From collection Member List
Hayley Catherine Arceneaux (Phi 2010/Southeastern Louisiana) grew up in St. Francisville, Louisiana. She was 10 when she began noticing a pain in her left leg, which was eventually diagnosed as osteosarcoma, or bone cancer. Hayley was treated at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for a year, which included chemotherapy and surgery that resulted in metal rods replacing a portion of her bones in her left leg. Hayley has said that the year she spent at St. Jude’s was the most important year of her life, shaping her into the woman she is today and inspiring her to enter the medical profession to give back.
While attending Southeastern Louisiana University, Hayley was initiated into Phi Chapter in 2010. She graduated in 2014 and then went on to earn her Physician Assistant degree from Louisiana State University in 2016. Her dream was to work for St. Jude’s, but she realized that she needed to accumulate experience before working there. She spent three years in emergency medicine in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, before landing her dream job at St. Jude’s.
Working at St. Jude’s led to a once in a lifetime opportunity for Hayley. She was offered a spot on SpaceX’s Inspiration4 space crew, which was launched as an endeavor to raise money and awareness for St. Jude’s. On September 15, 2021, she made history by becoming the youngest American, first pediatric cancer survivor, and first person with a prosthetic body part to rocket into space. The space flight surpassed its fundraising goal, raising $243 million for St. Jude’s lifesaving work.
Today, Hayley continues her work as a physician’s assistant at St. Jude’s hospital and is an avid traveler. In 2022, she published a book chronicling her life, Wild Ride: A Memoir of IV Drips and Rocket Ships.
While attending Southeastern Louisiana University, Hayley was initiated into Phi Chapter in 2010. She graduated in 2014 and then went on to earn her Physician Assistant degree from Louisiana State University in 2016. Her dream was to work for St. Jude’s, but she realized that she needed to accumulate experience before working there. She spent three years in emergency medicine in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, before landing her dream job at St. Jude’s.
Working at St. Jude’s led to a once in a lifetime opportunity for Hayley. She was offered a spot on SpaceX’s Inspiration4 space crew, which was launched as an endeavor to raise money and awareness for St. Jude’s. On September 15, 2021, she made history by becoming the youngest American, first pediatric cancer survivor, and first person with a prosthetic body part to rocket into space. The space flight surpassed its fundraising goal, raising $243 million for St. Jude’s lifesaving work.
Today, Hayley continues her work as a physician’s assistant at St. Jude’s hospital and is an avid traveler. In 2022, she published a book chronicling her life, Wild Ride: A Memoir of IV Drips and Rocket Ships.
