A mother and daughter from Antigua and Barbuda will be the first from the country to embark on a once in a lifetime trip to space.
The mother, Keisha Schahaff, won the prize worth almost $1 million after entering a fundraiser sweepstakes organized by Virgin Galactic on the Omaze platform, which raised $1.7 million. Virgin Galactic said in a statement that the drive attracted nearly 165,000 participants in eight weeks.
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Schahaff, a health and wellness coach will be taking her daughter, 17-year-old Anastatia Mayars, an aspiring NASA Engineer living in Britain, along for the ride.
Branson surprised Schahaff at her home in the Caribbean.
She said, “When I saw Richard Branson walking in I just started screaming! I couldn’t believe it. This is a great opportunity for me to feel alive and to just make the greatest adventure ever.”
Although no date has been set for the trip, the two have been preparing for the flight doing different trainings, traveling to the UK to undergo a full medical examination. Both are set to travel to New Mexico to undergo a five-day in person training session.
Schahaff said, “I have been very lucky that I have been maintaining a healthy lifestyle so that worked to my advantage.”
Part of the training is preparing them for their minds’ to handle space travel, and the mother and daughter duo Keisha have met with Maja Muric, the Director of Galactic Unite to help with that.
Schahaff said she is looking forward to the after. “I’m very encouraged to inspire others to also live their dream.”
