Eight days after wedding, this Pinelands teacher found he had cancer. He's fighting back

Gennaro Balletta was a busy guy, between working as a paraprofessional in special education classes, coaching three sports at Pinelands High School and running a landscaping company that specializes in ponds. So it wasn’t all that surprising that he felt run down while helping to plan his wedding this past spring.

“I didn’t feel good for a few months and I didn’t think anything of it,” he said. “I thought maybe I was just burned out.”

Turns out, it was more than that. Eight days after his June 8 marriage to Ashley Miller, Balletta checked into a hospital. Tests revealed stage four Hodgkin’s lymphoma — cancer had spread throughout his upper body.

Hodgkin’s lymphoma, even in its advanced stages, is a very treatable cancer, but the chemotherapy is intensive and exhausting. Balletta will undergo treatment twice a month for six months; he just finished the second round.

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“It puts you on your (butt) for a day or two,” the 25-year-old said. “But I’m in a good mindset.”

That mindset has helped him navigate a difficult couple of years, including the loss of both of his parents within two months. Through it all he’s been buoyed by an outpouring of community support. A GoFundMe campaign raised $25,000 in the first few hours and is now up to $54,000. Members of Pinelands’ boys basketball team raised money for him through a car wash last month, scrubbing cars for four hours in 95-degree heat. This Sunday, Aug. 18, Laurita Winery in the New Egypt section of Plumsted is hosting a food-truck festival to benefit the young couple, who live in Little Egg Harbor.

“If you know Gennaro, you love Gennaro,” said his father-in-law George Miller, who is Ashley’s father and the operator of Five Sisters food truck, which makes rounds throughout the shore. “He’s one of the nicest guys you’d ever meet. You wonder: How much more (stuff) can happen to this kid?”

Through it all, Balletta is determined to set an example for his students and athletes.

“Being able to give back has always been my thing; I love coaching, I love being able to help these kids out,” he said. “If they could see me persevere, it might help them with whatever they’re going through in their lives.”

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Dealing with curveballs

Balletta graduated from Pinelands High School in 2017, and he was closing in on his college degree in education when life threw him a curveball. In 2021, when Balletta’s mother was diagnosed with cancer, he put his studies on hold to be her caretaker — and even donated stem cells so she could undergo a stem-cell transplant. She died in 2022, and then his father, who also had been fighting a long-term illness, died two months later.

“He’s handled everything a lot better than I ever could,” wife Ashley said.

In the classroom, “he’s amazing,” said Little Egg Harbor resident Rene Parker, who has a son with autism who was in Balletta’s class.

After school, Balletta has served as an assistant coach with Pinelands’ football, boys basketball and baseball programs. On the advice of his oncologist, he’s taking leave from his teaching job until at least October, but he will continue to help out the football team as a volunteer assistant with the freshmen, to keep a hand in the vocation that he holds so dear.

“He’s got tremendous determination and tremendous strength, not only from himself, but also his wife and his wife’s family,” Pinelands football head coach John Tierney said. “He’s a great person who is in it for the kids. And he has the right mindset: He’s going to kick cancer’s butt.”

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'There's always support'

Ashley Miller, who is a science teacher at Cedar Creek High School and moonlights as a wedding photographer, has seen her husband wiped out by the extreme fatigue the chemotherapy causes. But never for long. The outpouring of well-wishes is fueling them both.

“I’m still answering people,” she said. “I can’t believe the amount of phone calls and texts and cards we’ve gotten. I know it’s cheered him up a lot. He has a great group of friends, but there were so many strangers who showed they cared — and that meant a lot.”

Laurita Winery, which knows the Millers through the food truck, volunteered to host Sunday’s fundraiser free of charge. Seven food trucks will be there (Shore Good Eats n Treats, L'Aquaria Seafood, Twelve Truck, Mexi Boys, Elemen7ts by NitroGirl, Maddelana's, and Moonshine Chocolate Co.) and an eighth, Kiersten's Creations, will be setting up a lemonade stand. A portion of all the trucks' proceeds will benefit Gennaro and Ashley. Two local musical acts, Strictly 60's Band and Rangers Nouveau, are donating live performances as well.

The event runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and admission is $10 per person.

Red Bank native Casey Webb, host of the hit Travel Channel show, “Man v. Food,” is expected to drop by at some point. The close-knit shore-area culinary community is rallying for one of their own.

“We always thought: If somebody needs help, you help them – if I come out and give out some burgers for somebody who needs it, that’s nothing," said George Miller, who is a retired firefighter. "After this happened with Gennaro, I realized how significant it is just to get a text from somebody – 'hey if you need anything, we’re here for you, we’re thinking of you, we’re praying for you.' I never thought much of it when we did something for somebody, but now on the other side of it, I see how much it means.”

Added Gennaro: “The support I’ve gotten has been overwhelming in the best way possible."

Because of the timing of the diagnosis and the treatment schedule, Gennaro and Ashley did not get to enjoy a real honeymoon beyond a brief Maine getaway. If all goes well, they plan to visit Iceland next summer.

In the meantime, Gennaro will continue to fight with the help of everyone around him — and use his journey as a teachable moment for his charges.

“No matter what you’re going through, you’ve got to keep persevering because there’s always going to be light at the end of the tunnel,” he said. “I’ve been through a lot the past few years and I feel like I haven’t wavered in my spirit. Keep plugging along and there’s always support. Whether you realize it or not, there’s so many people around you to support you.”

To donate to the GoFundMe for Gennaro, visit www.GoFundMe.com and search "Help Support Ashley and Gennaro's Fight Against Lymphoma."

For more information on Laurita Winery and the Sunday, Aug. 18 benefit for Gennaro and Ashley, visit www.lauritawinery.com.

Jerry Carino is community columnist for the Asbury Park Press, focusing on the Jersey Shore’s interesting people, inspiring stories and pressing issues. Contact him at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: How to help Pinelands HS school teacher, coach diagnosed with canber