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Finding a way forward

With the community’s support, associate professor of Biology Yoshi Tomoyasu works his way back to classroom and lab after life-changing accident

Por Miami University

27 de September de 2023

By Margo Rutledge Kissell

Rock ’n’ roll blared from the speakers as Yoshi Tomoyasu used his arms to propel himself to the starting line of Cincinnati’s first-ever Flying Pig 10K handcycle race.

The Miami University associate professor of Biology was excited and nervous to compete on this Saturday morning last May, joining 10 other handcyclists in a 6.2-mile race that would start along the Ohio River, cross into Kentucky, and come back to the Queen City.

“I wasn’t thinking much other than pedaling hard and trying to go as fast as I could,” said Yoshi, 49, who was paralyzed below the waist on July 16, 2021, after a rock-climbing accident at Red River Gorge in eastern Kentucky. He has no memory of the 40-foot fall.

Yoshi and other Flying Pig 10K handcycle participants focus on the race.

After being flown to the University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital in Lexington, Yoshi spent more than three weeks on a ventilator in the intensive care unit. During that time, doctors put him into an induced coma for 10 days after a MRSA infection evolved into sepsis. After recovering from that life-threatening condition, he had to learn to breathe without ventilation support, sit up in a chair, and adjust to his new life in a wheelchair.

Since then, the respected scientist known for his research on insect evolutionary developmental biology has worked his way back to his science lab and classroom on Miami’s Oxford campus.

The avid rock climber, trail runner, and skier also spent those 22 months reclaiming the active outdoor lifestyle that had been the core of his family life with his wife, Chie, (pronounced Chee-A) and their son, Kye, now a senior at Miami majoring in Biology.

On this cool, clear race morning, a GoPro attached to his front handlebar picked up his labored breathing as he hand-pedaled across the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge into Covington, where he was greeted by cheering spectators.

As he crossed back over the river on the Taylor-Southgate Bridge from Newport, he was energized to hear Chie, screaming his name — though surprised she had made it there in time after running from the first bridge.

He was enjoying the moment when he heard a loud pop.

A flat tire.

Instantly, the handcycle felt heavier and more challenging to ride.

Yoshi debated whether to stop but continued on to complete the last 2 miles — crossing the finish line first.

Finding a way forward

Finding a way forward

He shared the victory with his wife of 24 years, who had ridden her bike behind his every day for two months as they put in 150 training miles.

“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. It was purely fun to be there and to enjoy the race without thinking much about disabilities,” said Yoshi, part of the Bridge Adaptive Sports Team of handcyclists.

“It was also a humbling experience to be there, thinking about all the people who worked hard to make this possible.”

Chie and Yoshi celebrate his first-place finish of the Flying Pig 10K handcycle division.

Many emotions

Chie Tomoyasu is a 4-foot-11 dynamo, known throughout the Oxford community for her ebullient attitude and giving spirit. She moved with her husband from Japan to Kansas State University in 2001, then to Oxford in 2008 with young Kye when Yoshi joined Miami’s faculty.

As their son grew, Chie worked in Oxford’s Kramer Elementary cafeteria, then as a librarian at Talawanda Middle School before becoming an assistant cross-country coach at Talawanda High School.

All the students call her “Mrs. T.”

After Yoshi’s accident, Chie quit coaching to focus on his recovery. With the COVID-19 pandemic also separating the assistant coach from her runners, the students and the coach exchanged beautifully crafted, encouraging messages to each other in colorful chalk on the high school’s sidewalk.

Following one particularly long day, she went to the school after midnight to leave a note wishing them well before that day’s cross-country meet.

“T Strong” came to represent Talawanda Strong and Tomoyasu Strong.

"T Strong" came to represent Talawanda Strong and Tomoyasu Strong.

Last year, Chie started a blog, Mrs. T in Oxford.

She writes about everything, including their journey following the aftermath of her husband’s accident. She, Kye, and his friend were there when it happened. The teens called 911 and escorted a rescue crew through the remote area to where she stayed with Yoshi. The rescuers carried him out of the wooded area on a stretcher to a van, which took him to a waiting helicopter.

