Edinburg mayor pulls out of reelection campaign due to cancer

EDINBURG — Mayor Ramiro Garza Jr. has announced that he is halting his reelection campaign due to a recent diagnosis of early-stage prostate cancer.

Garza made the announcement of several dozen Edinburg city employees, local dignitaries and the media at a hastily called news conference at Edinburg City Hall on Wednesday.

“I know I’m going to beat this,” Garza told the hushed crowd.

Garza said he feels healthy — well enough to run a 10 kilometer race.

“That’s the issue with this disease, you still feel perfectly fine,” Garza said.

It was a routine blood test taken shortly after the mayor turned 50 years old that detected elevated Prostate Specific Anitgens, or PSAs.

After that, he underwent an MRI that confirmed the diagnosis.

Garza said he will continue to serve the remainder of his current term, which is his first as mayor of the four-time All-America City. The term ends in November.

“I’m very very fortunate that it did get caught at this time,” Garza said.

The mayor said that he will now focus on fighting the disease and spending time with his family, adding that the diagnosis came as a shock to them. He had no family history of prostate cancer, he said.

He also wants to raise awareness about the disease, encouraging the men in the audience and the public to be screened, which can be done via a blood test.

“It’s a very simple test. It’s two tubes, guys,” Garza said.

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