As I Pick Up the Pieces (and Keep Dancing)

Gladys Faccini - Long Term LMS Thriver

By Gladys Faccini

January 18, 2026

I never imagined I’d be writing a “thriver” story, but here I am.

In 2015, I was diagnosed with uterine leiomyosarcoma (uLMS), after what was supposed to be a routine full hysterectomy for fibroids. Like so many others, cancer wasn’t even on the radar until after surgery. I had no chemo and no additional treatment, just the surgery. I began regular surveillance at Memorial Sloan Kettering in NYC.

In 2018, a small recurrence showed up as a lung nodule. It was caught early and removed through robotic thoracic surgery at NYU. Once again, surgery was the only treatment, and I went back to watching and waiting.

Then in 2023, life threw another curveball when I was diagnosed with DCIS, stage 0 breast cancer. I had surgery and radiation since it was close to the chest wall.  I was started on Letrozole, an aromatase inhibitor to block estrogen production post menopause. It wasn’t LMS, but it was still another reminder that cancer doesn’t ask permission.

Today, I’m incredibly grateful to say that I am NED (no evidence of disease). My most recent LMS scans in December 2025 were clear, and I continue with regular follow-ups. Living scan to scan isn’t always easy, but right now, I’m doing well and I don’t take that lightly.

How I’ve Coped (and Still Do)

In the beginning, I danced, literally. I kept teaching Zumba, even when my fear was loud. Movement helped me release what I couldn’t put into words.

To this day, dancing is still a huge part of my life.  Zumba, Salsa, you name it. Salsa especially reminds me that my body is still strong, still joyful, still mine. So I keep dancing, like no one is looking, because those moments of freedom matter.

My saving grace has been dancing, traveling, spending as much time as possible with my family, and believe it or not, work. Work gave me routine, purpose and a sense of normalcy when everything else felt uncertain. And traveling became a different kind of lifeline: planning trips between scans gave me something to look forward to, something that pulled me toward the future. Even just choosing a destination or mapping out an itinerary reminded me that my life wasn’t on hold. It helped me stay connected to excitement, to possibility, to the parts of myself that cancer couldn’t touch.

What helps me cope now is staying active in the ways I can, grounding myself in routines that support me, and learning to catch those fearful thoughts before they take over. What doesn’t help is stressing about the unknown. Fear can absolutely paralyze you if you let it, and I’ve learned that worrying doesn’t protect you. It just steals today.

What This Journey Has Taught Me

I’ve learned that some people you expect to show up won’t, and that hurts. But I’ve also learned who will be there, and that matters more.

One of the biggest lessons for me has been acceptance - accepting the diagnosis and accepting that it changed the life I thought I had planned. When I stopped fighting that truth, I found space to live again.

Living in the moment isn’t just a saying, it’s survival. And eventually, it becomes freedom.

If I Could Do It Over

If I could go back, I would not give this disease my good days. Fear robbed me of moments that were actually okay, moments I could have enjoyed.

What I am grateful for is that I sought out the best care with a sarcoma specialist who truly understood this rare cancer. And just as importantly, I made a conscious decision, over and over again, to push the fear aside and live my life anyway.

For Anyone Newly Diagnosed

If you’re newly diagnosed, I want you to know this:

You don’t have to have it all figured out right now.

Find a medical team that truly knows sarcoma, it’s critically important and makes a difference. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself. And never feel uncomfortable getting a second (or third) opinion.

Try not to let fear steal today. It’s okay to be scared, but you’re also allowed to laugh, dance, travel, work, love, and live fully, even with uncertainty.

Stay informed but also give yourself permission to step away from the noise when you need to. Protect your peace.

And most importantly, you are not alone. There is hope. We’re here, walking this road together.