“I’ve experienced many kinds of emotions since July 2021. Shocked. Panicked. Scared. Emptiness. Sadness. Awfulness. Pleaded for my husband’s life. That was the scariest moment in my life. Then relieved for each tiny progress he made in the hospital. I (was) overjoyed when I saw his smile, when I heard his voice back, when I saw he started eating again. I’m sure that I looked overreacting very much. Happiness and gratitude when he was home. Then Reality hit us severely. Learned more details and specific situations/conditions. Confused. Lost. Persistent. Waiting. Patient.

And ‘Resilient.’”

The Tomoyasu family received many cards from friends near and far, with some showing up at their home to check on them. As doctors worked with him in the hospital and therapists in rehab facilities later, she traveled between Oxford and Lexington or Cincinnati with the help of eight friends who alternated taking turns making the journey with her. She posted on her blog:

“That’s why I love people. Connecting with people is the key no matter what (the) circumstance is. That’s why we can move forward.”

A "nugget of normalcy"

The night of the 2021 accident, Yoshi’s doctoral student Kevin Deem and other members of his lab were celebrating a student’s birthday when Deem received two texts from Chie.

The first informed him about the accident.

The second, sent hours later, told him how serious Yoshi’s injuries were.

“It became apparent that Yoshi had a severe spinal cord injury and was paralyzed,” recalled Deem ’14 Ph.D. ’22, now a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow at the University of Rochester in New York.

It was a trying time for everyone, recalled Deem, who credits Yoshi with helping him find his path after he graduated from Miami with a bachelor’s degree in Biology in 2014. He later enrolled as a graduate student, choosing Miami’s master’s bypass program that would put him on track to earn his doctorate.

"Tomoyasu Lab" message board

While Yoshi recovered, Deem kept the lab running. He knew his professor would want them to keep doing their research projects.

“Yoshi didn’t just strive for excellence in the lab, he also taught us professional skills,” he said. “He gave us purchasing power, and he was always teaching us to be independent.”

They also continued the journal club that Yoshi had started. Every week, as Yoshi worked on getting stronger so he could return to Miami, the lab group would read a research paper and then come together to talk about it.

“We maintained that nugget of normalcy,” Deem said.

"A community behind you"

In June 2021, nearly a month before the accident, Yoshi had posted on Facebook about a family hike up 14,065-foot Mount Bierstadt in Colorado, known as a “14er” among hikers.

“Bierstadt is considered one of the easiest 14ers. But it was still a pretty tough one, and we were rewarded with an amazing view and scenery. Doing Colorado 14ers has been our summer tradition, and I’m glad that we were able to do it this year as well!”

His page remained quiet, with no more posts until July 26, 10 days after his accident.

A friend informed others on Yoshi’s Facebook page that he was in intensive care, and funds raised through a new GoFundMe account would help with expenses.

Oxford resident Barb Hamilton, a fourth-grade teacher at Kramer, started the account that raised $48,490, nearly five times over the $10,000 goal. Hamilton said someone had set up a similar account for her family after the 2014 death of her 15-year-old daughter, Kathryn.

“I learned through our own personal experience how powerful it is to find that there is a community behind you in difficult times,” she said.

Messages and donations to Yoshi flowed in from acquaintances, friends, and family — from Oxford to Japan.

Some came from former students such as Joe Scherger ’12, who earned a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and Health.

“Yoshi! You are one tough dude to pull through everything you’ve been through! I still think back to taking Molecular Bio with you in 2011/2012 … You could always take a heavy subject and make it less daunting and dare I say ‘enjoyable.’ I have no doubt that in time you will conquer the heavy subject of your injury as well.”

A challenging time

By Aug. 12, Yoshi was starting to speak with a new tracheostomy collar and valve. Two days later, he posted his first update on Facebook.

“I’m still working on how to breathe etc. but I’m motivated and excited to work on rehab. I could eat macaroni (and) cheese yesterday, which was one of the best experiences in the last 4 weeks. I’m still not in the condition to check internet but wanted to thank (you for) your support. Also wanted to say that I cannot thank Chie Tomoyasu enough for her support. Every single day, day and night. I’m eternally grateful.”

On Aug. 20, he thanked friends again for their overwhelming support and touched on the severe damage to his spinal cord, resulting in paraplegia.

