Jessica McClure Morales is now a contented stay-at-home 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 this oil-patch city. She lives less than two miles 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, Chip McClure. "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, according to her father. 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. Tim Fischer / Midland Reporter-Telegram/AP file Jessica McClure, known to the world as "Baby Jessica," receives her high school diploma at Greenwood High School graduation ceremonies near Midland, Texas, on May 28, 2004. Now Jessica McClure Morales, she is married with two children. 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. In October 1987, Chip and Cissy McClure were poor teenagers struggling to make ends meet during the depths of the oil bust. While visiting her sister, Jessica's mother left her in the yard while she went to answer the phone. Moments later, Jessica came upon the 8-inch well opening and fell inside.
Where do I start? The fact that the little hick baby that fell down the well grew up to live 2 miles down the road from the well and works as a trailer home washer out of her drive way? Or the fact that in America all you have to do is fall down a well as an infant and people will donate wild amounts of money to your cause, and you can just sit back and wait out 20 years to collect it.
Don't get me wrong, I feel bad for what happened, and the public outpouring is a great thing. But it's not like she remembers this whole event, she wasn't even two!Shouldn't the cash be tied to some kind of goals and incentives, aside from live to the age of 25?
Maybe it's just me but the money probably would have been much better served if it was earmarked for college tuition, or only could be released after obtaining a degree. Probably shouldn't be rewarding people for sitting back and washing their neighbors RV's in their driveway like some teenage kid looking to make a few bucks during summer vacation is all I'm saying here.
