I was amazed to read about the courage and tenacity of 27-year-old Jessica Cox in an Alaskan newspaper report the other day. Intrigued, I looked up more about her online, and found this CNN profile.
Even though she was born without arms, Jessica Cox never says “can’t”.
She was determined to become a pilot, and she did.
Not only has she mastered flying with her feet, but she also earned a black belt in tae kwon do and can legally drive a car.
Cox also conquered otherwise mundane challenges like putting in contacts, text messaging, and applying makeup.
Instead of saying she can’t do something, Cox prefers to say, “I haven’t figured it out yet.”
CNN’s Nicole Lapin spoke to Cox about her determination to overcome obstacles. The following is an edited transcript of the interview:
Nicole Lapin: [Your dad] said to us he never shed a tear for you.
Jessica Cox: He never saw me as a victim. I never had that as an excuse, that I was a victim of my condition. This is just who I am and I’m not a victim of anything.
Lapin: We have a question from our Web site that said, “What motivated you to become a pilot, Jessica?”
Cox: Actually, flying was my greatest fear. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Identify your greatest fear and walk directly at it.” And that’s how it has been for me as a student pilot and learning how to fly an airplane.
. . .
Lapin: We have another question in from [a viewer] who wants to know, “What do you think could be different if you had both arms?” You wouldn’t want anything different?
Cox: I mean, I would have a whole different life. So there is really no way to know where to start on that, because this is my life and I wouldn’t trade it for the world, to be honest with you. And so, to think about that, I don’t even know if I’d want to waste the time to even think about how my life would be different, because I enjoy it as it is now.
There’s more at the link. Here’s a video clip, also from CNN, of Jessica in flight.
Jessica earns her living as a motivational speaker. Looking at her achievements in the face of such daunting challenges, I’d say she’s probably a darn good one! Her Web site gives more information about her activities. I think I’ll keep an eye on her schedule, to see when she’ll be speaking nearby, and go to one of her sessions. I have a feeling it’ll be worth it.
Peter