I survived childhood cancer… and a rocket trip into orbit: The sickly little girl who became Space X hero

EXCLUSIVE: Hayley Arceneaux, 31, is now the first paediatric cancer survivor to become an astronaut
The Physician Assistant blasted into orbit on a Space X rocket and helped to raise £250M for cancer research

From a hospital bed to the edge of space, a message of hope has been beamed to cancer-stricken children across the globe from a survivor of the disease: ‘Dream really big dreams because those dreams can come true.’

Hayley Arceneaux, 31, became the first paediatric cancer survivor to become an astronaut when she joined the SpaceX Inspiration4 mission, the world’s first all-civilian mission to orbit, in September 2021.

She participated in the mission on behalf of St Jude Children’s Research Hospital – the ‘hospital that saved my life’ – and helped raise $250million (approx. £196million) for cancer research and treatment.

Ms Arceneaux had never dreamed of going to space, but rather to become a medical professional and help children like her as they battle cancer.

Now, as a Physician Assistant at St Jude and an astronaut, she is sharing her story in hopes that her three ‘absolutely life changing’ days in space can inspire young cancer patients and show them that ‘life after cancer can be full of accomplished dreams’.

From a hospital bed to the edge of space, a message of hope has been beamed to cancer-stricken children across the globe from Hayley Arceneaux, (pictured in orbit) a survivor of the disease. She is telling patients: ‘Dream really big dreams because those dreams can come true’

Hayley Arceneaux (right) became the first paediatric cancer survivor to become an astronaut when she joined the SpaceX Inspiration4 mission, the world’s first all-civilian mission to orbit, in September 2021. She is pictured with fellow crew members Dr. Sian Proctor, (left) Chris Sembroski (second from left) and Jared Isaacman (second from right)

Ms Arceneaux (pictured as a child) was diagnosed with bone cancer at just 10 years old. Now, as a Physician Assistant at St Jude and an astronaut, she is sharing her story in hopes that her three ‘absolutely life changing’ days in space can inspire young cancer patients and show them that ‘life after cancer can be full of accomplished dreams’

The SpaceX Inspiration4 crew launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida in September 2021 and spent three days in orbit as part of a fundraising mission for St Jude.

Ms Arceneaux, who attended the mission on behalf of the hospital, says: ‘There is nothing like seeing the earth from space.’

Although the crew spent most of their time in orbit doing research and ‘learning more about the human body in space’, the bone cancer survivor also said they were ‘just enjoying life in zero gravity’.

‘I was always doing flips. I was always upside down because in space, being upside down feels just like being right side up. So I was like, “Why would I be right side up? I’m always right side up,”‘ she told MailOnline. ‘And we just we enjoyed meal times throwing M&Ms at each other, trying to catch them in our mouths.

‘But the most special part of while we were in orbit was we were able to do a call with the St Jude patients – and these were my patients. It was so special.’

She said it was ‘very challenging’ to make the live call to the children’s hospital, due to the logistics of being in space and ‘going 17,000 miles an hour’.

‘I fought hard to make this happen because I knew the potential impact I could have on these kids to be able to talk to someone in space who was in their same shoes, who they could relate to,’ she explained.

Ms Arceneaux shared how the patients were given the opportunity to ask the crew questions, noting how one even asked ‘are there cows on the moon?’

‘We answered the questions. We gave them a tour of our home in space and our views out the window. And then I told them: “If I can do this, you can do this.”

‘I just really wanted that moment to empower the kids – to know that there are no limits to what they can do and that life after cancer can be full of accomplished dreams, some you didn’t even know you had.

‘Because when I found out I was going to space, it was like this dream come true. But it was a dream I had never even dared to dream.’

Ms Arceneaux (pictured earlier this month) had never dreamed of going to space, but rather to become a medical professional and help children like her as they battle cancer

Ms Arceneaux and her fellow civilian astronauts spent six months training for their journey into space. She is pictured in her spacesuit

She shared how the trainers would put them through a variety of simulations where they would throw problems at the group that they had to work through. Ms Arceneaux is pictured with her fellow crew members

Ms Arceneaux, who attended the mission on behalf of the hospital, says: ‘There is nothing like seeing the earth from space’. This is one of the photos she took while in orbit

Ms Arceneaux shared how she was ‘terrified’ when she was diagnosed with bone cancer at just 10 years old.

‘My whole life just changed in an instant from being a happy, healthy kid to all of a sudden becoming a cancer patient,’ she told MailOnline.

The now 31-year-old and her family stayed in hospital at St Jude for an entire year while she underwent surgery and received therapy.

Her care team was able to save her life and her leg, but also had to replace a part of her bone that had been infected by the tumour – which she says ‘would have disqualified me from becoming an astronaut’.

