He deserves a gold medal for this rescue.
A blind Paralympic athlete and her faithful guide dog found and rescued a lost elderly woman who was wandering on a dense desert trail near Vancouver Island, Canada, authorities said on Thursday.
Jessica Tuomela, a gold medal-winning swimmer who runs in Saanich, British Columbia, was asked by a crazy neighbor in mid-May to assist find an aging relative who’s affected by memory loss. globalnews.ca.
“It was amazing when I spotted we were saving, not recovering,” said Tuomela, 39. “I used to be really attempting to stay calm.”
Tuomeli’s Golden Retriever Lucy was trained in Search and Rescue, so that they hit the trail with a previously collected “scent kit” from a missing girl to smell out her location.
The heroic duo had run about two miles when Lucy pulled Tuomela to a sandy patch near Elk Lake, a vast 17-foot-deep body of water – where she heard the voice of a lost woman talking to a dog.
![Jessica Tuomela and her dog Lucy.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000012045623.jpg?w=738)
A “wonderful” observer who joined in to assist discover the woman as the best person, said Tuomela, who was blinded by retinoblastoma on the age of three.
“Inside seconds, my backup supervisor caught up and confirmed that this was the person we were on the lookout for,” said Tuomela.
The relentless pioneers then safely sent the elderly victim home.
![Lucy](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000012045622.jpg?w=768)
![When Tuomela reached the lake, she heard the voice of a lost woman talking to a dog.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000012045932-1.jpg?w=1024)
“After she reconnected together with her family, I used to be probably shaking for about 45 minutes,” said Tuomela.
Paul Coley – a former FBI agent whose firm trained Tuomela and Lucy in tracking down leads – told the news site that she called him for advice before the mission and was “thrilled” for a comfortable ending.
“Each time I give it some thought, I get chills,” said Coley, co-founder of Scent Evidence K9 in Tallahassee, Florida.
![Jessica Tuomela](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000012045183.jpg?w=1024)
![Jessica Tuomela won two gold medals at the Paralympic Games.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000012045186.jpg?w=1024)
Tuomela said she now desired to spread the word that she and her four-legged friend were “available to assist people”.
“I’d slightly we were summoned and not needed,” she said, highlighting the importance of the fragrance kits, which include a tamper-resistant jar and gauze.
“If there’s a approach to keep relations protected and stay proactive, let’s do it.”
In May 2006, Tuomela won two gold medals on the Belgian Paralympic Championships within the 50 m breaststroke and 100 m backstroke.