“As many of you know, I lack the ability to dwell in the past, instead I have the tendency of thinking too ahead (You know, as a researcher, we have to plan 5 years ahead in our grant proposal!), so all I can think of is what I can do to regain my active life. Good news is that I didn’t lose my ability to breathe by myself, which is big, because this allows me to be autonomous. I’m currently working on my breathing and I’m progressing (at a) speed that everyone is surprised.”

That August, he moved to a long-term acute care unit for 18 days before transferring to a rehabilitation hospital. He did further outpatient rehab twice a week from September to December, learning what he described as essential skills for living, including transferring from a bed to a chair and preventing pressure injuries.

From March to May 2022, he went through out-patient rehab at University of Louisville Health – Frazier Rehabilitation Institute, adjusting to his new life.

“I thought not being able to walk was the hardest thing about paraplegia, but it turned out there are even more challenging things … (including the sensation that) my upper body is floating on a balancing ball. Super tricky to even sit up! As a biologist, all these things are quite fascinating. …

“I’m not going to lie though, this battle is far more challenging than I thought, and there are some nights I feel sad. But I’m even more motivated to get back to my normal life and find out what activities I can do even with my current condition (And no, I’m not giving up climbing. I’ll find a way!) I’m also excited to be able to get back to research.”

News of Yoshi’s injury spread through the Oxford community, reaching his favorite café where he often wrote and met with his lab team.

The self-described “hopeless coffee addict” has been a regular at Kofenya Coffee House since 2008. It was his go-to place for his daily cappuccino.

Kofenya manager Kathryn Marsman remembered the first time Chie, who wasn’t a regular, started coming in to pick up his usual.

Baristas began sending Yoshi positive, caring messages written on the disposable coffee cup that Chie picked up each morning. Sometimes, drawings accompanied the words.

The first one, with the message “We (heart) you” – Kofenya,” reached him in the hospital, where he had lost more than 30 pounds.

Finding a way forward

Four Kofenya coffee cups share cheerful messages and drawings.

“The barista working drew a simple doodle and an encouraging note,” Marsman said. ‘After that, it became the standard — if Chie walked in the door, the baristas working would hop on doodle duty, and each time they would try and up the ante.

“We also had people reach out to the shop asking if they could buy gift cards to cover Yoshi's coffee while he recovered, so we made sure the gift card was sent in a cup that was covered in support.”

When she ordered, Chie would update the baristas on how her husband was doing.

“They gave me energy every morning,” she said, noting the cup drawings made her smile. “When I took cappuccino home and gave it to Yoshi, I showed it to him. ‘Ta-da!!!!’ giggling together.”

When Yoshi returned to the café for the first time with Chie on Sept. 13, 2021, the staff gave a collective cheer. He shared the good news on Facebook.

“Needed to spend so much time and energy, but we made it! So happy to be back in my natural habitat. …”

It was a good day.

Chie made a display of dozens of coffee cups with messages for Yoshi from Kofenya staff.

“It was incredible to have them back,” Marsman said, “and even more incredible that Yoshi has once again resumed ‘office hours’ at the shop.”

He came back the next day, too.

“With cappuccino, muffin, and my laptop, I feel things are almost normal. Still needing a lot more physical strength, but I’m getting there! (Sitting there for an hour needed all of my strength for the day, but it was totally worth it!)”

That week, he also shared an X-ray showing “new hardware” after spinal cord surgery. Spinal fusion fused six vertebrae to stabilize the spine.

By then, Yoshi had texted his lab team.

“That’s when it felt like it was going to be OK,” Deem said. “We were back to meeting semi-regularly there just to discuss lab stuff even. He wanted to get right back to it.”

Before his injury, Yoshi loved visiting cafés in the Cincinnati region. Since his recovery, he and Chie have visited more than 50. He wants people with disabilities to be seen.

“I want myself to be the norm for them to see,” he said. “I feel like that’s the first step to make society more inclusive.”

Below: One of Yoshi's first meetings with his lab group at Kofenya in September 2021, just weeks after he was released from the hospital. Left to right: Maddy Moe '19, Ellen Tieke '20, M.S. '23; Kevin Deem, and Jabale Rahmat, master's degree student.

