Ms. Horvath is an American bi-lateral above knee amputee, creative writer, public speaker, actress and mountaineer. She was struck by a locomotive in July of 2014, severing her lower extremities from her body above the knee. 

 

Notable for climbing mountains and monuments for charity and conservation, Ms. Horvath is the first female bi-lateral amputee to summit the Manitou Incline, Pikes Peak (twice), the Statue of Liberty stairwell to the crown, Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro, and the world's tallest natural pyramid in Colombia South America, Cerro Tusa. She did all of this without the use of prosthetic equipment- using her arms and hands to crawl. In July of 2022, she was awarded the Amelia Earhart Pioneering Achievement Award for her feats in mountaineering, an award given annually to women who exemplify the spirit of Amelia.

​

Mandy is also known for her candid insights to her life as an amputee in recovery from alcoholism, in television appearances, radio, press, film and creative writing.