Cancer survivor will travel to space

Miami. Hayley Arceneaux, 29, a survivor of bone cancer, will be one of four people participating in the first civilian space flight, an initiative by billionaire Jared Isaacman for charity.

“I am so grateful and honored for this amazing opportunity that only comes up once in a lifetime.”, Arceneaux wrote on his Twitter account, once his participation in the Inspiration4 space mission was made public on Monday.

Arceneaux, born in Baton Rouge (Louisiana), will represent in this mission on board a ship of the company SpaceX in the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, A charity in which she was diagnosed and treated for bone cancer as a child.

“I can’t wait to show the world what cancer survivors can do,” he commented after the “secret” of their involvement was revealed.

He also asked people to donate money to what is his “favorite cause,” St. Mary’s Hospital. Jude, that is proposed raise $ 200 million for free treatment of children with serious illnesses with this space initiative.

The young woman has been a spokesperson and “ambassador” for St. Jude since her childhood, works at one of her hospitals in Tennessee and was chosen for this space adventure that will be commanded by Isaacman, founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments, and will possibly start next October from Cape Canaveral. , in Florida.

In addition to Isaacman and Arceneaux will travel to space two more people who have not yet been announced, but it is determined that one will be a donor from St. Jude and another an entrepreneur who uses Shift4Shop to “make the business of their dreams come true.”

Arceneaux will have the seat “Hope” and the other two people the so-called “Generosity” and “Prosperity”, According to the mission website.

According to People magazine, Arceneaux will hold several records in the history of space conquest: “First American civilian woman, first person with an artificial joint, first person cancer survivor, and first Cajun (descendants of Louisiana’s French pioneers) in space”.

In a statement the young woman stated that “so far the astronauts were physically perfect”, but this mission will help change “the idea of ​​what an astronaut should be”, while at the same time helping children who are battling cancer.

The Dragon spacecraft with participants in the Inspitation4 mission will orbit the Earth for “several days” and then fall into the Atlantic, where it will be recovered by SpaceX teams, as announced by the space company on February 1.

According to SpaceX, the Inspiration4 mission will be the “first fully commercial in the world”.

The Inspiration4 crew will receive commercial astronaut training from SpaceX, on the Falcon 9 launch vehicle and the Dragon spacecraft, orbital mechanics, microgravity operation, zero gravity and other tests.

It is not the first time that Isaacman, 37, with commercial and military pilot training, mixes aviation and solidarity.

In 2008 and 2009 he promoted the Speed-Around-The-World initiative, a series of flights to raise money and publicize the work of the Make a Wish Reality Foundation.