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RichieGB@reddit

Hmm. Well I still think rescuing her was the right thing to do

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Msbartokomous@reddit

Damn I just laughed so loud at this. Our generation got a weird sense of humor. 🤣

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GenghisConnieChung@reddit

Dark humour is like food. Not everyone gets it.

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Secure_Bed_9110@reddit

One of my Xennial siblings and I still automatically refer to ourselves as, 'a Starvin' Marvin' when hungry. This one is ingrained. It's in there deep.

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username__0000@reddit

The guy who went down the shaft to get her ended up killing himself from the ptsd he got from the rescue and the attention after.

And one of the officers on the scene went on to be convicted of a few things including sexual assault and kidnapping.

It’s strange how it seemed to end well but snowballed into bad.

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GarminTamzarian@reddit

She used to be in a well. Now she's unwell.

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scifithighs@reddit

I'll admit to snickering, but the next immediate thought was, "getting stuck in a well was traumatic, and this tracks with childhood trauma influencing adult outcomes."

No, I don't get invited to parties.

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detourne@reddit

Yeah, I was thinking her upbringing that allowed her to get stuck in a well in the first place probably wasn't the most nurturing or supportive.

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circusgeek@reddit

I thought the same. And I also do not get invited to parties.

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Morriganx3@reddit

Same and same. Maybe we should start having our own parties

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The trauma of the subsequent news hounding over the years maybe? She was only 18 months old at the time, and probably could have adjusted and moved on easily if it hadn't gained national attention for so long.

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Jerkrollatex@reddit

Honestly I was thinking along the same lines. Lady's got trauma.

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Perfect_Caregiver_90@reddit

If you are interested in how trauma and fame affect people read the story of her rescuer. It destroyed his life.

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Some-Exchange-4711@reddit

TLDR?

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stretch1joe@reddit

From the wiki: Paramedic Robert O'Donnell (August 27, 1957 – April 27, 1995) developed post-traumatic stress disorder after the rescue and later struggled to cope with the rapid fame and subsequent obscurity he experienced in the immediate aftermath of his heroic act. He died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.[15]

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SplakyD@reddit

Damn, that sucks. I remember well (no, that wasn't an attempt at a "well" pun) watching that rescue live and then the Made for TV movie about it right after. I share a birthday with that guy too.

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notthatryan@reddit

"Robert O’Donnell, the paramedic who famously rescued 18-month-old Jessica McClure from a Texas well in 1987, struggled with severe PTSD and depression following the intense media spotlight, eventually saying the experience "ruined his life". He experienced profound emotional distress as fame faded, leading to divorce, drug abuse, and his suicide in 1995."

Basically he got stupid famous for doing his job and then once the fame faded he had trouble readjusting back into normal life.

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Funkopedia@reddit

Did Elon Musk call him a pedo?

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Perfect_Caregiver_90@reddit

No, but suddenly being famous and then just as suddenly not mentally destroyed him.

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After_Preference_885@reddit

Empathy is a great thing to have

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HallucinogenicFish@reddit

That was my first thought too, after the initial “huh.”

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captain_trainwreck@reddit

Well, well, well.

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DJMagicHandz@reddit

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captain_trainwreck@reddit

......I bet you're wondering how I got here

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OtherlandGirl@reddit

Well said!

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AdQuirky1318@reddit

Omg I was so hoping for this to be the first comment!

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tableleg7@reddit

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LilMushboom@reddit

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ixnine@reddit

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URfwend@reddit

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Pantsickle@reddit

This is a chef's kiss of a post. A French chef's kiss, even, which is better than a regular chef's kiss.

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Clear_Tangerine5110@reddit

40 years quickly.

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briizilla@reddit

That's literally the title of the podcast episode we did on her.

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captain_trainwreck@reddit

Well played, then!

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Competition-Dapper@reddit

This country’s really gone gldown the tubes lately

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bgva@reddit

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Clear_Tangerine5110@reddit

SMFH

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handsomeape95@reddit

Processing img 1nwprdze47vg1...

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captain_trainwreck@reddit

I deserve that

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beardedliberal@reddit

A deep subject.

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jewelophile@reddit

Get out. Lmao

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Virgina-Wolfferine@reddit

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Treadingresin@reddit

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graveybrains@reddit (OP)

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jcmonk@reddit

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OppositeRun6503@reddit

Why is this even considered newsworthy? She had her 15 minutes of fame 40 years ago so it's not like we absolutely must know every single thing she's done with her life since then.

