A local entrepreneur is changing lives by starting her own business that helps cancer patients and she’s doing it knowing she could be forced to leave the U.S. at any time.

Ixtlali Garcia, 25, is a Dreamer and was born in Mexico but moved to the U.S. when she was just 3 years old.

“My family came here basically for a better living for us, better opportunity for us,” said Garcia.

Garcia’s father went back to Mexico three years ago and Garcia became the main provider for her and her mother.

“Being in the Hispanic culture, you're expected to provide a full potential if one of the parents cannot work,” said Garcia.

Garcia’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2012, and as a result, she started losing her hair. That’s why Garcia looked into microblading — a technique that’s popular in South America.

“It is kind of illusion of fake hair when it heals down. And it's one of the latest, you know, treatments for eyebrows, but my technique hits a little bit different. So, my technique involves not putting any pigment until it's completely done with the strokes,” said Garcia.

Through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, Garcia was able to take classes, which eventually led her to open up her own microblading business.

“I had to go to an academy and then from there I took master classes, have over eight certifications,” said Garcia.

That process for Garcia was long and challenging but Garcia’s mother is what motivated her to continue her journey to help other cancer patients that lost their hair through chemotherapy.

“It's not just, you know, create an eyebrow. There's a reason for every eyebrow. There is a story behind every eyebrow,” said Garcia.

As a DACA recipient, Garcia said she faces many challenges not having legal immigration status and she knows that at any time she can be forced to go back to her home country if she doesn’t get approved for her renewable two-year period of deferred action. For her having her worker's permit means being able to live the American dream.

Garcia already has built a clientele and she takes pride in building their confidence back up.

“It's just very rewarding seeing you know their smile on their face, and sometimes the cry of happiness,” said Garcia.

The feedback she gets from clients means so much to Garcia, but most importantly, the feedback she gets from her mother is the most rewarding feeling.