Many cancer patients in our area usually have to make very long trips in order to get state of the art care, but that's changing Monday for people in Langlade County when the Gerald and Dorothy Volm Cancer Center treats its' first patients in Antigo.

David Schneider, CEO of Langlade Hospital says of the Center's namesakes, "Gerald and Dorothy Volm were local residents who ran a business in town, started a business... and had been benefactors in the community for years."

And after the care they received at Langlade Hospital in their final days, their family decided to continue their generous spirit, making a huge donation to help create the new Gerald and Dorothy Volm Cancer Center.

It provides chemotherapy, medical oncology, and radiation, but hospital staff say they're most proud it was designed around cancer patients.

Schneider says, "Its' emphasis on patient privacy and comfort, as well as the design, the layout, the aesthetics, people are very impressed, and I've had people tell me this is one of the finest cancer centers they've ever been in."

The center also offers a rare new technology that's only available in 222 other facilities around the world, and it's known as Tomotherapy.

Jeff Limmer, Chief Medical Physicist at the center says, "All the patients will get a CAT scan, sometimes they'll get an MRI, and a PET scan as well, we'll take those images, line them up, and we can get a three-dimensional representation of the patient. Once we have that, then we can take the patient, put them on the computer system, put them on the treatment table, and treat them in virtual reality, and come up with the best plan before we treat them in real life."

The technology allows doctors to target the cancer and avoid exposing non-cancerous areas with radiation, and for patients, it minimizes side effects such as fatigue, nausea, or loss of taste.

Schneider adds, "We're just happy that we can provide world class technology and expertise here for our patients."

Who now will no longer need to leave the comfort of their home and family to get care.

This report was brought to you by all of us here at NewsChannel Seven, in partnership with the American Cancer Society.