Genetic testing offered the Garcia family a chance at catching cancer in an earlier stage and treating it before the cancer took on an aggressive form for Martin Garcia, Sr. and nearly every person in his family who came after him.

While thyroid cancer is typically one of the less alarming cancers, according to Dr. Santillan-Gomez with Texas Oncology, medullary thyroid cancer is genetic, can become aggressive and more difficult to treat.

The Garcia family knows the genetic mutation that can cause medullary thyroid cancer very well.

“The way I came about my diagnosis was last year, I had a bump on my neck,” Martin Garcia Sr. said. “By the time September came around last year, it was diagnosed that it was aggressive, and I needed surgery.”

Garcia Sr. and Martin Garcia Jr. are both recove

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