Hailey Ginn poses on stage at the Citadel Theatre during the judging of the natural Northern Alberta BodyBuilding Championship qualifiers on June 9, 2012. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)

EDMONTON - From cancer survivor to beauty queen to fitness first-place finisher, Hailey Ginn is fighting her way through the best of the best in the Alberta BodyBuilding Championship.

Ginn, 29, is an Edmonton makeup artist who’s no stranger to baring her skin on stage. She won the title of Miss Tattoo in 2008, and recently finished first in the Northern Alberta BodyBuilding Championship qualifiers held June 9 at the Citadel Theatre.

Ginn finished first in the women’s medium physique category and shared her victory with her husband Eric, who won second place in the heavyweight mens’ bodybuilding category.

“It was really exciting and I’m so proud of him because it was both of our first times competing. I was kind of in shock,” laughed Ginn. “My husband was actually the one who got me really into it. It was my first competition so I really went in full force.”

The power-couple are continuing their regiment of exercise and dieting as they prepare to compete against bodybuilders from across Alberta for a shot at the national level.

Diagnosed with a type of blood cancer called Hodgkin’s lymphoma with acetic leukemia type B in 2004 when she was 21, Ginn underwent 19 months of intense treatments to pull through.

“I came from a place where I had to rebuild a lot of muscle tissue after chemotherapy,” said Ginn, “It takes years and years to really bounce back and feel strong again. I had shortness of breath and things like that.”

Now, Ginn is proud to say she’ll be cancer-free for eight years this August. Ginn said her illness made her appreciate her health and body while looking at life from a new perspective.

“That’s kind of why I do the things that I do now because I feel like you should be able to go to bed at night knowing that you tried your hardest and did your best every single day.”

Ginn and her husband will compete in the provincial Alberta BodyBuilding Association Championships on June 23 at the Winspear Centre.

matthew.dykstra@sunmedia.ca

@SunMattDykstra