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The stars seem to be continually aligned for Hayley Arceneaux, who after a battle with bone cancer at the age of 10, grew up to be a medical assistant in childhood oncology at St. Jude Children’s Hospital, the same facility where she has been processed.
As if that wasn’t enough reason to thank its lucky stars, Arceneaux, now 29, was selected by the Saint-Jude staff from among hundreds of other employees to represent the famous hospital at the very first civil space flight, organized by SpaceX. , which will take place at the close of 2021.
Inspiration4 is a multi-day private low-earth orbit research and tourism trip that was purchased by Jared Isaacman – CEO of payment processing company Shift4Payments – as a massive fundraiser for St. Jude’s.
Four places will be available in the Dragon Capsule, symbolically representing four pillars, of which Arceneaux will be the pillar of hope, for obvious reasons. The other two seats have yet to be allocated, but one will go to a contest participant who has donated a certain amount to St. Jude’s, and the other to a random business owner who uses the Isaacman payment service.
“My battle with cancer really prepared me for space travel,” Arceneaux said in an interview with The Associated Press. “It made me difficult, and I also think it really taught me to expect the unexpected and move on.
Arceneaux hopes to show the children of St. Jude’s that “the sky is not even the limit anymore”, telling AP that “it will mean so much to these children to see a survivor in space.”
The team, when finally assembled, will receive rigorous training on everything needed to operate in the unique conditions of space, as well as aspects of the SpaceX Dragon capsule.
A series of firsts
As with most space flights, Arceneaux will set up a series of firsts; becoming both the youngest American and the youngest American to ever leave Earth – overtaking Sally Ride who was 32 when she embarked on a space flight in 1983.
She will also be the first American astronaut to have a prosthesis. During the battle with bone cancer, she had to undergo knee surgery. Now her thigh bone contains a titanium rod, and she still has occasional bouts of pain.
Inspiration4 is also the first fully civilian space flight, as well as the very first private chartered space flight. Isaacman announced the mission on February 1, saying he hoped to raise $ 200 million for St. Jude’s, including $ 100 million from his own fortune.
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“As I spent time with Hayley early in the preparation for the assignment, she is everything we want our team to represent – she cares about the world around her, is dedicated to caring for others. and hope for a better future for all of us. Isaacman said in a statement. “She inspires me already, and I’m sure she will inspire many more as they come to know her during our mission.
Several reports indicate that Arceneaux – a native of Memphis, Tennessee and avid space exploration enthusiast – was at home when she received the call “out of the blue” from St. Jude’s.
NPR details that she first pitched the idea in front of her mother, as well as her brother and sister-in-law, both aerospace engineers. They assured him how safe spaceflight is.
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“It’s an incredible honor to join the Inspiration4 crew,” said Arceneaux. “This seat represents the hope that Saint Jude has given me – and continues to give to families around the world who, like me, find hope by walking through the doors of Saint Jude. “
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