Several weeks ago, the Polaris Dawn space mission, part of the civilian SpaceX program, achieved several historic firsts: the first space walk by civilians, two women, Sarah Gillis and Anne Menon, became the first women to fly further from Earth than any other women and Gillis at age 30 became the youngest person to participate in a spacewalk up to this point. One local girl, Liv Perrotto, has a special connection to this historic flight.
You see, Liv is a childhood cancer survivor whose cancer is currently in remission, and she loves all things involving space exploration.
According to Liv’s mother, Rebecca Perrotto, three years ago, her daughter, Liv, was diagnosed with cancer. She has had a love for space since she was young.
During her treatment in 2021, they found out about a new space mission called Inspiration4. On her 11th birthday, the crew from Inspiration4 had a Zoom call with her and invited her to the launch in September of 2021. This was the first all-civilian space mission that took the first childhood cancer survivor and now St. Jude employee, Hayley Arceneaux, to space. Jared Isaacman was the commander and leader behind Inspiration4, which raised over $250 million for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
“There are no words to explain the heartbreak and fear that you experience hearing your child has cancer,” Rebecca Perrotto told Webb Weekly.
“On Liv’s 11th birthday, the crew from Inspiration4 called her and invited her to the launch. That week in Florida for the launch was the most incredible gift our family could have received. Liv went through the worst six months of her life and then went on a dream trip to see a rocket launch. It’s hard to comprehend that the worst thing in her life ultimately led to the best thing in her life.” She continued, “Shortly after the Inspiration4 mission ended, the Polaris Dawn mission was created. In January of 2022, Liv was asked by the crew to design the zero-g indicator for the Polaris Dawn mission. (In the space world, a zero-g indicator is a top-secret toy that is only revealed after the crew is in orbit.) She loves to draw and created “Asteroid” in about 30 minutes. Two and a half years later, Asteroid finally went to space a couple of weeks ago!! Seeing Liv’s creation come to life was such a proud moment for us. The Polaris crew made sure that every detail Liv described was incorporated into the design of Asteroid. Asteroid was designed to be sold with the proceeds being donated to a charity of her choice. At Liv’s request, she wanted the money to go to St. Jude’s. Liv knows firsthand how hard treatment is and wants to help other kids going through what she did.”
Liv was asked about this experience and its meaning for her, and she stated, “It meant to me that I get to be a part of something meaningful and to raise awareness for kids fighting cancer like me.”
Liv’s mom concluded by saying, “Liv knows firsthand how hard treatment is and wants to help other kids going through what she did. As a mom, I couldn’t be prouder of her. Liv has been in remission for two and a half years, and I pray that she will continue to use her story to inspire other kids, just like Hayley inspired Liv.”
