Watching someone put on their contact lens was never this fascinating. Though she was born without arms, Jessica Cox lives a remarkably normal ‘right footed’ life. She balances contact lenses on her toes before slipping them on, she feeds and clothes herself unaided; and even puts on her own makeup. But these are the least of Jessica’s triumphs.
Growing up, she was a gymnast, a pianist and a tap dancer. As an adult she learnt how to drive a car, ride a cycle, surf and swim. She began to learn tae kwon-do as a ten year old, and earned her first black belt at fourteen with the International Tae Kwon-Do Federation. She then rejoined the American Tae Kwon-Do Association in college and earned a second black belt. Then, at the age of 25, she became the first armless person in the history of aviation to become a fully qualified pilot. And here’s the kicker – she used to be terrified of flying.
Jessica’s accomplishments have taken on almost mythic proportions. It’s why she’s in such demand as a motivational speaker and it’s also why she’ll be in Colombo this week for the CIMA Business Leaders Summit 2011. “My entire life I have been driven to be independent because it brings me such pride to know I can do something on my own,” she told the Mirror Magazine over an email interview (typing at approximately 25 words per minute with her toes). There’s also another reason – the simple pleasure to be had in a favourite pursuit. “When I am feeling low, I know I have to do something I enjoy whether it is swimming or riding a bicycle. Finding something I take joy in helps me get through a low moment.”
It’s evident from that almost exhausting list of accomplishments that Jessica makes few allowances for her own disability. (Case in point: though her car initially carried special modifications, she decided to have them taken off. She now holds an unrestricted driver’s license.) She’s spent a lifetime finding clever ways to negotiate a world which takes hands for granted. ‘From an early age, standing on one leg became necessary to me. It was a necessity, so I could use my other foot like a hand,’ she writes.
She may never know why she developed the rare congenital condition that left her without her upper limbs - sonograms and other prenatal tests gave her parents no warning – but that’s beside the point. Jessica says “My mother told me you can do anything you want! But what was most convincing was that not only did she say that but she lived that example. My father believed I was never a victim. He has said many times that he never once shed a tear about my birth condition. He never saw me as a victim so I could never see myself as a victim either.”
In fact it was her father who first accepted a flying lesson on her behalf. “I knew it would be an opportunity to confront my greatest fear. I was scared but after going up the first time, I was hooked and couldn’t wait to continue flight training to become certified,” she explains. Eventually Jessica mastered flying on her own – using her sensitive, strong feet to manipulate the controls. ‘Her two biggest concerns were putting on her seatbelt and placing her headset on her head,’ blogged Parrish Traweek, her instructor and owner of the Ercoupe plane she flew. In the end she managed both with her feet alone. Now a fully qualified pilot, Jessica can fly light-sport aircraft to altitudes of 10,000 feet.
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She says she’s already logged 150 hours of flight – with one foot on the controls and the other on the steering column. Her favourite time to fly is just “when the sun is setting behind the mountains in the beautiful Arizona sky.” One imagines that her personal achievements give her impeccable credentials in the business of motivation speaking. It also helps that she keeps her message simple and positive: “What is most important in life is truly loving yours despite the challenges and obstacles! We only have one life to live and we should love it!”
Jessica’s confidence and unashamed self love is hard won. ‘It took me years to make peace with the fact that I will always draw stares and unwanted attention,’ she wrote in a blog post titled ‘A day at the pool.’ (It might comfort you to know that the girl dubbed ‘a real superwoman’ also worries about looking fat in her swimsuit.) Today, she does nothing to camouflage her disability – as a11 year old she abandoned a pair of prosthetics and has never worn any since.
“I decided it was time to be “me” and I gave up the 10 lbs of heavy, cumbersome, and uncomfortable prosthetic arms,” she remembers. “In the younger years, it was very difficult being different from my peers...As I matured I became proud of my uniqueness and difference. I now realize it is the very reason my life is so enriched with greatness.” |
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