Valley teen celebrates being cancer free after more than two-year battle
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A more than two-year long battle is over for a Valley pre-teen.
Grace Garza is officially cancer free and was finally able to ring the bell at Vannie Cook in McAllen on Friday.
Grace Garza, 11, is officially saying goodbye to cancer after a tough battle. She was first diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at 9 years old.
RELATED STORY: 10-year-old cancer patient in remission after battling cancer
"We went through a lot of arm pokes to get blood to test and just a lot of pain to get through this," Grace said.
It wasn't just a physical toll, but a mental one too.
Grace missed out on two years of being a normal kid. The cancer caused her immune system to be weak, putting her life on pause.
She couldn't play sports or go places with her friends, and she couldn't do one of her favorite things, go to the beach.
"I never want to go through this again, no child should have to go through this," Grace said.
On Friday, Grace was joined by friends, family and church members who prayed for her during her battle.
When the time came for Grace to ring the bell, her family and friends all lined up, many in tears, to hear her say these words:
"I ring the bell with all my might. I have finished this journey. I smile. I am strong. I am happy. I am done," Grace said.
She says she knows there are other kids and adults going through the same thing she did, and she offers a bit of advice.
"Stay strong and through the pain there's victory," Grace said.
Watch the video above for the full story.
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