatest dreams, even when society tells you it’s not possible. So, here’s to hoping for a big win for Asheville Saturday night!! I have talked extensively about my battle with shame and how I have worked to overcome it over the past few months with _aeroflow_healthcare through our confidence campaign. Look for the upcoming stories in _glamourmag and _preventionmag magazine to read more about the journey! I will also be releasing a “Boundless” blog with Aeroflow to discuss my pageant experience. I will update you with more details soon. Lastly, you can vote for your favorite NC contestant on the Miss North Carolina USA website - I would be honored to receive your vote!”
On 9th November 2019, Jane Axhoj of Waxhaw was crowned Miss North Carolina USA 2020 at High Point Theatre in High Point. Madeline, the gorgeous diva, made it to the TOP 10 and stunned everyone with her amazing personality and her beautiful soul. She again won the title of Miss Congeniality, for her beautiful kindness and her compassion. She posted a picture on her official Instagram page and with a caption quoting “Last night I placed TOP 10 in the Miss NC USA Pageant and won Miss Congeniality! I believe that I am the first girl in a wheelchair to EVER advance that far in a state pageant in the entire USA. I will be honest...my heart is heavy that I wasn’t able to bring home the crown for every single one of you out there who have been cheering me on and also for anyone who has been told by society that they can’t do something. But I am very proud for how far I have come in order to be the strong woman you saw on stage, despite all that has tried to keep me down. Is Miss USA ready for someone in a wheelchair? I believe so... maybe they won’t get it this year, but I certainly hope that is a barrier broken soon. Do you think this is something I should compete again for next year? Thank you for all your love and support! And thank you to _aeroflow_healthcare for having been the best partner company I could have asked for in this journey!!”