Blind Paralympian teams up with scent-trailing dog to find missing people
SAANICH, B.C. — Long before Jessica Tuomela partnered with her dog on a life-saving mission, she was a kid who couldn’t be contained.
“I always wanted to challenge myself,” Jessica says. “And see how far I could push things.”
Although she couldn’t see — after being blinded by retina cancer when she was three — Jessica fearlessly pushed herself to accomplish all the things others said she couldn’t.
“I would get really good at achieving something,” Jessica laughs. “And then be like, ‘Cool! What’s next?!’”
But then Jessica turned 16 and realized there was a milestone she’d never reach.
“I was watching all my friends get their licenses, driving around with the windows open and the radio playing,” Jessica says. “It was really, really hard.”
It was an emotional blow that Jessica learned to overcome by making a positive choice.
“Find something that’s better,” Jessica advises, before laughing. “I got a guide dog!”
At the same time, Jessica was training to be the best swimmer she could. She competed in three Paralympic Games — and won silver — before choosing to up the ante and become a triathlete.
“Why do one sport when you can do three?” Jessica asks with a laugh.
Jessica had to not just learn to run for the first time, but do it in tandem with a sighted partner giving directions, before mastering how to cycle in tandem, too.
“Riding around the corner at 70 km/h feels so good!” Jessica smiles.
But then her second Paralympics as a triathlete was postponed by the pandemic, and Jessica started searching for a new challenge.
“I discovered discriminate scent trailing,” Jessica says. “And I was like, ‘Whoo!’”
So Jessica contacted the US-based ‘Scent Evidence K9’ and was teamed up with Lucy, a dog trained to search for missing people, before launching her own rescue company ‘True North K9’.
“It gets me to work with a dog, which I absolutely love. It also helps me help other people, which is another passion of mine,” Jessica says. “Why wouldn’t I do that?”
The dynamic duo’s skills were put to the test a few weeks ago, after an 89-year-old with dementia went missing. Jessica and Lucy searched for three kilometres before Lucy stopped on the other side of a forest and launched herself into a lake.
“I felt my heart just sank. Is this going to be a recovery?” Jessica recalls thinking. “We got into the water and then someone starts very happily talking to Lucy. Turns out it’s the right person.”
Jessica says the feeling of returning a person home safely has no comparison, not even winning on the world stage.
“Find what fuels you,” Jessica says. “And do it for the right reasons.”
And whether she’s inspiring athletes to overcome adversity, or offering the skills to find missing people, Jessica says the right reason for her is helping others.
“Leaving this world a better place is really important to me.” Jessica smiles.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
'Summer of discontent': Federal unions vow to fight new 3-day a week office mandate
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.
Watch fighter jet pilots pummel fake enemy ship off coast of Philippines
The United States and Philippines held annual joint-training drills just off the Southeast Asian nation’s western coast on Wednesday. Military forces sunk a 'mock' enemy warship – the BRP Lake Caliraya, which was a decommissioned tanker made in China.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his head more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
'Ozempic babies': Reports of surprise pregnancies raise new questions about weight loss drugs
Numerous women have shared stories of 'Ozempic babies' on social media. But the joy some experience in discovering pregnancies may come with anxiety about the unknowns.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.