Heart of the Valley: Weslaco cancer survivor shares her story
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A Weslaco mom, who beat breast cancer, says she had no family history of the disease.
Erika Galan spends her weekdays in the office, Saturday mornings in the gym, and every second of her life being mom to two little girls.
She's also a breast cancer survivor, and she's still in her 30s.
"You know, it was kind of a bit of a shocker when I got diagnosed," Galan said.
Galan's cancer battle started in July 2020. She was 33, and fit, with no known reason to get an early mammogram.
She didn't have a family history, but she did have a rambunctious toddler.
"She was 2 at the time, was kinda having a fit," Galan said.
If you've ever struggled to strap a strong-willed child into a car seat, you can probably relate to what happened next.
"And she was in the car seat, and she was swinging her arms and she hit the left side of my breast, and I was like that really, like it hurt. It was painful," Galan said. "So I started feeling around, and I felt almost like a marble-sized lump underneath my left breast."
It was a tumor, stage 2, triple negative breast cancer.
"Which is a rare but aggressive type of cancer," Galan said. "I did about six months of treatment, really hard chemotherapy, lost my hair."
Galan's hair is back, her muscles are back, and so is her strength. Her journey has changed so much for the women in her family.
Galan says no one skips their mammograms.
"I know my mom now, she doesn't miss, you know of course, she was like I wish it were me taking that because as a parent you don't ever want to see your child, I know I don't. I don't want to see my child, so I don't know how she handled that," Galan said.
Galan's daughters are now a bit older. The 2-year-old, who probably saved her life, while fighting her in that car seat, is now 7. Galan also has an older daughter, and both little girls now have a double family history.
Their mom beat breast cancer, but their father's sister did not.
"Her name was Sylvia Garcia. She passed away three years ago. She had it as well. We actually fought together," Galan said. "They did tell me when I was diagnosed that since I do have daughters, they would have to get checked because of being in the bloodline."
Their story is far from over, but one that is important to tell. It just might be a lifesaver.
Watch the video above for the full story.
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