Nancy Langhorne was a fan of the holiday season, according to her son Richard, who is spearheading efforts to raise money for cancer screenings for the seventh year.
“My mom was pretty into Christmas, she watched all those terrible Lifetime movies,” he said.
Nancy died in 2017 from pancreatic cancer. That year, Richard started the Nancy Langhorne Foundation in her memory to raise money for research and screenings.
That fundraising takes a unique form.It started with an annual benefit concert in Norfolk, Richard’s hometown; and it grew into 12/23 Records, a record label that produces limited edition Christmas-themed vinyl albums.
This year’s “XMAS in VA” record is available in black, clear and white vinyl at different price points for donations. The album art features illustrations of Santa, a surfer and other Virginia scenes swirling on a skating rink.
“There’s rock, a little bit of country, kind of acoustic singer/songwriter,” Richard said. “It’s been fun to put it all together and see it come to life. And we’re just super thankful to all the musicians who donated their time and talent to us.”
For “XMAS in VA,” Richard did a deep dive into old and obscure Christmas tunes to provide inspiration to the 14 artists who signed onto the project. The album contains a mix of genres from artists including Norfolk-based The LifeHacks and Peter Pope.
To date, the Nancy Langhorne Foundation has raised more than $70,000 and donated to cancer screenings and research at the Eastern Virginia Medical School, the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the Medical College of Virginia.
Nancy Langhorne was a nurse for decades in Hampton Roads, and Richard said his foundation carries forward her legacy of caring for others.
“I’ve always kind of thought of it as her continuing to help people in the medical field, even after she was gone,” he said.
Proceeds from this year’s album, “XMAS in VA,” go toward the EVMS HOPES Free Clinic in Norfolk and the Bon Secours Every Woman’s Life program in Richmond, both of which provide free screenings for uninsured patients.
Pancreatic cancer, which Nancy had, is the third deadliest cancer in the United States, partially due to being difficult to detect in early stages. By the time symptoms manifest, it has likely spread to other parts of the body, making treatment more difficult. Early screening can find cancer when it’s smaller and more likely to be cured, according to Mayo Clinic.
The Virginia Department of Health’s Every Woman’s Life program provides screenings for breast and cervical cancers. Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer with about 300,000 new diagnoses nationwide per year, according to the National Institute of Health.
Other albums produced this year by 12/23 Records memorialize James Casey, a saxophonist from Washington, D.C. who played with the Trey Anastasio Band, Soulive and Lettuce. Casey died in 2023 after a two-year battle with colorectal cancer.
Casey recorded the EP “A Little Something For Everyone” with 12/28 Records in 2022 to raise money for colorectal cancer screenings. He also connected several musicians with the label — which helped “get the record thing going,” Richard said.
This year’s 7-inch EP “A California Christmas” by Grahame Lesh will raise money for colorectal screenings in Casey’s memory. 12/23 Records also re-released “A Little Something For Everyone,” which had previously sold out.
Prior to his death, Casey worked to raise awareness about colorectal cancer and its disproportionate impact on Black adults. Colorectal cancer is the second-deadliest cancer in the United States. Research suggests Black men and women are at a higher risk due to disparities in access to high-quality screenings and care, according to Sloan Kettering.
Richard hopes the funds he raises during the holiday season in honor of his mom will have a positive impact on someone else’s family.
“We were unfortunately unable to save my mom, but through cancer research and specifically early screenings (that) are so important for aggressive cancer types, maybe we can save someone else’s mom,” he said.
“XMAS in VA” is on sale through the new year on 12/23 Records’ website.