Finding a way forward

That October, part of the funds raised through the GoFundMe account helped make the Tomoyasu home wheelchair accessible.

Steve Sullivan, director of Miami’s Hefner Museum of Natural History and a neighbor, coordinated an effort to have volunteers demolish walls and haul away debris before DS DeWitt Construction, owned by Dave DeWitt ’85, could get to work.

“Dozens and dozens of people wanted to contribute time and effort to make sure Yoshi was comfortable and able to obtain his potential,” Sullivan said.

Among them were the graduate and undergraduate students in Yoshi’s lab.

“We just loaded up the van with tools,” Deem said. “We spent the whole evening there tearing out drywall, doing various things. It wasn’t just us. Tons of professors that I’ve known from my bachelor’s degree time were there, the whole Biology department basically.”

It was a whirlwind of activity.

“For so long, there was nothing we could do to help,” Deem said. “Then finally, there was this thing to help.”

Yoshi’s son, Kye, thought it was amazing so many people showed up.

‘We were really grateful,” he said. “All the people with their different skills were able to work together. It came out really well.”

Finding a way forward

Finding a way forward

Devotion to teaching and research

Yoshi has devoted his career to teaching and doing research with his students. He has used the relatively new approach of evolutionary developmental biology (often referred to as ‘evo-devo’) to tackle the centuries-old debate about the origin of insect wings.

Research published by Yoshi and his students offers evidence of the dual origin of the evolution of insect wings — one of the three competing explanations for how they developed.

Yoshi’s fascination with insects began as a boy growing up in Japan, where insects such as beetles are embedded in the culture.

“Insects are truly amazing,” he said in an Oct. 29, 2020, New York Times story, “Have a Creepy, Crawly Halloween.”

“They are the dominant group of organisms on this planet — except for microscopic creatures such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi — accounting for nearly three-quarters of described animal species, while we mammals are minorities.”

During the summer of 2021, Yoshi delighted in seeing for the first time 17-year cicadas emerge in Ohio.

To study them, he collected several cicadas each night. He carefully packaged hundreds in his home freezer to eventually mount in a display case.

But that plan and his research were paused after the accident.

Yoshi in his lab

He appreciated the support from the scientific community, including other Miami professors. Research colleagues around the globe showed what he called “tough love,” nudging him to get back to the research that had been such a large part of his life.

They would check in, see how he was doing, offer words of encouragement, then offer to write a paper or a grant together when he felt up to it.

They knew what he needed before he did.

He started by assisting with two papers by researchers from Singapore and Spain that were published last year. Since his recovery, he has been part of three other published papers. Two are by his collaborators with his contributions; the other is a major recent paper from the Tomoyasu Lab.

Titled "Transcriptomic exploration of the Coleopteran wings reveals insight into the evolution of novel structures associated with the beetle elytron,” it was a collaborative project with Deem, David Linz ’10 Ph.D. ’17, and scientists in Japan.

Experiments for these papers were conducted before his injury. He is currently writing a few papers based on research done post-injury.

Returning to his lab and the classroom in the 2022-2023 academic year felt like coming home.

“I’m just happy that I can spend time in the lab and interact with my students regularly,” said Yoshi, who loves the double duty of teaching and research.

At Miami, integrating teaching and scholarship creates an environment that challenges students by doing, improving with practical experience, refining with reflection, and achieving deep understanding.

“It is challenging to pursue these two themes at the same time,” he writes on his lab’s website, “but I believe that the excitement of real research and discovery is the most powerful resource that a teacher can use to engage students in science class and to foster habits of lifelong learning.”

Yoshi in front of Pearson Hall, August 2022

A special Ph.D. hooding ceremony

By May 2022, Deem had earned his doctorate. All that remained was the hooding ceremony during spring commencement.

From the back of Yager Stadium, Yoshi wheeled in as part of the faculty procession.

It was his first time back on campus.

“It was a big moment for both of us,” Yoshi said.

Deem said he transformed from an undergraduate student interested in science to someone who is now dedicating his life to science. He wants to become a professor at a research-oriented institution like Yoshi.

“Pretty much everything experimentally I know how to do as a scientist and a lot of what I know how to do as a professional is a direct result” of Yoshi’s mentorship, Deem said.

