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‘She’s a pretty special girl’

AARON BESWICK SALTWIRE abeswick@herald.ca @chronicleherald

Jaya Pardy is an impressive human.

The 19-year-old member of the Bear River First Nation, who grew up in Amherst, has just been accepted to medical school.

That comes after graduating from Queen’s University’s two-year accelerated gateway to medical school, the QuARMS pathway, with straight A-plusses only marred by one A in her first year.

“It does take some aptitude for the sciences but mainly it’s hard work,” Pardy responded when questioned about her accomplishments.

“Also scheduling. I love scheduling.”

There’s a lot that goes into making people who they are. Looking back, most people can spot turns on life’s road.

“Hearing the word tumour,” said Pardy.

“For someone you love. As a little kid, it’s the worst possible thing in the world.”

She was 11 when her mother, Tammy Wilson Pardy, was diagnosed with a brain tumour. The routines of family life were replaced with trips to specialists in Halifax, surgeries, 28 rounds of radiation and watching her mother and father go through it all together.

All the things, big and small, that Tammy and Larry Pardy did to keep life on track for Jaya and her brother, Cole, became more apparent.

“I didn’t want to contribute to the burden,” remembered Jaya.

So she started taking on chores, cooking supper and looking after organizing her school and extracurricular needs. A logical and goaloriented approach to life came naturally.

And she worked hard.

Pardy was Amherst Regional High School’s first Mi’kmaw valedictorian and also earned the Governor General’s Award for the highest combined average in Grade 11 and 12.

Having seen the medical community give her her mother back, Jaya knew what she wanted for her life.

The QuARMS program was a longshot but it would shave two years off the journey to becoming a doctor. Interview after interview led to a letter of admission and Pardy was off to Kingston, Ont.

She has two communities: the Bear River First Nation, which her mother brought her to for visits and cultural learning, and Amherst, where she grew up. Both sent her off into the world.

The Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq sponsored her tuition, and several bursaries from Amherst helped buy things like her beloved iPad, on which she plots weekly schedules.

She brought her regimented lifestyle to Ontario.

Sundays see her making lunches while plotting her schedule, along with estimated time usages for the week ahead.

Each morning she’s up at six on the dot. First, there’s a hearty breakfast, then a few hours of school work, then gym, then more school, then pre-made lunch, school and then a sizeable supper she makes for herself — usually chicken, vegetables and a starch.

It worked. She did great, and now at 19, she’s been accepted to the Queen’s School of Medicine.

“I saw such a lack of representation of First Nations members as health-care providers as a kid,” Pardy said.

“My goal is to be a Mi’kmaw physician . ... I want to try to help inspire youth to pursue their potential and that if they always try to do their best there is no limit.”

For her part, Tammy has had a long journey back toward health. She’ll never be completely clear of the tumour, but having Jaya to watch has helped.

“She’s a pretty special girl,” said Tammy.

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2023-06-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-06-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

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