‘Louisianans are out of this world’, LSU Health Shreveport celebrates graduate’s space flight – Shreveport Times

As Hayley Arceneauxs voice echoed through the LSU Health student union building Wednesday afternoon, members of LSU Health Shreveport School of Allied Health Professions joined to speak about the youngest American heading to space Wednesday evening.

In the LSU Health student union, the aroma of popcorn and space memorabilia flooded the room as Arceneauxs Netflix episode played on the big screen. Arceneaux, a 2016 graduate of the Physician Assistant (PA) program in the School of Allied Health Professions at LSU Health Shreveport is serving as the Chief Medical Director for the Inspiration4 Mission.

The Inspiration4 Mission is a three-day flight in which the Crew Dragon capsule will circle Earth dozens of times before re-entering the atmosphere for a parachute-assisted splashdown off the coast of Florida. This will be just the fourth flight of the Crew Dragon capsule with people on-board, following three launches that carried NASA astronauts to the International Space Station.

The Inspiration4 Mission, comprised of Hayley, Chris Sembroski, Jared Isaacman and Sian Proctor who will serve as commander, is set to become the first human spaceflight to reach orbit with a crew comprised entirely of private citizens.

Arceneaux, a survivor of childhood cancer, is no friend to fear and has always lived an adventurous life. So, when the professors who taught her at LSU Health heard about her new adventure, they were not shocked.

One of the things that I really remember is when we interviewed her for PA school long before exams or anything, we interviewed her via Skype because she was studying abroad in Spain and she's always loved to travel. So, you know it's just one of the things that I remember that makes her stand out from other people, Lindsay Ferrington, Clinical Coordinator and Assistant Professor for the PA program at LSU Health said.

Arceneaux dreamed of becoming an astronaut as a child but at 10 years old Arceneaux was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare type of bone cancer that doctors discovered in her left leg. Arceneaux endured surgery that ultimately left her with a prosthetic femur.

At 10 years old Arceneaux would spend a year at St. Judes hospital receiving chemotherapy and ultimately finding her true passion in life.

After she came through childhood cancer with her leg she decided she would go into the healthcare field and from the time that she started here her goal was always to get back to St. Judes, Valorie Lurry, Director of Student Life and Alumni Affairs at LSU Health Shreveport School of Allied Health Professions said. I guess she put space on the back burner at that point. The way the stars aligned for this to work out is incredible.

Arceneaux will also become the first person with a prosthesis in space as well as the first cancer survivor.

Current students at the School of Allied Health Professions joined Wednesday afternoon to write letters and watch Arceneaux on the big screen.

I'm just really rooting for Hayley I think she's a wonderful woman and I'm really looking forward to hearing her story when she comes back down, Peter Nguyen, LSU Health Shreveport School of Allied Health Professions student said.

This mission is not only huge for Arceneaux and St. Judes but also for the people of Louisiana.

Governor John Bel Edwards posted on Facebook Wednesday afternoon his congratulations and his pride, stating Louisianans are out of this world.

My heart is filled with pride for her but I'm also nervous, but I've been praying for her every day and I know Gods got big plans for her so I'm proud of what she's going to accomplish, Lurry said.

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'Louisianans are out of this world', LSU Health Shreveport celebrates graduate's space flight - Shreveport Times