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Pennsylvania mom dodges a bullet (and a bear) in her own backyard: Trump supporter recalls taking cover at Butler rally months after getting mauled
They say bad luck comes in threes – but Pennsylvania mom Lee Ann Galante is desperately hoping the old adage does not come true.
Her traumatic year has already seen her mauled by a bear and witness a politically inspired murder – both in her home town.
'I used to wonder how strong I was, but after making it through two of the most traumatic events I could ever imagine, now I know I can weather almost any storm,' the dental hygienist told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview.
Galante, who lives in Butler, Pennsylvania, was at Donald Trump's July 13 rally in the city when 20-year-old gunman Thomas Crooks attempted to assassinate the former president.
His bullets killed one man and seriously injured two others, with Trump suffering a grazed right ear.
Dental hygienist Lee Ann Galante and her son Marc, 21, were front and center when gunshots rang out at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania earlier this month.
The shooting was the second traumatic event this year for Galante, who had miraculously survived a horrific bear attack that left her hospitalized just months earlier
Galante had attended several Trump rallies before, but when she and her 21-year-old son Marc showed up on that fateful Saturday, they never imagined they would witness the presidential candidate get struck by a bullet just a few feet from them.
Galante revealed that she had signed up as a volunteer to help prepare the event.
'This was the fifth rally I've been to, and right away I noticed a lack of usual security,' she said.
'Normally, there were local police, the Secret Service and a group of private agents, who I always assumed were personally hired by Trump.
'There were two gates – like the ones you see at a rodeo – where supporters were lining up. But there were not nearly enough security people manning them.
'The metal detectors were still not set up even as people prepared to come in.'
Galante said her sister and some friends also attended the rally, and they set up lawn chairs in front of the building where the assassin lay on the roof.
The group spotted the suspicious looking young man and notified local police, who say they tried to call on their radios, but for some reason, their radios were not on the same channel as the Secret Service. So, their reports only reached local law enforcement.
'When the shooter crawled up the ladder to the rooftop, my sister and her friends realized it was a dangerous situation and they fled the area by crawling under the chain-linked fence,' Galante said.
Meanwhile, she and her son, who is studying to become a commercial pilot were standing only a few feet from the podium where Trump would be addressing the crowd, when she also noticed something troubling.
'I noticed there was someone crouching on the roof of the AGR building and several snipers, situated on a roof top directly behind the bleachers, appeared to be watching him through their binoculars, instead of watching Trump, who just arrived,' she said.
'Trump climbed out of the car and made his way to the grandstand, but some of the snipers continued to train their binoculars on the man on the roof top, instead of Trump.
'My son and I were standing about 15 feet in front of the president when suddenly, we heard a series of popping sounds, like six or seven in a row.
'My first thought was why would they allow kids to bring firecrackers into the venue?' she said.
The Trump-supporting mom was no stranger to the Republican candidate's rallies, and had signed up as a volunteer for the July 13 event
Chaos erupted after shots rang out at the Trump rally, killing one man, seriously wounding two more and hitting the former president's right ear
Trump was seen with blood dripping from his ear and smeared on his face as he was hustled off stage by Secret Service agents after being hit
'Then we saw Trump grab the side of his head and fall to the ground! And the Secret Service was suddenly all over him, we knew then the noise we heard was gunshots!'
Galante said her gut reaction as a mother was to push her son to the ground and throw her body over him.
'We stayed on the ground for several minutes, until the gunfire stopped before getting back on our feet,' she said.
'You would assume by now that people would be stampeding to get out, but most people were just standing there trying to make sense of it all.
'There was a lot of confusion, and when we saw the blood, we feared the president had been seriously wounded. Yet he seemed determined to calm our fears by pumping his fist and shouting, 'fight!'
Galante said once Trump was safely off stage, she witnessed first responders carry fellow supporter retired firefighter Corey Comperatore and two other injured attendees to a waiting ambulance.
But because of the amount of blood on Comperatore, they feared he had been mortally wounded. The former fire chief died a hero, spending his final moments shielding his wife and daughter from gunfire.
James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon Township, remains in hospital in serious but stable condition nearly two weeks after he was injured. The third man shot, David Dutch of New Kensington was released on Wednesday.
Galante said the drama of those few moments made her think back to four months ago, to another terrifying event from which she barely made it out alive.
It was a late evening in March when she decided to let her dog Smokie out into her backyard as she usually does.
