Galls are not a death-sentence for a ficus -- at least not the ones I've dealt with.
http://forum.bonsaitalk.com/showpos...53&postcount=11
A gall is the result of some foreign creature - a bug or a bacteria or fungus -- living in the tree's tissue. It makes a huge scar to protect itself. Usually the solution is simply to cut away the infected growth.
good luck
pootsie