11-6-2018
BLAINE, Wash. — Kyann Flint of Blaine participated in the Miss Washington USA 2019 pageant on Sunday, representing Greater Bellingham, but her locality is not what made this such a special moment.
Flint is the first woman in a wheelchair to compete for the title of Miss Washington USA.
“I want to show the world that those with disabilities can be confidently beautiful,” she says.
The 26-year-old tells KING 5 she was diagnosed with an inherited neuromuscular disease that affects her nerves and she has been in a wheelchair since she was 10.
Kyann says she is also legally blind and two years ago was diagnosed with hereditary spastic paraplegia, but despite these hurdles, she says she loves to do things that “defy the definition of disability.”
Evelyn Clark of Wahkiakum County was crowned Miss Washington USA 2019.