T.E.A.L. shop in Brooklyn provides hope for ovarian cancer patients, survivors, and family members
PROSPECT PARK, Brooklyn (WABC) -- A storefront community center that has all things T.E.A.L. sits right next to Prospect Park in Brooklyn.
"So this is where people come for help?" asked Eyewitness News Reporter Stacey Sager.
"Yeah, it's a really special place," said Pamela Esposito, T.E.A.L. Founder.
The store is for a very important cause, ovarian cancer.
T.E.A.L is also the acronym for "Tell Every Amazing Lady."
"It provokes the question, 'Tell Every Amazing Lady what?'" Esposito said.
She has spent well over a decade now answering that question.
"First and foremost, we're trying to save lives, and really get that word out that there are signs and symptoms," Esposito said.
The group's mission is awareness, survivor programs, and funding for medical research.
Those things are badly needed if you compare ovarian cancer to others which have shown significant progress such as breast cancer.
Ovarian cancer may be more rare than breast cancer. The lifetime risk is one in every 78 women as opposed to one in 8 for breast cancer.
But remember this, there's no effective screening tool. Only 15% of cases are caught in the early stage.
"Like when is there going to be a cure," said Olivia Mundie, a patient's daughter. "That's the main question."
Mundie is a 20-year-old staff member at T.E.A.L. who knows the urgency all too well. Her's mother was not diagnosed until she was at stage three and it was too late.
"How old were you when she passed away?" Sager asked.
"I was 13," Mundie said.
"Not easy," Sager said.
"Not really," Mundie said.
But, she helps T.E.A.L. now, with marketing and participates in their "Daughters of T.E.A.L." support group. It's one of so many services this vital organization provides with money raised from its annual T.E.A.L. walk and 5K run in Prospect Park.
This year it's on September 9th.
Sager is a survivor herself and participates as the group honors survivors who are invited onto the stage.
"You're going to get goosebumps. It's going to be inspiring. You're going to laugh, you're going to cheer, and you're going to cry," Esposito said.
Esposito's mission is deeply personal as well. She lost her sister, Louisa, to ovarian cancer, when she was only 45. This year is their 15th and first full in-person event, since the pandemic nearly decimated them.
"We lost volunteers to COVID, we lost survivors," Esposito said.
But they have never lost their passion. This center has an open door for those who need them in Brooklyn, where T.E.A.L. shines brightly and hope remains.
For more information on T.E.A.L. visit: https://telleveryamazinglady.org/
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