Growing up in Japan, where insects such as Beetles are part of the culture, Yoshi’s interest in biology began at a young age.
“I teach molecular-biology related courses both at undergraduate and graduate levels. I also lead a research group at Miami University. My research revolves around understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the evolution of organisms. There is an amazing array of diversity in life on this planet. Different shapes, sizes, colors, how we behave and so on. In my lab, we study how the shape of organisms evolved, using insect wings as a model,” Tomoyasu said.
“Either when I teach or do research, I very much enjoy interacting with students. I try not to see them as students, but as someone who shares the same passion for science and research,” he said.
“When I teach, I enjoy sharing all the cool things about Biology, where did the life come from, how do organisms evolve, why we look so different, but how similar we are at the genetic level. When I do research, I enjoy it the most when we face unexpected results and I work with students to come up with a possible explanation of the result. Seeing students surprised and intrigued by science and research is a rewarding moment as a professor,” Tomoyasu said.
He and his family have always shared a love for the outdoors, including rock climbing, hiking the trails and skiing. Adapting, one-day-at-a time, Yoshi still spends much of his family time outdoors with his wife, Chie, (pronounced Chee-A) and their son, Kye.
Tomoyasu suffered a severe spinal cord injury and was paralyzed from the waist down on July 16, 2021, after a rock-climbing accident at Red River Gorge in Kentucky. He has no memory of the 40-foot fall.
“The first several months after returning home from the hospital was the toughest time. Everything I saw at home, running shoes, climbing gears, skis, reminded me of my old life, causing intense grieving. ‘One day at a time’ was the way I survived these challenging days and found the way to accept the new reality. Support and encouragement from family, friends and community, were so crucial at this stage,” he said.
A few weeks ago, at the Air Force Marathon in Dayton, Tomoyasu completed his first full marathon race, which was 26.2 miles.
“The Air Force Marathon has a well-established handcycle division, in which some international-level cyclists attend every year. I spent the entire summer training for this race, and I was very happy to complete the race in fifth place with a time of 1 hour 36 min. I’m currently aiming at several races next year,” Tomoyasu said.
Tomoyasu enjoys working toward the race with his family Chie and Kye, riding with them routinely, shopping for better gears, and discussing the best way to improve his performance.
“This is a family tradition, where we identify a challenge (a mountain to hike up, a cliff to climb, etc.), and we work toward it together,” Tomoyasu said.
He and Chie recently participated in the Great Pumpkin Roll Gran Fondo.
“I love that we were able to resume this process, even though I cannot race with them. I am hoping that we can identify some events and activities that we can participate in together. Chie and I actually just participated in a cycling event last week, where we competed 30 miles of riding together.”
In May of this year, Tomoyasu also participated in Cincinnati’s first-ever Flying Pig 10K handcycle race, where he came in first place.
“Fun” and “appreciative” are two words that come to my when I reflect back on the race. It was purely fun to be there and to enjoy the race without thinking much about disabilities. It was also a humbling experience to be there, thinking about all the people who worked hard to make this possible, he said.
Tomoyasu competed with 10 other handcyclists in a 6.2-mile race that ran along Ohio River, crossing into Kentucky, and finishing in Cincinnati.
“I love handcycling because it lets me forget about my disability. I can go as fast as able-body cyclists, I can ride many different places without troubling others, and I can ride together with my family and my friends,” Tomoyasu said.
“I also enjoy that I got to meet with other handcyclists. Meeting with those who have overcome their disabilities and are doing some amazing things helps me envision what I can do despite my physical limitation,” he said.
Tomoyasu said he loves the feeling of exhaustion after a long ride.
“Pre-injury, I always loved the feeling of exhaustion after a long day of hiking, strenuous trail running, a whole day of skiing, etc. Now over 60 percent of my body is not under my control, it is very difficult to push my body to its limits and feel exhausted. Handcycling is currently the only activity I could find that allows me to challenge my body physically to the limit,” Tomoyasu said.
“The most challenging part was preparing his body for the race.
“I have no control over my bladder and bowel, and we spent one-to-two hours every morning going through a special procedure to take care of my physiological needs. We had to wake up at 4 a.m. every morning, two weeks prior to the race, to adjust my morning routine for the early morning start of the race.”
In the final stretch of the Flying Pig 10K race, Tomoyasu got a flat tire, but he was determined to finish the last two miles.
“The race itself wasn’t too challenging physically because of a relatively short distance of the race. It felt great to be a part of this large event. Even getting the flat was “fun.” I spent about ten seconds in denial when the tire popped, even though I knew it did (because of a loud bang I heard running into the metal gap of the bridge). I spent additional several seconds debating if I should stop, but decided to push through the last two miles,” he said
Tomoyasu shared the victory with Chie, his wife of 24 years, who trained with him each day for more than 150 miles over a two-month period.
“I have to say, though that I one hundred percent couldn’t do this without Chie, my wife, and I cannot thank her enough. This was entirely a team effort, and it was really fun for us to work toward this event, figuring out the logistics and preparing for the race (she rode with me every single time I rode for training, we both rode over 150 miles within two months). It felt good to be able to complete another adventure with her, something I didn’t think I could do anymore when I got injured,” Tomoyasu said.
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