It’s been nearly two months since 24-year-old Haddonfield resident Jeannie O’Pella was diagnosed with breast cancer. With her first round of chemotherapy almost complete, O’Pella’s reaction to her diagnosis from the first day was “we got this.”
“We don’t hear about people my age getting breast cancer,” she said.
The backstory of her diagnosis was a “blessing in disguise.”
It was a normal day for O’Pella until she went on to her back deck and slipped while wearing flip-flops, landing on her back.
She experienced back pain before her fall, but didn’t think anything of it.
O’Pella went to the doctor for what she thought was a routine examination and discovered she broke two vertebrae and had a tumor on her spine — the cause of her initial back pain. After a biopsy was performed, a tumor was also found in her breast, she said.
O’Pella went from having surgery replacing two vertebrae in her back to finding out she had stage four breast cancer.
“It was a crazy circumstance. I don’t know where I would be right now,” if it weren’t for the tumble on the deck, she said.
“I would have been paralyzed,” she said.
According to the American Cancer Society, one out of eight women in the U.S. will develop invasive breast cancer. While breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths as of this year, there are more than 2.9 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S.
“I was definitely in shock. But I kind of had the feeling I would eventually be dealing with this. I didn’t think I would be 24,” she said, adding her mother, Jeanne, died of breast cancer in 2006.
According to O’Pella’s aunt, Maria Forbes, her niece’s initial reaction to her diagnosis turned into a motto for Team Jeannie. Wearing flip-flops when she fell turned into an inspiration to start selling breast cancer flip-flops.
Family, friends and community members came together to support O’Pella.
Initially, Forbes said fundraisers were held at Haddonfield schools, and then O’Pella’s uncle set up the website for people to order flip-flops via PayPal.
“They were willing to help in any way they could,” she said.
Team Jeannie managed to raise $10,000 after expenses. Donations came from the Haddonfield community, across the U.S. and as far as Denmark, Forbes said.
“The support and generosity of this community is amazing,” Forbes said.
Cancer is not slowing O’Pella. She tries to get out as much as she can, going on vacation before her final chemo treatment and working at an independent sales consultant for Thirty-One.
Eventually, she would like to give back to cancer research and spread the word about available resources and awareness for young women diagnosed with breast cancer.
“It’s been a very crazy two months, but it’s a good crazy,” O’Pella said.
To find out more information about Team Jeannie or to make a donation, visit www.teamjeannie.com. Flip-flops are $10 and proceeds will go toward O’Pella’s everyday expenses.
