SALISBURY, N.C. — Cancer patients have the opportunity to escape to another world while receiving treatment.

What You Need To Know

The Penumbra REAL i-series headset allows cancer patients to play games, travel virtually across the world and meditate

Samantha Haspel and her husband, Robert Ring, asked their wedding guests to donate money for the headsets instead of gifts

They raised more than $25,000 to buy headsets for the Novant Health Wallace Cancer Institute

Samantha Haspel tried out the Penumbra REAL i-Series headset when she was receiving treatment for lymphoma four years ago in Pennsylvania.

“My anxiety was so high, my depression was so high, and there was no escape,” Haspel said. “You are just in your body. This [the headset] for me was a path of escape.”

She lives in Salisbury and realized the headsets weren’t available at her local hospital. She was finishing up treatment and had an idea. She and her husband, Robert Ring, were preparing for a wedding.

“When it was time for us to get married, we didn't need china, and we didn't need silverware,” Haspel said. “We are in our 40s. We knew that other people needed more than we did.”

The couple asked their wedding guests to donate money for virtual reality headsets instead of gifts. They raised more than $25,000. This allowed them to purchase more than 20 headsets for Novant Health Wallace Cancer Institute. Their generosity is helping other cancer patients, like Lori Santangelo

“It’s very comforting,” Santangelo said. “Today was not one of my best days. But I put this on, and it was like, ‘OK, I am going to the beach.’ It just relaxes you.”

Haspel is thrilled to know these devices are helping others like her. 

The virtual reality headsets can also be used for physical therapy rehabilitation. According to the company website, they include more than 10 hours of immersive content.