Jillian Dickens
Northern News Services

Nova Scotia (Sep 26/05) - Since being found covered in blood, clinging to life, a 31-year-old woman has come a long way.

The victim of a beating and sexual assault in Pangnirtung on June 20, the Nova Scotia woman is out of the hospital and back in her home province, where her dad says she is "doing quite well."

"(She is among) family and friends and has her fiance by her side," said her father from his New Waterford home.

"We have all the good stuff that makes this work."

Her brain was swollen and pieces of her skull were fractured by the repeated blows to her head during the attack, he said.

Pieces of her broken skull were removed from the left side of her head to relieve the pressure.

"She had a broken jaw from the devil up there," said her father, who also called the attacker "despicable" and "a monster."

The woman, a student at the University of Calgary school of social work, was working as a summer student in Pangnirtung at the time of the attack.

Her job with Northern Property Real Estate Investment Trust was to connect families with vacant housing in the community.

She was living by herself in a Northern Properties one-bedroom, single-storey house, with boarded up windows, at the time of the attack.

"She is a 31-year-old young lady and is not naive in any stretch of the imagination. She has good street sense and knows not to drop her guard," her father said.

Her attacker broke in by "jimmying a lock," he said.

"There is nothing on this earth that could compare to the violence of what happened to her."

After the attack, the woman managed to drag herself to her neighbour's porch, where she was found covered in blood.

"It was very hurtful and shocking and we would hate to see anyone go through anything like this again," said her father.

She was medevaced to an Ottawa hospital, where she stayed for about a month before being sent to a hospital in Halifax.

She is going through intensive physical therapy and speech therapy.

Physically, she is not 100 per cent, but she is getting closer and closer every day, her father said.

"She's walking good and her four limbs are all functioning well. Her right hand still needs physiotherapy," he said.

She had four sessions with a social worker for mental trauma but nothing past that, he said.

"She is very stable in her mind and anxious to get going with her life plans."

Her plans are to complete her university studies, including the eight months left for her master's degree in social work, "when the time is right," said her father.

"She hasn't strayed a bit and is as determined as she ever was, if not more so."

In Pangnirtung, Mayor Jack Maniapik said the community is slowly getting back to normal.

"The community was very quiet during the investigation," he said. "When that guy got arrested, healing started that day. I think the community's attitude changed that day."

"Kids are playing outside more at night and are more active now," he said.

Tommy Nuvaqiq, 23, of Pangnirtung has been charged with attempted murder, aggravated sexual assault and break and enter in connection with the incident.

Nuvaqiq is in custody. He is scheduled to appear before the Nunavut Court of Justice Oct. 4.

Police in Pangnirtung are still investigating.