Cancer came back. Then it came back again. And this retired Marine still refused to quit.

In this episode of Beast vs Zombie, host Dominique Muhammad sits down with retired Marine Ivan Servin, who started with "gym back pain" and ended up fighting cancer three separate times. He tells the full story: the diagnosis, the chemo, the relapse, and the moment he rang the bell.

✅ How back pain he blamed on the gym turned out to be a pelvic mass and a germ cell tumor diagnosis

✅ Four rounds of BEP chemo, then a relapse in August 2025 that moved him to the tougher TIP chemo

✅ Why he sought a second opinion and what happened at City of Hope

✅ The last day of chemo, when his oncologist came in on his day off to push him through

✅ Back on the jiu-jitsu mats just weeks after chemo, bald and with no eyebrows

✅ The family, friends and diet changes that carried him through

✅ Why he believes "your life prepared you for these moments"

✅ His best advice: spend more time with your family

Cancer fights your body, but the mind decides how you fight back. Ivan's story is proof that you can always get up one more time.

🎙️Guest: Ivan Servin

🎧 Host: Dominique Muhammad

📺 Channel: The Cancer Podcast: Beast vs Zombie

Chapters

0:00 Hook

1:25 Intro

1:48 What it takes to become a Marine

5:23 How the military set him up for success

6:36 The cancer journey begins

9:00 BEP chemo: five days a week for three months

10:17 The relapse

11:42 Second opinion and City of Hope

15:20 The last chemo day and ringing the bell

16:26 Remission and the friends who stayed

23:32 Diet changes during cancer

29:19 His dad, his family and the toll it took

31:05 "He just will not die"

32:15 "Your life prepared you for this"

36:40 Life after the Marines and finding jiu-jitsu

44:05 His "why": the people in his life

46:45 How the "Beast vs Zombie" name was born

51:00 The truth about chemo bone pain

56:57 Daily habits and supplements

1:03:55 Best advice he ever got

🔔 Subscribe for bi-weekly conversations with real cancer survivors, inspiring stories, and life-changing perspectives.

📌 Follow Dominique Muhammad:

https://www.instagram.com/beastvszombie/

🛒 Shop & Support Cancer Research:

https://beastvszombie.com/collections

Shop merch at BeatVsZombie.com — 10% of all proceeds goes directly to cancer research

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#CancerSurvivor #MarineVeteran #CancerPodcast #BeastVsZombie

His PSA kept climbing. His exam was normal. His first biopsy found nothing — but the cancer was there, hiding in just 5% of his prostate.

In this episode of The Cancer Podcast: BeastVsZombie, host Dominique Muhammad sits down with Dr. John Bukowski — veterinarian turned public health researcher turned award-winning thriller author — and prostate cancer survivor. He shares how a rising PSA test led to his prostate cancer diagnosis, why he chose robotic nerve-sparing surgery over radiation, and what every man should know before walking into an oncology appointment.

In this episode:

✅ How a rising PSA test exposed prostate cancer with zero symptoms

✅ Why his first biopsy missed it — and how a targeted biopsy found the Gleason 7 tumor

✅ Robotic, nerve-sparing prostatectomy: three small incisions and home the same day

✅ Why he chose surgery over radiation — side effects, recurrence, and what options are left

✅ Life after surgery: annual PSA checks and minor side effects

✅ What to ask your doctor: how aggressive is it, side effects, survival rates

✅ Dominique's own story: lymphoma at 19 and two bone marrow transplants

✅ From vet school to thrillers: his award-winning writing journey, how to get a book published, and AI in writing

Don't panic. Get the test. Ask the questions. Prostate cancer is no longer a death sentence — and as Dr. John says: show up, every single day. Be a Beast. 💪

🎙 Guest: Dr. John Bukowski

🎙 Host: Dominique Muhammad

📺 Channel: The Cancer Podcast: BeastVsZombie

Chapters

00:00 Episode highlights

01:07 Welcome & meet Dr. John Bukowski

01:40 Prostate cancer diagnosis: why he chose surgery

05:36 Robotic nerve-sparing surgery explained

07:19 How to find the right surgeon

08:51 Why the first biopsy missed it (Gleason score)

11:52 What is a PSA test?

13:29 Dominique's lymphoma story at 19

15:57 Side effects & life after surgery

17:36 How a medical background helped

20:23 "Don't panic": what to ask at your appointment

23:11 Do you need a second opinion?

24:57 From medical writer to award-winning novelist

34:57 Medical technology & bone marrow transplants

36:50 AI & the future of writing

47:35 How to get a book published

53:34 The best advice he ever got

56:20 Where to find his books

🔔 Subscribe for bi-weekly conversations with real cancer survivors, inspiring stories, and life-changing perspectives.

📌 Follow Dominique Muhammad:

https://www.instagram.com/beastvszombie/

🛒 Shop & Support Cancer Research:

https://beastvszombie.com/collections

Shop merch at BeatVsZombie.com — A percentage of all proceeds goes directly to cancer research

📚 Dr. John's books & website: https://www.jbukowskiauthor.com

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#ProstateCancer #CancerSurvivor #PSATest #CancerPodcast

What if everything you're suffering from... is just a story your mind is telling you?

In this episode of Beast VS Zombie, host Dominique Muhammad sits down with mindset coach Zach Russell, who shares how surviving cancer forced him to master the art of living fully in the present moment — and why letting go of the past and future changed his entire life.

✅ Why the past and future are illusions created by the mind

✅ How beating cancer taught him to stay present through pain

✅ The real difference between pain and suffering

✅ Why he refuses to give advice — and what he does instead

✅ The "Awareness, Acceptance, Surrender" method to truly let go

Real freedom doesn't come from advice — it comes from seeing clearly. Be a Beast. 🦁

🎙️Guest: Zach Russell

🎧Host: Dominique Muhammad

📺Channel: The Cancer Podcast: Beast VS Zombie

Chapters

0:00:00 Hook: Best Moments From This Episode

0:01:10 Intro: Living In The Present Moment

0:02:59 Beating Cancer & Learning To Stay Present

0:05:35 Letting Go: The Backpack Of Emotional Weight

0:06:42 Fight Or Flight: The Biology Of Suffering

0:10:10 How Childhood Conditioning Shapes The Mind

0:16:18 What If Society Became Aware?

0:23:40 Finding Your Gift & Adding Real Value

0:30:40 Breaking Free From Limiting Beliefs

0:41:40 Present Moment Play & Finding Your Vocation

0:45:10 There Is No Outside — Only Your Story

0:55:40 Ego, Winning & Losing In Competition

1:00:57 Awareness, Acceptance, Surrender: Best Advice

1:02:10 Pain Is Natural, Suffering Is A Choice

1:03:10 Where To Find Zach Russell (Outro)

🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations with real cancer survivors, inspiring stories, and life-changing perspectives.

📌 Follow Dominique Muhammad:

https://www.instagram.com/beastvszombie/

🛒 Shop & Support Cancer Research:

https://beastvszombie.com/collections

Shop merch at BeatVsZombie.com — 10% of all proceeds goes directly to cancer research

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#BeastVsZombie #CancerSurvivor #MindsetCoach #LivePresent