Jessica Cox

  Sometimes a person becomes discouraged by what life throws at you.  At times like that, I think of Jessica Cox and suddenly my trials don’t seem so monumental and I know I can do whatever I set my mind to.  Jessica Cox is one of the amazing young people I have come across.  At the age of thirty, she has already accomplished things most people only dream of.  What makes this so remarkable is that Jessica was born without arms.  She has a rare defect which did not show up in any of her mother’s pre-natal tests.  Her parents decided at her birth that they would not feel sorry for her and that she would have a normal and fulfilling life.  Well, her life has been anything but normal -  because of her many accomplishments.

            As a child and a teenager, she was a dancer.  She learned to tie her shoes, write, type, brush her hair and do almost anything a person with arms can do, using her feet.  She has an unrestricted driver’s license and drives a vehicle without modifications, handling the steering wheel with her feet.  She pumps her own gas.  Jessica can put in and remove her contact lenses using her feet!  She was fitted with prosthetic arms but has not used them since the age of fourteen, finding it easier to use her feet.  She holds a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Arizona.  She has never let her missing arms destroy her spirit and love of life.

            Jessica is a certified scuba diver.  She holds a double black belt in Tai Kwon-Do.  But even more amazing, this incredible young woman is an accomplished pilot.  She flies a 415C Ercoupe airplane using her feet.  She is in the Guinness World Book of Records for being the first person ever certified to fly an airplane with only her feet.  She has a t-shirt she often wears when flying which says “Look Ma – no hands!”    Her accomplishments have also been included in Ripley’s Believe it or Not.

       Jessica works as a motivational speaker and has brought her message of hope and determination to twenty countries.  She encourages people to be creative and innovative, especially those with any type of disability.  Her slogan for her workshops is “Think outside the shoe”.  Her enthusiasm and determination are contagious.  She is a very strong spokesperson for the disabled. In her travels she has met many interesting people, including Pope Benedict, Harrison Ford, Senator John McCain and Ellen Degeneres. 

            What an inspirational woman she is.  Jessica Cox is a living proof that a person can do anything they set their mind to, sometimes by doing it in a different way from everyone else.  The important thing is to figure out how to do it, and then do it.  Staying positive, no matter what . . . it's a good thing!