Jessica Cox: The World’s First-ever Armless Pilot

She was born without arms but can eat and dress by herself, put on contact lenses, play the piano, swim, surf, drive a car and fly an airplane — all with her feet! She convinced herself that “handicaps are mindsets. I can live my life through my feet” and pushed herself beyond her limits. Today, she is a symbol of success and perseverance. She is Jessica Cox.

Jessica was born on 2 February 1983 in Arizona, USA. Her parents were shocked to see her born without arms. However, they wanted her to feel like a normal child and introduced her to regular activities along with their other children. She used prosthetic arms until she was 11 and then got rid of them. “It was the best decision of my life because I finally embraced my difference and decided not to conform to expectations,” recalls Jessica. With her parents’ encouragement and support, she taught herself to do everything with her feet.

Determined to be just like all the other kids, Jessica signed up for after-school programmes. She danced in front of a crowd when she was small. Although fearful and nervous at first, after the performance she crushed her fears.

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