“Fearless and fiesty Sue Thomas has inspired…
faith is what keeps her going.” -TV Guide
"Sue Thomas has inspired a TV show and those who hear her speak." - Los Angeles Times
When Sue Thomas was a little girl in Youngstown, Ohio, she was tormented by bullies "for speaking funny". It got so bad that the only deaf student in the school wouldn't open her mouth in class. But in the schoolyard, she fought back--leaving more than one nose bloody.
The real-life model for Sue Thomas:FBEye has fought such battles all her life. Thomas, profoundly deaf since she was 18 months old, shattered expectations by learning to speakclearly through years of painstaking practice, starting at age 3. Despite being relegated to what she calls "the dummy class" in public school, she became a fine pianist, even though she could only feel the vibrations of the music, and went on to earn a degree in political science from Springfield College in Massachusetts.
But Thomas is currently facing a bigger battle. She has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which has affected her mobility and her window to the world--her sight. Numbness in her right hand affects her piano playng and signing.
Faith is what keeps her going, she says. "I believe that my deafness and my MS have been used to teach me profound lessons in life: a way to understand other people's pain and limitations and identify with who they are and what they need."
FBEye explores Thomas's career as a special assistant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Her uncanny ability to read lips lifted her out of a dreary job analyzing fingerpirnts and raised her to deciphering both surveillance tapes and live conversations among suspects under observation in public places. Thomas, who was also the FBI's first deaf tour guide, admits to working on cases involving white-collar criminals, drug dealers and corrupt government officials, but bureau rules forbid any further disclosure. The show's cases are fictional, as are the life-threatening heroics displayed by her TV alter ego (played by deaf actress Deanne Bray) and the character's trusty canine aid, Levi (also the name of Thomas' first service dog).
Taken from TV Guide
Eye Spy by Ileane Rudolph
In Memory of 'Katie' 2002-2012
My Sorrow
I lost my beloved service dog, "Katie" of eight years on May 13, 2012.
She would have been ten years old in July but she left me with the memory of her energy of an eternal two year old pup.
The morning of the 13th she wiggled and danced with laughter and life - such a puppy.
That afternoon she was sick and by early evening we rushed her to emergency.
At 11:45pm she was gone.
She had two tumors that she never told us about and the one had ruptured and she bled internally.
How I miss my yellow dog,
how I grieve.
Katie was my special skills dog for my MS,
she was my ears for my deafness,
she was a dedicated canine that took care of me with love and protection.
Picking up things I dropped, taking off my coats and socks, telling the world I needed help with her bark.
She let me know the sounds of life, she told me things were alright,
she help me walk the stairs and I know she heard my every prayer.
She's gone now and I feel so empty and insecure,
how will I make it thru the day, now that she's gone away?
My sorrow is so great, so unbearable at times that I wonder if I will make it thru the hour -
please pray for me in the next couple of days as I grieve my friend, my full time 24/7 dedicated companion of the last eight years.
She changed my life forever with her dedicated service and made my MS more tolerable.
She closed her eyes with my words to her, "well done my faithful servant."
Today this is my sorrow.
Sue