Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition

Return to the field at UM

UM’s Michael Burns overcomes cancer diagnosis

- By Christy Cabrera Chirinos Staff writer

Michael Burns back after cancer treatment.

CORAL GABLES — Not long after the ball cleared the fence, there were tears. Then there was laughter. And dancing.

Anita Burns wasn’t in Coral Gables the night her son Michael, an outfielder at Miami, crushed a grand slam against in-state rival Florida State back in April. But the steady updates from her husband Mike Sr. — who was at Mark Light Field for that dramatic moment — had her celebratin­g back at the family’s home in Colorado.

The home run itself was pretty great. So was the ground ball Burns hit later in the game that eventually lifted the Hurricanes to a much-needed, 5-4 extra-innings win over the Seminoles.

For Anita and Mike Sr., though, the fact Michael Burns was merely on the field that night was reason to smile.

Less than a year before those well-timed hits, a cancerous tumor, two surgeries and 37 radiation treatments put Burns’ dreams of playing at Miami in danger and threatened to end his baseball career.

But the former two-sport athlete, his parents and his doctors had other ideas, formulatin­g a plan that would not only get rid of his cancer, but protect the limbs Burns needed to continue playing.

Among those plans? Inserting a 17-inch titanium rod into Burns’ leg to support the femur that was weakened by the radiation treatments the 22-year-old needed after he was diagnosed with myxoid liposarcom­a, a rare soft-tissue cancer that usually affects people between 40 and 60 years old.

“You think about what you were doing a year ago and it’s like a dream come true now. I was learning how to walk again last year,” said Burns, who began radiation treatments last May while playing at Cisco College in Texas. “Now I’m battling for a playoff spot at the University of Miami. … Life stops on a

“Life stops on a dime when you hear that word, ‘cancer.’ ” Michael Burns, ’Canes outfielder

dime when you hear that word, ‘cancer.’ I had plans, so many plans and they got stopped very fast. When that happens, you don’t have plans anymore.

“You’re at the will of doctors and what they want to do. But I’m spiritual, and I knew there was a plan and it was coming. It was tough, but I had the people in my life right by my side, and that made it a little bit easier.”

Among those cheering Burns throughout his treatment and recovery has been Hurricanes pitcher Jeb Bargfeldt, who was Burns’ roommate at Cisco last year. The two met while at Wichita State, where both signed out of their respective high schools.

Eventually, both transferre­d to Cisco, their sights set on one day playing again at the Division I level.

But before the two landed in Miami, it was Bargfeldt who pushed Burns to tell his parents about the lump that was growing on his leg, even as Burns was hitting .363 last spring at Cisco.

Burns was initially hesitant. The lump wasn’t painful, he was still playing well and another friend of his had just dealt with a similar lump, one that turned out to be nothing more than a fluid-filled cyst. The possibilit­y of it all being anything more serious than that never really crossed his mind, he said.

And so, it wasn’t until Anita and Mike Sr. came to visit their son that they learned about the mass — and only because Bargfeldt jokingly brought it up over dinner.

Once Anita Burns saw her son’s leg, though, she knew something wasn’t right.

The very next day, Anita began pushing for her son’s treatment, something that wasn’t exactly easy in a small-town of roughly 4,000. There was, first, Xrays with a nurse. Then an MRI, the results of which Anita had overnighte­d to Colorado where a friend of hers, an oncologist, could read them.

It was only then — when that oncologist recommende­d removing the lump before it could further impact the blood flow in Burns’ leg — that the family began to worry.

Two days later, Burns was back in Colorado for surgery with Dr. Ronald Hugate, a limb-preservati­on specialist who removed the tumor. Because of how it had grown close to some blood vessels and nerves, some of the tumor’s margins couldn’t be removed without damaging Burns’ leg. Initially, the thought was that wouldn’t be a problem because the tumor could be benign and that one surgery would be the end of Burns’ treatment. That wasn’t the case. Further testing revealed the tumor was cancerous, and again, the Burns family scrambled, with Michael having a second surgery to insert the metal rod in his leg. Radiation began soon after.

“It was week after week of a lot of bad news,” Anita Burns said. “He thought he might never play baseball again and we really didn’t know if he’d ever play any sport again. You just don’t know.”

Burns’ treatment went as well as the family could have hoped, with the outfielder even playing some through radiation. By July, Burns was playing summer ball and communicat­ing regularly with Miami’s staff, which was eager to welcome him to campus.

Last fall, Burns was participat­ing in offseason workouts with the Hurricanes, proving to his new teammates, coaches and even to himself, that he was well.

Now, with one week left in the regular season, the outfielder has put up solid numbers, starting 41 of the Hurricanes’ 47 games and hitting .245 with three home runs, 28 RBI and 19 runs scored. Like the rest of his teammates, he’s pushing to try to help the Hurricanes extend their streak of 44 consecutiv­e NCAA Tournament appearance­s, a streak that is in jeopardy because of Miami’s slow start.

Wins against Florida Gulf Coast and Virginia Tech this week, as well as a strong showing in the ACC Tournament, will help the team preserve that streak. But whether that tournament berth comes or not, the Hurricanes have been inspired this season by Burns’ comeback and his willingnes­s to continue playing, even when it seemed baseball might be taken from him.

“He never complains about anything,” Hurricanes coach Jim Morris said. “He’s a ‘Yes, sir. No, sir’ kind of kid and he plays hard. To do what he’s done, to come back really quickly, that showed a lot of hard work and determinat­ion on his part.”

Added Bargfeldt: “You see the smile on his face and you can see he enjoys the game so much more. He never takes a day for granted. … To see him play and do everything he’s done after seeing him go through all that, you want nothing more for him. And his story, it’s not just inspiratio­nal to him, but it helps us all. There are days maybe some of us don’t feel like we want to get out of bed and go to early-morning weights, but he reminds us all that we have to be thankful for this. It’s been amazing."

 ?? RICHARD C. LEWIS/COURTESY ?? Miami outfielder Michael Burns was diagnosed with myxoid liposarcom­a, a rare soft-tissue cancer, less than a year ago.
RICHARD C. LEWIS/COURTESY Miami outfielder Michael Burns was diagnosed with myxoid liposarcom­a, a rare soft-tissue cancer, less than a year ago.
 ?? RICHARD C. LEWIS/COURTESY ?? In his season during his comeback, Miami outfielder Michael Burns is hitting .245 with three home runs and 28 RBI.
RICHARD C. LEWIS/COURTESY In his season during his comeback, Miami outfielder Michael Burns is hitting .245 with three home runs and 28 RBI.
 ?? RICHARD C. LEWIS/COURTESY ?? Outfielder Michael Burns makes a play against Duke University at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field earlier this season.
RICHARD C. LEWIS/COURTESY Outfielder Michael Burns makes a play against Duke University at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field earlier this season.
 ?? RICHARD C. LEWIS/COURTESY ?? Michael Burns had a rod put in his leg to help strengthen it because the radiation treatments to fight the cancer affect the femur bone.
RICHARD C. LEWIS/COURTESY Michael Burns had a rod put in his leg to help strengthen it because the radiation treatments to fight the cancer affect the femur bone.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States