‘I’ll be honest, I wasn’t one of those kids that said I want to go to space one day, because for me it wasn’t possible,’ Ms Arceneaux explained. ‘My dream was to work at the hospital that saved my life.

‘I found so much support and hope at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital that when I was there receiving therapy for a year, I told everyone: “I’m going to come back and work here.”‘

Ms Arceneaux became a Physician Assistant when she was 24 years old and finally landed her dream job by the time she was 28. She had applied to St Jude three times before being offered a role at the hospital.

In the weeks leading up to her offer to go into space, she recalled sitting in her home and thinking: ‘I have peaked, like life could not get better – and then I get this phone call out of the blue and St Jude asked me to go to space to represent them on this mission that was raising money for the hospital.’

Ms Arceneaux (pictured as a child) and her family stayed in hospital at St Jude for an entire year while she battled bone cancer, underwent surgery and received therapy. Her care team saved her life and her leg, but also had to replace a part of her bone that had been infected by the tumour – which she says ‘would have disqualified me from becoming an astronaut’

Ms Arceneaux became a Physician Assistant when she was 24 years old and finally landed her dream job by the time she was 28. In the weeks leading up to her offer to go into space, she recalled sitting in her home and thinking: ‘I have peaked, like life could not get better – and then I get this phone call out of the blue and St Jude asked me to go to space to represent them on this mission that was raising money for the hospital.’ She is pictured working on her space mission

Ms Arceneaux was so ‘shocked’ when she was offered the opportunity to go to space that she ‘actually laughed’ and asked: ‘Are you serious?’. She added, ‘Then I said, “yes” – and I said, “let me check with my mom.” But my answer was yes.’ She is pictured outside her spacecraft

Worried about the risks, Ms Arceneaux (pictured in her spacesuit) turned to her brother and sister-in-law, who both happened to be aerospace engineers. She told MailOnline: ‘I remember asking my brother. I said, “Is it safe? What’s the risk of death? Like 50 per cent?”‘

Pictured left to right: Jared Isaacman, Dr. Sian Proctor, Hayley Arceneaux and Chris Sembroski

Ms Arceneaux was so ‘shocked’ when she was offered the opportunity to go to space that she ‘actually laughed’ and asked: ‘Are you serious?’

She added: ‘Then I said, “yes” – and I said, “let me check with my mom.” But my answer was yes.’

The medical care practitioner, who ‘could not believe what they had asked me,’ then called her mother who told her that she had to go to space because ‘this is once in a lifetime opportunity’.

Worried about the risks of travelling to space, Ms Arceneaux turned to her brother and sister-in-law, who both happened to be aerospace engineers.

‘I remember asking my brother, “Is it safe? What’s the risk of death? Like 50 per cent?”‘ she recalled, noting that he told her although risk was not that high, but there were indeed risks associated with spaceflight.

‘But he felt that the benefits would outweigh the risk, which is how I felt the entire time I was training until I launched to space,’ Ms Areceneaux added.

Her sister-in-law had what she described as a ‘funny reaction’, telling her that she personally would not go up into space because ‘you’re basically on top of a bomb’. Regardless, Ms Areceneaux still said yes to this ‘incredible mission’.

Ms Arceneaux and her crew are pictured during training for her mission. She said the majority of training involved academia and studying how their spacecraft worked and what they would be doing while in orbit

‘We practiced space,’ she explained. ‘We had a simulator of our spacecraft at Space X, and we would practice launch, re-entry, and life in space as if it was going well.’ The crew (pictured together) would also be presented with problem situations to solve

The group also underwent ‘typical astronaut training’ which included water survival training, hypoxia training – ‘where they took away our oxygen’ – and G-force training

The crew even climbed a mountain together so they could ‘really bond’ and ‘learn to be uncomfortable’. They are pictured during the climb

Members of the SpaceX Inspiration4 mission are pictured during their mountain climb, which Ms Arceneaux said was part of their space training

Through their mission, the SpaceX Inspiration4 crew raised about $250million for the hospital, which was used to help families across the world by paying for their care and furthering cancer research. Ms Arceneaux (right) is pictured with fellow crew member Dr. Sian Proctor (left)

Ms Arceneaux and her fellow civilian astronauts spent six months training for their journey into space. She said the majority of training involved academia and studying how their spacecraft worked and what they would be doing while in orbit.

‘And then we practiced space,’ she explained. ‘We had a simulator of our spacecraft at SpaceX, and we would practice launch, re-entry, and life in space as if it was going well.’

She shared how the trainers would put them through a variety of simulations where they would throw problems at the group that they had to work through.

The group also underwent ‘typical astronaut training’ which included water survival training, hypoxia training – ‘where they took away our oxygen’ – and G-force training. The crew even climbed a mountain together so they could ‘really bond’ and ‘learn to be uncomfortable’.

After their ‘three life changing days in space’, Ms Arceneaux and her crew ‘came back to Earth and we splashed on the Atlantic Ocean’.

