Family donates $50,000 toward hospital cancer center

The Langson family gathered Wednesday at Glen Eagles Restaurant to present $50,000 to the Carson-Tahoe Hospital Foundation.

The money will benefit Carson-Tahoe Hospital's cancer center, which is to be built near the proposed regional medical center in northwest Carson City. Ground-breaking is set for June.

Children fidgeted and moms hovered as spokeswoman Ninette Langson Goucher presented a check from the Don and Gladys Langson Family Fund. The funding was presented in her grandmother's name, 82-year-old Gladys Langson Veitch.

"Not only has cancer touched our own family, but also our friends and thousands of others in our community and outlying areas," she said. "This center will give new hope to those tackling this terrible disease. We'd like to thank Toni Langson for bringing this project to our attention and congratulate her for being a six-year breast-cancer survivor.

"With that said, it is our honor to present this $50,000 grant for the Cosmesis Room at the new Carson-Tahoe Cancer Center," she said.

The Cosmesis Room will provide a home-like environment for cancer patients to try on wigs, prosthetics and makeup, said Edith Garvey of Carson Tahoe Cancer Services.

"I was an oncology nurse for 31 years. I remember when prosthetics were rudimentary and there wasn't much available for patients who lost their hair, or eyebrows," she said. "This room will mean the world to these people."

Carson City has complete cancer services, but the center will bring those services under one roof. State-of-the-art radiation equipment will be on site.

The 38,000 square-foot center is expected to cost $12 million. That money will come primarily through grants and donations.