Born without arms, Jessica flies airplanes, drives cars, plays the piano, and lives a normal life using her feet as others use their hands.
The second daughter of a retired American music teacher and a Filipina nurse from Samar province, Jessica holds the distinction of being the first woman pilot in aviation history to fly with her feet.
“It wasn’t easy,” Jessica, 25, said of her flying lessons. “I was a little nervous at first, but then I remembered my favorite words of wisdom: Never let fear get in the way of your opportunity.”
The light plane she flies is called an Ercoupe (pronounced air-coupe) and it is one of the few airplanes to be made and certified without pedals. Without rudder pedals Jessica is free to use her feet as hands. It took her three years instead of the usual six months to complete her lightweight aircraft license. She had three flying instructors and she logged 89 hours of flying to get the license.
Supportive family
The second of three siblings, Jessica said her parents and her older brother Jason and younger sister Jackie have always been supportive of her. Her father, William Cox, is a retired music teacher; her mother, the former Inez Macabare, of Bobon, Samar is a nurse.
Jessica said she visited the Philippines in 2004 and she is planning to visit again with her parents this year to meet her mom’s folks and her brother Jason, who is studying at the Ateneo De Manila University.
“I’m really excited to be back for this coming visit,” said Jessica, who takes pride in her Filipino heritage.
According to her mom, Jessica was an active child growing up, who participated in many activities like swimming, gymnastics, and tap dancing.
Jessica was introduced to Tae Kwon-Do by her parents when she was ten to further develop her self-confidence.
At the age of 14, she earned her first black belt at the International Tae Kwon-Do Federation. In college, she resumed her interest in martial arts, joined the American Tae Kwon-Do Association and secured a second black belt. She is the first woman without arms to achieve that feat in the United States.
Media celebrity
Her many achievements did not go unnoticed in the American media. She has been featured in the popular afternoon program “Ellen” hosted by Ellen Degeneres, “Inside Edition,” and TV networks like CNN and Fox News.
Videos showing her flying a plane, demonstrating martial arts stunts and replays of her television and public speaking appearances are proliferating in YouTube and the Internet. Many of the videos and inspiring emails are posted by Filipinos who are proud of her extraordinary accomplishments.
A psychology graduate from the University of Arizona, Jessica is pursuing a career as an international motivational speaker.
Articulate and a gifted speaker, Jessica is changing people’s lives by the inspiration she brings with her key messages of creativity, persistence, and fearlessness. Recognized internationally as a motivational speaker, she has spoken before various groups such as students, teachers, and corporate audiences.
Jessica’s speeches are inspiring as they are humorous. Her keen sense of humor comes to the fore as she relates her trials and triumphs. And her critical approach and insights dealing with life’s difficulties provide her listeners an alternative view of coping with their own challenges.
Overcoming shyness
She recalls how she overcame shyness as a little girl when she was to dance before an audience for the first time as part of her dance school where she took dancing lessons.
“I used to feel shy about being different. I remember the first time I was on stage. It was my very first at our dance studio presentation,” Jessica said. “I was so scared that I asked my dance teacher I wanted to be put me in the back row. She told me there was no back row.”
To her great relief, she added, “All I heard was cheering and clapping when the dance number was done. I couldn’t wait to go out for a second time and perform. I danced for 12 years after that.”
Nurtured by a loving family and convinced that a positive outlook has a greater impact on life than physical constraints, Jessica chose to pursue a degree in psychology at the University of Arizona.
As a student at university, the gutsy young woman took notes with her feet. She typed out her papers at 20 words per minute, with a regular computer keyboard on the floor.
When first learning to drive, Jessica was encouraged to use special modifications in her car. But even after her car was modified, she decided to remove them and drive without the changes. She holds an unrestricted driver's license.
The doctors were baffled why Jessica was born without arms. Sonograms and other prenatal tests did not reveal this rare congenital condition, according to her website. From infancy her feet became her hands. Like all children, she went through the various stages of development. She learned to feed herself and write with her feet.
Lessons from flying
According to Jessica, learning to fly an airplane has had a “significant impact” on her life.
“I have never known the true meaning of determination and persistence until I started my flight training,” she said. “Due to airplane logistics, it not only took me three years to do what some people could accomplish in six months but it also required four Ercoupes, three certified flight instructors, 89 hours of flight training in three different states (Florida, California, and Arizona) to become the first person to be certified to fly an airplane with only my feet.”
Defining creativity as a person’s ingenious way of dealing with a problem, Jessica said:
“Creativity is something I use every time I step into the airplane. The first challenge of flight training was learning how to buckle my seatbelt. Through creativity and recognizing there is more than one way to do something, I figured it would be best to buckle the seatbelt first before sitting down, then loosen the straps, stand on the seat and slip into the seatbelt. Once seated, I used my right foot to pull the seatbelt tight, securing it around my hips.”
Jessica said she is thankful to God for allowing her to do the things she has accomplished.
“It feels great being told by people that my life experiences have somehow inspired them. It’s really cool, and it motivates me to keep going,” she enthused.
Book project
Her mom Inez told this writer in Filipino that Jessica is scheduled to fly to Washington DC to meet with a prospective publisher for a book Jessica is writing.
“It’s actually a work in progress,” Jessica demurred when asked what the book is about. “I’ve been working on it for sometime. Its title is ‘Disarming Prejudice.’”
According to Jessica, being different physically from other people has taught her to be strong and persistent. And in an imperfect world where many people are dealing with their own handicaps -- real or imagined -- she wants to make a difference by helping them deal with their limitations.
Said Jessica: “I want people to think, ‘Hey, if she can do so much without arms, then I can do so much more with my life.’”
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