By Nigel Maxwell

P.A. pageant winner dedicates win to the fight against cancer

Aug 29, 2016 | 9:53 AM

With the passing of her mother in April, the past year has not so been easy for Carissa McGuin.

McGuin’s mother, Cindy Gaetz, had suffered from a rare form of eye cancer called ocular melanoma. When the 19-year-old former St. Mary student was recently crowned Miss Petite Saskatchewan – a pageant for young women under 5’6” – at the Miss Canada Globe pageant in Toronto, she knew immediately what her cause would be.

“It’s such a rare disease, only six in a million people [in Canada] will be diagnosed with it in a year,” McGuin said.

For her, the hardest part about the treatments was the not knowing. Doctors told her family there simply wasn’t enough data give them the likelihood of her mother’s survival.

What made it even worse, was the family had to travel to Toronto for Cindy’s treatments. McGuin plans to campaign to open a treatment centre in Saskatchewan.

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“It really sucked to have to travel that much. I remember having to start my Grade 11 year without my mom because she was in Toronto for treatment,” she said.

The McGuin family raised money each year for the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto. A fundraiser at Marine Lake resort, a resort the family frequented often, donated over $10,000 to the family’s cause.

McGuin’s victory represents the second time in two years a Prince Albert woman has worn the crown.

It was actually her volleyball coach Cassidy Ratti, and last year’s winner, who referred McGuin to the competition.

Many of McGuin’s friends were a bit skeptical when she first told them she planned to compete.

“When I said that we were still doing the bikini competition and the evening gown competition, they thought, in 2016 are we still doing competitions like that? But it has so much more to do with how you carry yourself and how confident you are, because how can you be a role model for young girls across the country if you aren’t comfortable in your own skin?” she said.

McGuin is hoping to make appearances at schools in the P.A. area to talk to young girls about body image and self-esteem.

Twenty-three women competed in the national competition and McGuin finished in the top 10. In addition to her title as Miss Petite Saskatchewan, she was also named Miss Canada Ambassador 2016 because she raised more money than all the other contestants.

 McGuin is available to be booked for public appearances as well such as fundraisers.  

nmaxwell@panow.com

On twitter: @nigelmaxwell