Hayley Arceneaux, a survivor of bone cancer, is thrilled to be going into space.
As a crew member on SpaceX’s Inspiration4, the world’s first all-purpose astronaut mission to Earth orbit, Arceneaux hopes that as the first person to enter space with a prosthesis, she can inspire others . “This mission opens up space travel to anyone and I think that in itself is going to inspire people and give them so much hope,” said the lively 29-year-old. .
At 10, he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer, and treated at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Arceneaux describes how she spent a difficult but meaningful year in hospital receiving chemotherapy, followed by surgery that replaced part of her femur with a prosthesis.
She credits the hospital for saving her life, and now works there as a medical assistant. SpaceX, owned by Tesla founder Elon Musk, is aiming for the quad mission for the fourth quarter of 2021 and is expected to launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Jared Isaacman will head the flight, CEO of payment technology company Shift4Payments, selected by Arceneaux.
Unlike NASA and SpaceX flights to the International Space Station, this one will travel around the earth for several days, during which time Arceneaux said it plans to take part. in science experiments. Her prosthesis would normally prevent someone from going through the astronaut’s rigorous medical examination, but there is no such requirement for the private flight. Arceneaux said she is not scared and has been medically cleared for the trip.
Motivating the children at St Jude’s hospital was first on her mind when Arceneaux was asked what she could aim to accomplish in space. “We are going to try and set up a video call with the children of St. Jude, “she said.” I hope to be able to see me in space and show them what the future looks like.
“I am the first patient with St. Jude to go into space, the first survivor of pediatric cancer, but I know I will not be the last,” she said happily.
(This story was not edited by Devdiscourse staff and is automatically extracted from syndicated feedings.)