It’s Future Leaders Day on 94.1 myFM presented by the St. Thomas Home Show. We are shining a light on five individuals, 25 years of age and younger who are inspiring the next generation in St. Thomas-Elgin.
In 2011, James Dunn of Wallacetwon was diagnosed with a form of bone cancer in his right leg.
He took up para ice hockey in 2013 and a year later he joined the London Blizzard Sledge Hockey Club. Four years later, he was a silver medalist with Team Ontario at the Canadian Sledge Hockey Championship.
That same year, Dunn became the youngest player at age 17 to ever represent Canada on the para ice hockey team when he competed at the PyeongChang Paralympics.
And then in March of this year, Dunn again donned a Canada jersey to represent the country at the Beijing Paralympics.
He, like many other young people attending school over the past two years, had to deal with the challenges presented by the pandemic.
Those obstacles likewise impacted his athletic career.
Dunn, a graduate of West Elgin Secondary School and Georgian College, was on the road for almost two months in preparation for the Beijing Games and he says he appreciates the support from his family and others who have helped him along the way to the Paralympics.
It may require plenty of hard work and dedication, however Dunn encourages young people to follow their dreams.
In a sense, the next four years are already mapped out for Dunn as he begins training to earn a spot on the Canadian team that will compete in the 2026 Paralympics in Italy.
You can listen to our extended interview with James Dunn below…
Written by: Ian McCallum
