Selena's story

Photo of Selena Piazza.
Selena Piazza, a 64-year-old beautician from Norwood, New Jersey, lived a full life before being diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma, a rare cancer found in smooth muscle. As a cantor and co-music director at Our Lady of Victory Church, she balanced her passion for music with a busy career in hairdressing. She also enjoyed equestrian pursuits, having owned several horses over the years.

The trouble began when Selena started experiencing pain in her left leg. “I continued life as usual with the pain that started,” she said.

It wasn’t until she saw a doctor a few months later that the source of the pain was identified as leiomyosarcoma. Selena underwent an internal hemipelvectomy, a major surgery to remove part of her pelvis containing the cancerous tissue, at Hackensack University Medical Center.

The surgery left Selena unable to bear weight on her left leg, making everyday activities like dressing, showering and walking extremely difficult. “I had trouble walking and living my normal life,” she said. After the surgery, Selena knew she needed thorough rehabilitation if she were to regain her independence.

Selena chose Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation (KIR) - Saddle Brook for her recovery. “I had heard great things about Kessler, and I wanted rehab to get me home,” she said.

Upon arriving at KIR - Saddle Brook, Selena’s physician-led rehabilitation team worked with her to develop a treatment plan. For starters, physical and occupational therapists helped her rebuild strength, endurance and balance. They guided her through exercises like stair training, gait training, mobility tasks and dressing assistance, ensuring she could perform activities of daily living safely and with confidence. She also was able to trial assistive devices to help her dress independently.

Selena found additional success by participating in group therapies. A breakfast cooking class and recreational outings into the community helped her with functional skills, fostered a connection with other patients and allowed her to practice skills like balance and walking.

Selena found the therapy at KIR-Saddle Brook to be both challenging and rewarding. “I feel all of it helped me,” she said. “I worked on regaining my balance and even did a home evaluation with the team.” The latter boosted her confidence that she would be prepared to return home and live independently.

When asked about her turning point in recovery, Selena pointed to her time with the Kessler team. “Just doing all the activities that I thought I couldn’t — cooking, showering, dressing, stairs, walking — it was a major milestone for me.”

Selena credits Kessler therapists with helping her reach her goals and teaching her to look at situations in a positive light. “I’ve learned to accept my situation thanks to my team,” she said.

Her advice for others facing a similar journey is: “As hard as it is, be positive and look at the bright side of life no matter how hard it seems. So many wonderful people helped me through this. Have faith!”

Now, Selena is looking forward to returning home and continuing her rehabilitation in an outpatient setting. Her goal is to walk independently, and thanks to her hard work at Kessler, she is well on her way to achieving that. When she left KIR - Saddle Brook she could independently perform simple and complex activities and could walk up to 200 feet independently with a rolling walking.

“I’m just looking forward to being in my house and trying to have a normal life again,” Selena said.