“When I walked out and I saw him sitting there,” he said, “I thought ‘this is really amazing.’”

Yoshi hoods Kevin Deem during the 2022 Spring Commencement Ceremony with Amity Noltemeyer, associate dean of the graduate school.

With the new 2023-2024 academic year underway, Yoshi is excited to be back in Pearson Hall with his son, Kye, who participated in a 10-day research trip to Mongolia this summer to study the ecology of steppe ecosystems as part of Project Dragonfly’s Earth Expeditions courses.

Kye, in turn, has enjoyed watching his dad’s journey back to Miami.

“He’s been really enjoying teaching again,” he said.

Yoshi spent the summer in his lab working with graduate students and undergraduate research student Jacob Mohn.

Yoshi said his lab will continue to focus on research studying flies and beetles, but he is thinking about adding a new study area at some point that is somehow related to his injury.

He has started exploring ideas about regeneration, especially neuroregeneration, which involves synthesizing new neurons and connections to replace those damaged by injury.

“I want to compare multiple insects to see what makes that possible in certain insects,” he said.

"My favorite thing I get to do"

In the video below, Jacob Mohn, senior Biology major and and Pre-Medical Studies co-major, explains why working in the lab with Yoshi is his favorite thing at Miami:

This July 16, Yoshi and Chie acknowledged the anniversary of his accident, keeping the conversation light as they spent the day together.

“I hugged Yoshi tighter. I am proud of what we have done in these 2 years and what we are doing right now. I can tell with a big voice that we keep doing hard things together with our chins up!”

Chie posted the update on Facebook as Yoshi geared up to participate in an adaptive mountain bike event with friends. He is learning to kayak, and this winter, he plans to hit the slopes for adaptive skiing, a skill he learned with last year’s snow.

Yoshi said he is looking forward to this academic year — and finally pinning all of those cicadas he collected in the summer of 2021.

Tomoyasu lab group meeting at Kofenya, August 2023, with senior Jacob Mohn, master's student Jabale Rahmat, and doctoral student Abby Keith.

Looking back on how his life has changed since then, Yoshi described the first year after the injury as difficult, both physically and mentally. He needed several months of intense grieving and called it a major accomplishment for him, Chie, and Kye “to have survived this brutal transition” to find their new normal.

“There are a few important factors that helped us find a new balance. The support from friends and family was so crucial, especially in the first year. Returning to teaching and research full time in the second year was a huge help for me to feel normal again.”

On the first anniversary of his accident, Yoshi and Chie discovered their first mountain biking experience. This year, on the second anniversary, he handcycled 26.2 miles for the first time. It was a precursor for the Air Force Marathon on Sept. 16 when he finished fifth with a time of 1:36.53 in the handcycle race at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

“My first Marathon in the books! 2023 Air Force Marathon in Dayton. I almost regretted when we had to wake up at 4 am to prep, but it was totally worth it!"

Yoshi (left) placed fifth in the Air Force Marathon handcycle division. Here he is with the fourth-place and the first-place winners (they tied).

“It was so cold at the beginning of the race, though. My fingers got completely numb and were almost turning black (bad idea to wear fingerless gloves). But the view was stunning and felt so good to ride through the large open field of the Air Force base early in the morning!

One funny thing my chaperone cyclist told me after the race, I always got slow when passing a crowd cheering. Guess I should stop waving my hand when I also need to use my hands to pedal.”

A decal of a handcyclist on the back of Yoshi's van, which has been adapted for him to drive.

He has a new perspective on life:

“Things are still challenging at times, but smile, adapt, and thrive.”

Yoshi enjoys a summer day on the bike path along the Great Miami River.

Footnotes

Produced by Miami's University Communications and Marketing; written by Margo Rutledge Kissell; edited by Donna Boen; photos by Scott Kissell, video by Cameron Johnson and Zach Burnett; design by Susan Meikle; other photos contributed by Chie Tomoyasu

FootNotes

Produced by Miami's University Communications and Marketing; written by Margo Rutledge Kissell; edited by Donna Boen; photos by Scott Kissell, video by Cameron Johnson and Zach Burnett; design by Susan Meikle; other photos contributed by Chie Tomoyasu

© 2026 Miami University

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