“Principally stated ‘do you wish to go to house’ and instantly I stated ‘sure, sure please’ and I believed for a second, ‘let me verify with my mother,'” Arceneaux stated.
NEW ORLEANS — At 29 years previous, Hayley Arceneaux has already beat most cancers, achieved her dream to work at St. Jude, and her subsequent large milestone shall be a visit to house.
“That is the good factor to occur to me,” Arceneaux stated.
The Louisiana native grew up outdoors Baton Rouge and graduated from Southeastern Louisiana College. She was solely 10 years previous when she was identified with bone most cancers.
“I bear in mind simply considering most cancers was a dying sentence as a result of everybody I had identified with most cancers at age 10, had died and it wasn’t till I obtained to St. Jude a number of days later I felt hope,” Arceneaux stated.
She spent the subsequent 12 months at St. Jude Kids’s Hospital in Memphis present process chemo and surgical procedure the place a part of her femur was changed with a metallic rod. Practically 20 years later, she now works there as a doctor assistant.
“All I’ve ever needed to do was work at St. Jude,” she stated.
Final month, she obtained a name about St Jude’s position in a giant mission.
“Principally stated ‘do you wish to go to house’ and instantly I stated ‘sure, sure please’ and I believed for a second, ‘let me verify with my mother,'” Arceneaux stated.
Arceneaux was chosen because the second crew member for Inspiration4, the worlds first all civilian mission to house. Later this 12 months, the 4 particular person crew will orbit earth on a multi-day journey. It is being funded by billionaire businessman, Jared Isaacman.
“He needed to make use of it for good,” Arceneaux stated.
The mission will elevate consciousness and funds for St. Jude. Isaacman has already dedicated $100 million himself. One seat on the mission will go to a St. Jude donor. Anybody can donate any quantity by the tip of February to be thought-about.
Arceneaux’s position in all of this? To supply hope. She’ll be the youngest American and first particular person with a prosthesis to go to house.
“I feel I will be the primary Cajun,” she laughed. “Truthfully what I am most enthusiastic about is being the primary pediatric most cancers survivor in house, like out of all these firsts. That new precedent it should set and what it should present these youngsters, what they’re able to.”
She hasn’t even taken off but, however this mission is already providing hope to pediatric most cancers sufferers.
“One of many mothers got here as much as me and the mother was in tears telling me how a lot it meant to her daughter and the way it was giving her daughter hope,” Arceneaux shared about an interplay with a affected person’s mom this week. “The little woman had been discouraged not too long ago as a result of she cant run or bounce and I informed her I cant run or bounce both due to the prosthesis in my leg, however that is not stopping me from going to house.”
The opposite two seats have but to be claimed. One will go to a St. Jude donor and the opposite to somebody with an inspirational enterprise story. You’ve gotten till February 28 to donate or apply here.
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