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MildredPierced@reddit

Yea I agree. This is not national newsworthy.

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iknowiknowwhereiam@reddit

🎵We’re sending our love down the well 🎶

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winobambino@reddit

Allll the way dowennn!!

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zoom518@reddit

DOWN THAT WELL

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winobambino@reddit

How far she has fallen...hahaha pun intended

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rharper38@reddit

I remember this. My husband says 1986 was a bit blurry.

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graveybrains@reddit (OP)

Must have been real blurry, that happened in October of 1987

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rharper38@reddit

Oh, that was peak blur. He graduated in 87.

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IceSmiley@reddit

I remember this being the first news story I remember in real time but I'm 43, I don't think I'd remember something from when I was 3. I womder if there was a TV movie that made me think it was something recent when i was a little kid.

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keep_it_kayfabe@reddit

It's like we're in Back to the Future and living in "alternate" 2020s.

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Adrasteia-One@reddit

Yup, and I really wish there was some way or someone to go back in time to alter things so we never have to live this timeline.

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IndependentLove2292@reddit

If only Marty had banged his mom right? That was probably the only way into the best timeline, and he didn't even think about it.

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SeahorseRevolution@reddit

100% we are. The character of Biff was even based off of you know who.

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Secure_Bed_9110@reddit

That entire family are the O'Doyles and you can't tell me any different. Just waitin' for that blessed banana peel.

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TerribleRecord666@reddit

Voldemort?

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aliceinadreamyland@reddit

Where’s our time traveling hero to reset the world when we need them?

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throwawayhbgtop81@reddit

It already happened. But our timeline branched off and is permanent

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aliceinadreamyland@reddit

I think we need a different time traveling hero then because this timeline is garbage.

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throwawayhbgtop81@reddit

Every past change will branch the timeline. You will have to be the one who goes back

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Drpoofn@reddit

No no no, this makes total sense

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lifeat24fps@reddit

Well, well, well.

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RedDevilJennifer@reddit

WELL, no one saw this coming.

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Miserable-Estate6857@reddit

Did she push him down a well?

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Snugglebunny1983@reddit

Can we yeet her back in?

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blue-marmot@reddit

Isn't she a grandmother now?

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iknowiknowwhereiam@reddit

People younger than me being grandparents is a punch to the gut

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thisisyourlastdance@reddit

Some girl I went to HS with had a daughter at the age of 14. Then she became a grandma when that daughter had a baby at 14. Grandma by 28. Guess what... great grandma at 42yrs old because that daughter had a baby at 14. So, we'll see what happens in 12 years when she is 14.

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After_Preference_885@reddit

Sounds like my family ...

Grandma had a baby at 14, Mom at 16, I waited until the old age of 20 though

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Sk8rToon@reddit

Boy those apples didn’t fall far from the tree did they?

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leicanthrope@reddit

My wife and I are both in our early 50s, but our families were on different schedules. She has a great-grandfather who fought in the Civil War. One of my grandparents also had a great-grandfather in the Civil War…

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iknowiknowwhereiam@reddit

oof

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KeyFeeFee@reddit

It’s super crazy. My youngest kid is 4 and oldest 10 so in no land can I imagine being a grandparent lol

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post_blast@reddit

Imagine being famous for something that happened to you as a toddler nearly 40 years later

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Gravy_Sommelier@reddit

Like the baby from the Nevermind album cover.

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ezmoney98@reddit

Nevermind baby vs baby Jessica in a steel cage match! Book it

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lady_forsythe@reddit

Bring back Celebrity Death Match while you’re at it.

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Cael_NaMaor@reddit

Nobody is recognizing that guy except that he goes around trying to get recognition for it.

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AmputeeHandModel@reddit

and tried to sue for being exposed or something

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HallucinogenicFish@reddit

Didn’t that kid sue (unsuccessfully) over that?

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dudical_dude@reddit

Except everyone saw your peepee

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Funkopedia@reddit

Seems like she's trying to create a new reputation for herself.

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Silentbrouhaha@reddit

I distinctly remember watching something on her a few years after the well incident. She was like 7, and she was actually a spoiled brat. Does anyone recall this? My mother remembers it, too, so I know I saw it.

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