What started as sciatic nerve pain resulted in sarcoma

After diagnosis, a northern Indiana resident was flown to emergency care

By TJ Banes, IU Health Senior Journalist, tfender1@iuhealth.org

It hasn’t’ been the summer Chad Burks had planned. He looked forward to watching his son on the soccer field and relaxing with his family in their St. Joseph County home.

But in May, Burks was flown to a Chicago hospital after a tumor was discovered around his heart. His health journey started in the winter when he felt a consistent sciatic nerve pain shooting down his leg.

At first, he was diagnosed with a bulging disc. Steroid shots followed and helped a little with his mobility, but overtime, the pain grew worse. “I couldn’t tie my shoes, and I stopped driving because I couldn’t sit,” said Burks, 47. On a checkup, his nurse practitioner, showed his MRI images to a spine doctor. A CT scan followed and hours later, Burks received a call from radiology. They recommended he go to ER immediately. It was then that a full body scan revealed tumors in Burks’ liver, heart, and spine.

At the time, he was at a hospital near his Osceola, Ind. home. “They were concerned about the tumor causing a heart attack, so they flew me to a Chicago hospital,” said Burks. He spent five days on the cardiac floor undergoing various tests to determine if his heart was strong enough to withstand chemotherapy.

It was at the Chicago hospital where Burks was diagnosed with Angiosarcoma, a rare, aggressive type of cancer that forms in the lining of blood vessels or lymph vessels. After his first round of chemotherapy, Burks was referred to IU Health Simon Cancer Center’s Dr. Samantha Armstrong who specializes in sarcoma and liver cancers.

“Honestly, it was a relief to know that Dr. Armstrong is a sarcoma specialist and just a little over two hours from home. She knows the treatments and protocols and that’s comforting as a patient,” said Burks.

As he shared his story, Burks told his wife, Summer, “Good-bye” as she prepared to return to their northern Indiana home to watch their 16-year-old son play soccer. The couple met as students at Penn High School and have been married for 23 years. They both attended Holy Cross College, Notre Dame, Ind, and graduated from Purdue University. They also have a daughter, 18, who just started her first year of college.

Burks, the son of Roger and Charlotte Burks, has spent his career in sales working for the family business. He joins his two younger brothers working for their father in a company that designs and manufactures heating and cooling for vans.

Outside of work, Burks loves spending time with family. He is also involved with a food ministry and bible study at his church.

“Our biggest influence is our faith. My mom took me and my brothers to church every Sunday, and I continue that with my children,” said Burks. “I had a best friend die at the age of 19 of kidney failure. As a kid, you don’t think about your own mortality. I couldn’t wrap my brain around it, so I began reading the bible and asking big questions.” Burks’ bible rests on a table near his hospital bed.

“I’ve learned a lot since this diagnosis. I didn’t go to a soccer game all spring because I was hurting so bad, I missed all of my son’s club and most of his high school games,” said Burks. “Unless you’ve had ‘normal’ taken away from you, you don’t appreciate the day in and day out normal. That’s all I want is to get back to the normal – the family time and soccer games.”