"That’s Life": Kyle Burke’s Story of Cancer & Courage

As part of his healing process, and to uplift others, Kyle wrote an inspirational song called “That’s Life - Survivor Anthem” about his battle with cancer and the strength it takes to keep going through hardship. You can listen to it here: That’s Life - Kyle Burke

At 37, Kyle Burke was living what many would call a full life; married, recently a father to a beautiful baby girl, and finally recovering from an emergency cornea transplant that had sidelined him for months. Life was beginning to feel normal again. But just as the fog was lifting, a storm was brewing.

It was Christmas 2023, and Kyle was visiting family in Florida when he noticed something unusual -swelling in one of his testicles. He brushed it off, convincing himself it could wait until after the holidays. But the swelling didn’t go away. Back home in Nashville, he scheduled an appointment with a urologist. The medical assistant was reassuring, suggesting it was probably nothing, but recommended an ultrasound just to be sure.

That same day, Kyle got the call. It was testicular cancer.

The word hit like a punch to the chest. He was stunned. Just weeks earlier, he had been holding his newborn daughter in his arms. Now, he was facing a diagnosis that felt surreal and terrifying. His wife and family were equally blindsided.

The initial plan was straightforward: an orchiectomy to remove the affected testicle. The cancer appeared contained, and there was hope that surgery would be the end of it. Kyle underwent the procedure in January 2024. But when his tumor markers didn’t drop, hope gave way to dread.

A second test confirmed the worst; cancer was still present. He was referred to an oncologist, and the new plan was aggressive: three rounds of BEP chemotherapy.

Kyle had feared this moment. He had clung to the hope that chemo wouldn’t be necessary. The thought of poisoning his body, of losing control, of being too weak to care for his daughter or support his wife was crushing.

Chemo began in April. The schedule was brutal: two weeks of treatment twice a week, followed by a third week of daily infusions, Monday through Friday. The side effects hit hard and fast. Nausea, fatigue, hair loss, brain fog. There were days Kyle couldn’t get out of bed. Days when holding his daughter felt like lifting a mountain. Nights when he lay awake, wondering if he’d ever feel like himself again.

But he kept going.

He kept going for his wife, who stood by him with unwavering strength. For his daughter, whose smile reminded him why he was fighting. For his family, who rallied around him. And for himself, because deep down, he believed he could beat this.

By June, the chemo was complete. His tumor markers dropped. He was placed on surveillance, with regular scans and bloodwork to monitor for recurrence. Life began to stabilize. But cancer wasn’t done with him yet.

In January 2025, a scan revealed suspicious lymph nodes in his abdomen. His oncologist laid out the options: wait and see, or undergo a major surgery, called an RPLND (retroperitoneal lymph node dissection), to remove the nodes. It was invasive, risky, and would leave a large scar. But Kyle didn’t hesitate. He chose to fight.

The surgery was performed at Indiana University by Dr. Cary, a small but meaningful connection, as both of Kyle’s parents had attended IU. His wife, daughter, and parents traveled to Indianapolis to be by his side. The procedure was intense. Surgeons opened his abdomen and carefully removed the affected nodes. The recovery was long and grueling. Kyle was in a fog, physically and mentally drained. He didn’t feel like himself. Not yet.

But once again, he pushed.

He forced himself to move, to exercise, to reconnect with the world. Slowly, the fog lifted. The strength returned. The scans came back clear. The nodes had been cancerous, but they were gone.

Today, Kyle is cancer-free. He bears a scar across his stomach, a permanent reminder of the war he fought. But he also carries something deeper: perspective.

His golden nugget?

“Stay positive. No matter how grim it seems, no matter how tired or hopeless you feel, stay positive. Give yourself grace. Give yourself time. You will feel like yourself again. And when you do, you’ll be stronger than you ever imagined.” Because as Kyle wrote in his song, ‘what you’re going through and what you’ve been through shapes the type of man you turn into.’

Bonus Note: As part of his healing process, and to inspire others, Kyle wrote a song called “That’s Life” about his battle with cancer and the strength it takes to keep going. You can listen to it here: That’s Life - Kyle Burke