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w w w .in si d eH A LT O N .c o m O A K V IL LE B E A V E R T h u rs d ay , A u g u st 4 , 2 01 1 1 2 By Nathan Howes OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Its been a case of worst to first for 19-year-old Caitlin Speed of Oakville after she overcame liver failure, and became Miss Southern Ontario at the Miss Canada Globe Pageant (MCGP) earlier this sum- mer. About 18 months ago, Speed had a bad reaction from an over-the-counter medi- cation that sent her to Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH) and Hospital For Sick Children for a week, as her condi- tion worsened and it nearly led to a liver transplant. My condition was getting worse, (but) they turned everything around. I was very close to getting a liver transplant, (and) its something I know I will never do again and its giving me a whole new perspec- tive, said Speed. Since then Speed has been healthy and happy, with no further issues with her liver, she said. Part of the reason why I wanted to join the pageantry (was) because I came from being so low in my life, to now having this great high and it shows that a lot of hard work can get you what you want, said Speed. Speed competing in Miss Canada Aug. 20 in TO The former T.A. Blakelock High School student was crowned July 10 at the MCGP regional competitions in Toronto, beating out five other girls from Ontario in the Miss category. I was scouted by one of the girls whos been in the pageant before and its just something that I never tried before. I dabbled in modeling and Ive been with a couple of different agencies, but I never found a lot of work through it, said Speed. I got this offer from the pageant and I thought it was something new and exciting to try. It (is) amazing to represent such a big area (and) its quite an honour actually and to win Miss Canada would be even better, she added. Speed said the hardest thing for her to conquer in the pageant was the swimsuit walk because it was awkward to walk on stage in a swimsuit in front of a hundred peo- ple. (It) took a little bit to actually push myself on stage. I thought the question and answer was going to be harder, but the swimsuit walk was the worst, she said. Through the pageant, Speed has met a lot of new friends and said that was the best part of the competition, besides winning the title. A lot of the girls are nice and a lot of the title holders were there with us, helping us train. Some of these girls are going to be your best friends for life now, said Speed. Theres quite a few of them that I still keep in touch with and were all excited for nationals to be back together, (which) will be exciting. As Miss Southern Ontario, she will be making appear- ances at various charity events in different towns through- out the southern half of the province, and wants to work with Sick Kids. They helped save my life, so I really want to give back what they gave back to me. Ive already been in contact with them, and Im going to be most likely working close with them at different charity events over the next year, said Speed. Even though this victory did not come with a cash award, Speed will be competing in the MCGP nationals in Toronto on Aug. 20 for a chance to be crowned Miss Canada and a $4,000 prize, which is given after a one-year reign, she said. Speed just completed her first year at the Wilfrid Laurier University in Brantford, taking a four-year pro- gram in contemporary studies in honours English. Even though she doesnt know what she wants to do after she graduates, Speed said she might stick with mod- eling as a hobby, as she recently did a photo shoot for an upcoming event. It is a great experience, you get to meet a lot of awe- some people, (but) I dont think I would ever do it as a career, said Speed. But after this pageant, I might explore other pageants and see where they take me and see how well I do in this one. For more information on MCGP, visit www.misscana- da.tv/. It took a little bit to actually push myself on stage. I thought the question and answer was going to be harder, but the swimsuit walk was the worst." Caitlin Speed, Miss Southern Ontario