Some readers may remember the extraordinary story of Jessica McClure Morales. In 1987, at just 18 months old, she fell 22 feet into an abandoned well while playing in her aunt’s backyard in Midland, Texas.
Her mother immediately called police, and within minutes a massive rescue effort began. Emergency crews, drilling experts, and volunteers worked nonstop for nearly 60 hours as the nation watched. Jessica was trapped without food or water, and rescuers could hear her crying or singing “Winnie-the-Pooh” from deep below.
At last, crews broke through and pulled “Baby Jessica” to safety in a moment broadcast across the country.
Now 38 years later, Jessica says the event has shaped much of her life. Though she was sometimes teased, she considers her survival a miracle. She married her husband, Danny—who remembers the 1987 rescue announcement during a football game—and they share two children and grandchildren.
Jessica says people still recognize her as “Baby Jessica,” and her daughter once saw a school video about the incident. A $1.2 million trust fund was created for her after the rescue, though much was lost in the 2008 market crash; the remainder helped her buy a home.
She has undergone 15 surgeries, including reconstructive work on her right foot. Today, Jessica lives in rural Texas and works in education and horticulture. She doesn’t remember the rescue itself and first learned of it at age 4 after seeing the story on Rescue 911.