WOODHAVEN, Mich. – Friends and family members gathered Sunday to honor Hillarie Galazka, a 29-year-old mother who lost her life protecting her sons.
Her family said she was killed shielding her twin boys during a crash on I-96, near Davison.
Woodhaven Nails & Spa held held a fundraiser Sunday for Galazka’s three children. The owners said they saw the story and knew they had to do something.
“She lit up a room when she walked in a room. She was very giving, caring,” said Jodie Kelley, Galazka’s mother. “To me it’s like a shock, it’s like it’s a bad dream.”
The tragic crash happened March 1. Galazka was traveling with her children on the I-96 ramp from the Davison Freeway when their small car was crushed by an SUV.
For the past two weeks, her mother has been coming to terms with her untimely death.
“Her body was thrown against the front of the vehicle. She went sideways where the twins went forward,” Kelley said.
Galazka’s last action was saving her 5-year-old twins, Owen and Hunter, in the back seat by using her body as a shield.
Shortly before the impact, she told her children to put their heads down to protect them.
“They were micro-premies,” Kelley said. “My daughter, as a single mother, always did whatever she could to make sure that their well-being was very well cared for.”
The hardest part has been trying to explain to them what happened to their mother.
“We tell them that she’s in heaven with God, and that’s where all people go,” Kelley said.
All proceeds at Woodhaven Nail & Spa Sunday will be matched and donated to Galakza’s children. It’s the first time they’ve opened their doors on a Sunday.
The owners said that while they didn’t personally know her, the fundraiser is the least they could do.
“These little boys witnessed their mother die in front of them. She shielded her little boy’s so they could survive,” said owner Jade Pham. “My little girl, she’s so small. What if that was my little girl? It’s not much, but if we bring everyone together, I feel we can make a big donation and it can really help them.”
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