Jessica Cox suffered a rare birth defect and was born without any arms. None of the prenatal tests her mother took showed there was anything wrong with her. And yet she was born with this rare congenital disease, but also with a great spirit.

The psychology graduate can write, type, drive a car, brush her hair and talk on her phone simply using her feet.

Ms Cox, from Tuscon, Arizona, USA, is also a former dancer and double black belt in Tai Kwon-Do.

She has a no-restrictions driving license, she flies planes and she can type 25 words a minute.

The plane she is flying is called an Ercoupe 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. She took three years instead of the usual six months to complete her lightweight aircraft licence, had three flying instructors and practiced 89 hours of flying.

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http://www.fourwinds10.net/siterun_data/health/disabilities/news.php?q=1235257118


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2IqpPSF9-U


Wonderful, I'll say.

Shocking.

Very Inspiring. Amazing how some disabled people "tend" to be Hardworking, Lively and Cheerful.

Thank God you were not born in Nigeria or else you would have ended up as another arm-less beggar on the streets of Lagos.

Hmmmmm...another mystery...God is working here.

GOD is great

No be me go gree make this kind pilot fly me sha

Whew! When I read she flies planes, my mind just went straight to Dana Airways!! But how pesin wan take fly plane without hands abeg? Oyinbo can turn impossibilities around! Kudos to her anyway.

This is lovely! Wonderment shall never end....... Indeed there is ability in disabilty.

HQ: Shocking.

Very Inspiring. Amazing how some disabled people "tend" to be Hardworking, Lively and Cheerful.

It's very inspiring and uplifting especially able-bodied people who, instead of working to surmount their challenges, see 'enemies' everywhere and wait on 'miracles' to happen without lifting a finger.

John Foppe was also born without arms and he can write and drive as many as many other things.

With God all things are possible, no room for an excuse. If she can succeed, then I dat am physically fit should not complain. God is GREAT

...And some of us able-bodied think our lives are hard.
This is the real deal, right here. Thumbs up. Hats off. I take a bow.

Ha,i for swear!! Me think say na passenger plane,i for don talk sey no be me go follow them enta d plane

on a more serious note;this lady right here and dah ugliest woman case has inspired me and taught me a lot,shows that true strenght and beauty truly lies within!! BravO...

Todaynatoday: Thank God you were not born in Nigeria or else you would have ended up as another arm-less beggar on the streets of Lagos.

u took it right out of my mouth

Todaynatoday: Thank God you were not born in Nigeria or else you would have ended up as another arm-less beggar on the streets of Lagos.

I swear she for don be beggar by now.

all i have to say is END SHALL NEVER WONDER.

What's your excuse

1daful.

This is some thing all able peeps mush watch out 4, one of d mystery of the living God

I will think it twice to enta the kind of plane she flies.... LOl

Todaynatoday: Thank God you were not born in Nigeria or else you would have ended up as another arm-less beggar on the streets of Lagos.

No kidding! Nigerian society looks down on the disabled. It is no wonder in Nigeria streets and buildings are not constructed with the disabled in mind. Look how well the Nigerian disabled athletes performed in the recently concluded paralympics yet they were hardly spoken about or placed on front page here on Nairaland even though they performed better than their able bodied counterparts who represented us at the Olympics and brought back zero medals. We honestly have a long way to go as a country.

This story is a lesson for us all in Nigeria, both the educated and the illiterate.

We should learn to fight disability with determination. And by that I am not referring to the determination of disabled people only. We, the rest of society should also be determined to encourage our disabled people to achieve whatever they want to achieve. This begins with moral support to start with. I am sure Jessica had words of encouragement and cheerful smiles around her always. These kind of support would have helped her forget about her limitations (disability) and focus on her potential (achievables).

Apart from moral support, we should also be proactive in paving the way for our disabled people to become useful members of society. This requires other kinds of support which is not only financial. Having teachers/trainers who are WILLING to be patient and to go the extra mile is essential.

Having laws, policies, subsidies and incentives (e.g. free education up to university) which are favourable to the development of disabled people is therefore a very good starting point.

The poverty in the land as well as the inept and corrupt leadership notwithstanding, disabled people are human beings like the rest of us. We must carry them along. Disability is certainly not inability.

Just as women are succeeding with their gender equality war I think these handicaps are gradually staking a claim especially in Nigeria where our paralympians came back from the Paralympics with medals while our ablebodied athletes could not even bring back a quarter medal let alone a full medal,though many Nigerian handicaps find it easier turning a street beggar than being creative but am sure there are still few creative ones out there who can make things happen.
This is no doubt an enormous inspiration to all paralyzed persons, watch out for the next handicap governors in your state.

Ability in disability!

berem: Whew! When I read she flies planes, my mind just went straight to Dana Airways!! But how pesin wan take fly plane without hands abeg? Oyinbo can turn impossibilities around! Kudos to her anyway.

lwkmd

I aint entering dat plane.

i wont fly with her. Thats all

Todaynatoday: Thank God you were not born in Nigeria or else you would have ended up as another arm-less beggar on the streets of Lagos.

armless beggar? Even people wey get complete hands and legs dey beg! Na only for Naija you go see beggar wey get Blackberry phone! When you offer a nigerian beggar a job,he/she would tell you he/she rather beg than work! I dey fear naija beggars I swear!

Really CRAY!!.....I hope y'all 9ja bytches learn from this rather than just playing the GOLD DIGGER when y'all gat your hands intact..........keeping it ICY.....