Monday, May 1, 2017

Jessica Cox is a Pilot...


...but she does not have any arms!  She is a motivational speaker and she is amazing.  She was born with no arms because of a birth defect, but was determined to live normally.  So how does she fly a plane?  She uses her feet!  She flies a 1945 Ercoupe which does not have rudder pedals.  She is also a SCUBA diver and has earned a black belt in Taekwondo.


Pilots wear headsets, and here she demonstrates how she puts her headset on before each flight, using her feet.  In the shot below, I forget why she stood on the chair, but it surprised everyone during her talk.


Then she demonstrated how she OPENED a pull-tab can of soda with her feet, and then showed how she drank from the can after it was open.  She also demonstrated for us, how she tied the laces on her sneakers with her feet, before putting them on.


The event was held out at Islip MacArthur Airport in an airplane hangar.  The place was packed, with both adults and kids.


She told a number of inspirational stories, and she has met the Pope and visited wounded veterans at Walter Reed Army Hospital.  She also told humorous stories.  She mentioned that she gets stared at wherever she goes.  At restaurants, everyone assumes that her husband feeds her, so to mess with those staring, when the food comes, she feeds her husband by holding the fork with her feet!  She also told a story of a waitress who came to the table and said to her husband "What is she going to order?"  Her husband replied: "She is missing her arms, not her brain!"  It was an astounding and inspiring evening.

4 comments:

  1. Amazing inspiration giving us a new outlook on life.
    Joan

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  2. Thank you, Ken, for posting these pictures and the story of this courageous, determined and beautiful young woman. I'm humbled and inspired by what she's accomplished, her sense of humor and her self-confidence in wanting to share with others the possibilities available in life if you're willing to fight or them. You go, Jessica Cox! And never stop telling your story. It's one the world needs to hear!

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  3. Thank you both for your heartfelt comments. She was just amazing!

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  4. What an inspiring young woman. Her great sense of humor has probably gotten her through a lot of tough situations. It's wonderful that she shows her audience how she uses her feet - incredible. Thanks for posting this. betsey

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