Baby Jessica, the toddler who tumbled down an abandoned water well and got trapped more than two decades ago, is all grown up now.
She turned 25 yesterday, a milestone that gives her access to a trust fund of up to US$800,000 donated by thousands of sympathetic strangers who spent two-and-a-half days glued to the television until she was free.
A 1997 poll taken by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press found that coverage of Princess Diana’s death earlier that year was rivaled only by Jessica’s rescue in worldwide attention over the previous decade.
Jessica McClure Morales is now a mother of two, and her youngest is 18 months old — the same age she was when her accident drew the eyes of the world to the oil-patch city of Midland, Texas. She lives less than 4km from the site of the 1987 rescue.
“That’s all Jessica has ever wanted was to be a mom and have a family,” said her father, Lewis McClure, 42. “She’s a good mom and keeps her eyes on her kids. She’s certainly a doting mother.”
McClure Morales has no memory of being wedged in the pipe or of the 15 operations that followed her ordeal, he said.
A scar from her hairline to the bridge of her nose is still visible where her head rubbed against the wall of the well. She also lost a toe to gangrene because one leg was pinned above her head in the underground shaft.
These days, she and her husband run a mobile car and truck-washing business out of their home, according to a recent interview she gave to the Dallas Morning News.
McClure said his daughter has talked about first setting up trusts for her two children’s college education. He said he’s encouraged her to find a financial adviser.
“We’ve talked about it quite a bit,” McClure said. “That’s going to be a challenge. It’d be a challenge to anyone. She’s a very settled and down-to-earth girl. She’ll be fine.”
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