FILIPINO-AMERICAN, Jessica Cox, is an amazing achiever who is touching many lives with her moving story of strength, courage, and sheer determination.

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, William Cox, and a Filipina nurse, Inez Macabare, from Bobon, Samar, 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.

Jessica said she visited the Philippines in 2004 and she is planning to visit again with her parents this year to meet her mum’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.

According to her mum, Jessica was an active child, who participated in many activities like swimming, gymnastics, and tap dancing.

Jessica was introduced to tae kwon-do by her parents when she was 10 to further develop her self-confidence.

At the age of 14, she earned her first black belt. 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. 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.

“I used to feel shy about being different. I remember the first time I was on stage,” 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 was done. I  couldn’t wait to go out for a second time and perform. I danced for 12 years after that.”

As a student pursuing a degree in psychology at the University of Arizona, the gutsy young woman took notes with her feet. She typed out her papers, with a regular computer keyboard on the floor.

When learning to drive, Jessica was encouraged to use special modifications in her car. But 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. But from infancy her feet became her hands. She learned to feed herself and write with her feet.

Lessons from flying

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. 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 said.