Jessica’s Parents Reject Offers for Story of Ordeal

The parents of Jessica McClure, the toddler trapped in an abandoned water well last week for 58 hours, said today they don’t want to exploit their daughter and have turned down “hundreds of thousands of dollars” to tell her story in books, films and magazines.

Chip and Reba McClure, both 18, told a news conference they are encouraged by 18-month-old Jessica’s progress. She remained in stable condition at Midland Memorial Hospital today and was scheduled to undergo three more hyperbaric oxygen treatments to speed healing of her right foot.

“Jessica is doing fine, mostly” Chip McClure said. “She has nightmares and wakes and says ‘No’ or ‘Don’t.’ She gets scared if her mother or father leaves the room.”

Reba McClure, who said the National Enquirer offered “hundreds of thousands of dollars” for their story, said the family is not interested. They also have been approached by screenwriters and authors, she said.

“It’s easy for me to turn down all that money,” she said. “It’s Jessica’s story, and if she wants to tell it when she gets older, she will. It’s not our story, it’s hers. We’re not interested in exploiting her.”