After losing her leg, this Aklavik, N.W.T. woman isn't letting anything stop her
Mandy Archie comes from a family of strength.
It was a year and a half ago when the Aklavik, N.W.T., woman was hit by a truck while carrying groceries to her car, pinning her leg between the vehicle and a set of stairs.
The woman driving was intoxicated.
Mandy ended up losing her leg.
After multiple surgeries over several days in Edmonton, Mandy was told her leg couldn't be saved and she would be fitted with a prosthetic.
"I was devastated. I didn't want to hear it. I didn't want to accept it," she said.
Mandy said she grieved for several weeks, questioning how she would ever do the activities she loved again, let alone take care of her son.
"I was wondering, how will I move on with my life?" she said.
"But I did."
A community behind her
Mandy went home to Aklavik to recover, where she was greeted at the airport by friends and family.
She said it was that community and family support that carried her from her hospital bed to where she is now, studying in Yellowknife and trying to put the past behind her.
"I didn't know the strength that I have," she said.
"It was faith and lots of love and prayers from people back home in the community."
She applied to and started school at Aurora College in Yellowknife, studying early childhood education.
Perhaps the biggest reason behind her motivation to recover was her son, Wesley, who was beside her every step of the way during her hospital stay and now as a student.
"I have to be resilient to show my son how strong I am," she said.
Mandy says her son Wesley, left, has been one of the biggest supporters and motivators toward her recovery. (Submitted by Mandy Archie/Facebook )
Mandy was brought back to the day of the incident just last month, when the woman who struck her was sentenced to 18 months.
"Some days I was angry," Mandy said.
She said the woman apologized in the courtroom for what happened that day, though a face-to-face apology would have meant more.
"Of course she's hurting from what she did," Mandy said. "I just hope she gets the help she needs, too."
Billy Archie, Mandy's father, was in Inuvik at a workshop when he found out what happened to his daughter.
"It's challenging to be a father when this happened," he said.
Billy said it was hard to see what his daughter went through, but he knew Mandy was surrounded by strong women in her family who she could rely on.
"Her mother and her grandmother and her aunt have been a big part of raising her up," Billy said.
Billy also watched his daughter care for other loved ones in his family. His wife, Mandy's mother, is a cancer survivor.
"Mandy was a big part of supporting her mom."
As a father, it's also been hard for him to think about the activities his daughter used to do, and what those might look like in the future.
He remembers a moose hunting and berry picking trip they went on a few years ago.
"She enjoyed going out on the land," Billy said. "It's going to be limited. So it's challenging."
Despite all that has happened, he knows it won't stop her.
"I don't know where she gets her energy," he laughed. "Time will heal."
For Mandy, the events of the past one and a half years have made her reflect on what matters most to her.
"Things can happen so fast. Just appreciate the little things."
