Novant Health Wallace Cancer Institute in Salisbury is the first facility in North Carolina to offer virtual reality headsets to patients receiving cancer treatment.
The 25 headsets feature 10 hours of virtual reality experiences including animated, interactive experiences and instructor-guided or self-guided travel and nature tours, according to an Oct. 3 news release from the health system. Activities are customizable based on patient needs.
The virtual reality headsets were donated by Salisbury resident and cancer survivor Samantha Haspel and her husband, Robert Ring, thanks to money given to them as wedding presents.
"It isn’t until you are fighting for your life that you realize the impact of the full treatment experience," Haspel said in the release. "I experienced firsthand the detrimental effects stress and anxiety can have while trying to battle cancer. Being able to focus on something else allowed my body to relax and be more receptive to the medicine needed."
Novant Health plans to expand its virtual reality program to other facilities in the next six months.