Some of Galante's family members set up lawn chairs in front of the building where the would-be assassin lay on the roof, barely 150 yards away
A ladder concealed by trees to the roof of the AGR building where gunman Thomas Crooks took his shot at Donald Trump
Galante said once Trump was safely off stage, she witnessed first responders carry fellow supporter and slain firefighter Corey Comperatore and two other injured attendees to a waiting ambulance
'He's a tiny 9lb Pomeranian and my best pal. We built a little three-foot fence in a section of the yard so he could go out on his own, although I would always keep an eye on him,' she said.
'I was talking with a friend on my phone, when I heard Smokie start barking. I hurried to see what was wrong and I could not believe my eyes when I spotted three bear cubs climbing a maple tree in the back garden.
'I was shocked because in the 37 years I lived in our subdivision, I'd never seen a bear.'
Galante said she feared the cubs might harm Smokie so she ran out to rescue him.
But as soon as she did, an angry 300 lb. mother bear appeared after somehow hurdling over the fence with ease.
'As I grabbed Smokie I could see the bear walking towards the deck where I was,' she said.
'I grabbed the dog and turned to run into the house, but the next thing I knew, the bear was on my back, slamming my face into the cement.
'I heard the sickening sound of bones crunching in my face, and I felt extreme pain.
'She then took hold of the back of my head with her giant jaws and I thought she was going to pull the back of my head off!'
Galante says something distracted the bear for just a moment, giving her time to turn face up, but suddenly the huge animal was on her again.
'The next thing I knew I was staring into the face of the bear,' she said. 'She bit down on my arm, and I could feel the skin tear, the pain was horrible.
'Out of the corner of my eye I could see Smokie barking furiously and jumping on the back door and I knew somehow, I had to try and get up and reach the door.
'I prayed to God the bear would stop,' she said. 'And God must have heard my prayer, because once again, she was distracted long enough for me to pull myself to my feet, grab Smokie and get inside, just in time to see the bear coming at us again.
'I remember hearing somewhere that bears can open doors,' she said. 'And I feared the huge beast would end up in my kitchen. So, I slammed the heavy interior door.'
Galante says there was blood everywhere, and she collapsed.
Knowing she had to call for help, she crawled to a cordless land line that was on a counter in the kitchen and called 911.
Galante suffered a brutal bear attack in her backyard while rescuing her 9lb Pomeranian Smokie from the wild animal in March
The angry mother bear climbed over the wire fence and made it into Galante's backyard where her cubs had been climbing the maple tree at left
Galante managed to grab the pup, but felt the bear trailing closely behind her on her outdoor deck
When she went to run into the house, she suddenly felt the bear on her back and slamming my face into the cement, she said
'The operator told me help was on the way, and she asked if I could crawl to the front door so I could let the paramedics in. Somehow, I managed to do as she asked,' she said.
'There was blood everywhere and it looked as though someone had been murdered.
'My son Marc was due home shortly, and I didn't want him to see all this blood, so I phoned my friend Michelle, and pleaded with her to come clean up the mess.'
Galante was rushed to Butler Hospital, where they put a few temporary staples in the back of her head to hold her scalp together, before transporting her to Allegheny Hospital in Pittsburg.
'Doctors were shocked that I survived the brutal attack,' she said.
'They told me the bear had torn my scalp away from the back of my ear and I needed almost 60 staples in the back of my head.
'My face was even worse,' she said. 'My nose was crushed as were my upper sinuses on both sides. They had to put two metal plates in one cheek and one plate on the other side.
'My arm, where the bear had bitten me, required several stitches too. Several teeth were loose, and my upper lip is still numb.'
Lee Ann said not only were her injuries extremely painful, but she was put on a 'no chew diet,' for the next seven weeks.
'And to make matters even worse… I was due to take the 'trip of a lifetime,' the following month,' she said.
Galante was rushed to Butler Hospital, where temporary staples were put in the back of her head to hold her scalp together, before she was transferring to Allegheny Hospital
'My son and I were traveling to Italy to visit family and I had never been out of the US. It was going to be my dream vacation.
'Doctors said I would have to cancel the trip, but I was determined to go, even if I couldn't eat.'
To everyone's shock, just four weeks later, she convinced doctors to let her go and Lee Ann and her son Marc were on a plane heading for Rome.
'I wasn't going to let that bear stop me,' she said. 'And even though I couldn't enjoy all the delicious Italian food, I convinced my doctors to let me go.'
Galante said she and her son spent two fabulous weeks in Italy, visiting family and making new friends.
She says she figured out how to cut pasta up into small pieces so she could enjoy the occasional meal. And despite the fact she didn't look her best, she had no regrets about going.
Despite enduring two terrifying and life-changing ordeals, Galante says she now feels strong enough to take on anything.
As for the wild animals, Galante revealed the mama bear was euthanized following the attack after she was deemed a threat to the community, while her cubs were relocated to the Allegheny mountains.