Baby Jessica Rescue Anniversary: 25 Years Later, Well Baby Receives $800,000 Trust
25 years ago, an 18-month-old baby girl name Jessica McClure fell down a well. The story of her rescue captured the attention of millions worldwide.
In 1987, baby Jessica McClure fell down a 22-foot deep well in Midland, Texas. Shockingly, the 18-month-old managed to survive the fall. Rescue teams then quickly gathered, desperate to save the little girl at the bottom of the well.
It took 58 hours to free Jessica, during which time media provided around the clock coverage of the events as they unfolded. News stations such as CNN garnered so much attention that then-President Ronald Regan declared that all of America had become the "godparents" of the little girl.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The incident was later transformed into a 1989 made-for-television film on ABC. Now 26 years-old, McClure married Daniel Morales in 2006. The couple shares two children. McClure took on the last name of Morales and is now a stay-at-home mother.
But 25 years marks an important date for McClure, who has just come of age to receive the $800,000 trust fund that was developed in her name after the incident occurred. In the past 26 years, McClure has undergone 15 different surgeries, but is otherwise in good health. Directly after the incident, one of her toes was amputated and she was left with a scar on her forehead, but little else evidence remains. McClure has no memory of the event.
The money was donated to help McClure recover from the incident. She now plans to save the money for her kids' tuition bills, according to Mail Online.
"That's all Jessica has ever wanted was to be a mom and have a family," McClure's father, Lewis said according to Daily Mail. "She's a good mom and keeps her eyes on her kids. She's certainly a doting mother."
