The Nevada Cancer Institute puts Las Vegas’ newfpound philanthropic nature to the test — and patients around the region come up winners.

By Nicole Rollender

Shortly after her family relocated to Nevada, Heather Murren volunteered at a Las Vegas medical clinic and saw that uninsured cancer patients were sent to emergency rooms, and those who could afford to travel left the state for treatment. Recognizing the need for a cancer institute in the state, Murren quit her job as Merrill Lynch’s lead consumer-products analyst to spearhead the launching of the institute.