She revealed that through their mission, they raised about $250million for the hospital, which was used to help families across the world by paying for their care and furthering cancer research.

‘St Jude has this big initiative that they’re trying to raise the worldwide childhood survival rate by 2030,’ she said. ‘So some of the money that we raise is going to go to research on the campus of St Jude and some is going to go to supporting their efforts all around the world.’

She reiterated how families at St Jude receive ‘never receive a bill’, which as both a Physician Assistant and cancer survivor she appreciates.

The SpaceX Inspiration4 crew launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida in September 2021 and spent three days in orbit as part of a fundraising mission for St Jude. Hayley Arceneaux is pictured at the launch site

Ms Arceneaux is pictured during her mountain climb, which was part of her space training. She recently visited all seven continents, including Antartica, which the avid traveller has described as her ‘favourite’ holiday destination

Hayley Arceneaux (pictured during her mountain climb) had been to more than 20 countries before she journey into space

‘When I was looking as we were orbiting, space gave me so much more love for Earth. I had so many more places that I want to go that were inspired by my trip to space,’ Hayley Arceneaux (pictured with her crew) recalled

‘I had a lot of crazy experiences happen when I was young, like I’m still the youngest American to have ever orbited Earth. And I’ve had people say comments to me like, “Oh, well, it’s kind of downhill from there,” but I don’t see it like that. I think there’s so much to continue exploring on our planet,’ she told MailOnline. Hayley Arceneaux is pictured above

Ms Arceneaux said she has a ‘very long bucket’ and wants to ‘continue to be challenged, meet people and learn things’. She is pictured in her space suit holding a photo of her childhood self

‘When I was going through cancer treatment, it was such a relief knowing that we wouldn’t have to pay for for my care, for our housing – because we stayed at the hospital for a year – for our transportation, and our food and the surgery that I had to save my leg which was cutting edge technology,’ she said.

‘As a health care provider at St Jude, not having to worry about what insurance will cover, we can just treat the kids with what they need. And it’s so wonderful to be able to work in that environment.’

Ms Arceneaux, who fulfilled her dream of working at St Jude and is continuing her efforts to help cancer patients around the world, is also working to achieve new personal milestones.

She recently completed a goal of visiting all seven continents, including Antartica, which the avid traveller has described as her ‘favourite’ holiday destination.

She cruised to the arctic with one of the crew members from her space mission after the pair ‘hit it off’ and ‘became best friends’.

‘We got to see penguins and glaciers and it was incredibly beautiful. I think it quickly became my favourite place on Earth,’ she said.

‘I had been over 20 countries before I went to space, but when I was looking as we were orbiting, space gave me so much more love for Earth. I have so many more places that I want to go that were inspired by my trip to space.’

Ms Arceneaux (pictured) also wants to keep sharing her story as a way to help and inspire others

‘After it was announced that I was going to space, I had people reaching out and saying they were inspired by my story. Either they were going through a tough time with their health or just by me saying yes to going to space, they felt inspired to say yes and big things and opportunities that came their way,’ she shared. Hayley Arceneaux is pictured with her crew

She added: ‘I want to be able to to show kids that they can dream really big dreams – because those dreams can come true. You can go through tough times and it does get better and it will get better than you can even imagine.’ Hayley Arceneaux and her fellow crew are pictured

The health care practitioner, cancer survivor and world explorer wrote a memoir called Wild Ride that she recently adapted for young readers. She described the book as a ‘big message of hope’. Hayley Arceneaux is pictured during her mountain climb

‘I never could have imagined I’d go to space, but I think that’s the fun of life. You don’t know what’s going to happen,’ she told MailOnline

The crew of the Inspiration4 was the world’s first all-civilian mission to orbit. Pictured left to right: Chris Sembroski, Dr. Sian Proctor, Jared Isaacman and Hayley Arceneaux

Ms Arceneaux said she has a ‘very long bucket’ and wants to ‘continue to be challenged, meet people and learn things’. She also wants to keep sharing her story as a way to help and inspire others.

‘After it was announced that I was going to space, I had people reaching out and saying they were inspired by my story. Either they were going through a tough time with their health or just by me saying yes to going to space, they felt inspired to say yes to big things and opportunities that came their way,’ she recalled.

The health care practitioner, cancer survivor and world explorer wrote a memoir called Wild Ride: A Memoir of IV Drips and Rocket Ships, that she recently adapted for young readers. She described the book as a ‘big message of hope’.

‘I never could have imagined I’d go to space, but I think that’s the fun of life. You don’t know what’s going to happen.’

Hayley Arceneaux is now a physician assistant for paediatric cancer patients at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. She is also the author of Wild Ride: A Memoir of I.V. Drips and Rocket Ships, which was adapted for young readers last month.

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