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

——————————————————————————

#BeastVsZombie #CancerSurvivor #MindsetCoach #LivePresent

She was a D1 college athlete and state champion. Doctors blamed anxiety and an eating disorder. Then a routine chest x-ray revealed a mass that changed the course of her life.

In this episode of Beast vs Zombie, Katie Day opens up about her journey from unexplained symptoms to a Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma diagnosis as a senior in college — and how surviving cancer completely reshaped who she became.

✅ Misdiagnosed for months before doctors found the real cause

✅ Diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma during her final year of college

✅ How cancer rewired her mindset, confidence, and career path

✅ Now turning her survival into purpose at Blood Cancer United

A powerful reminder that even in life's darkest chapters, there's always a comeback waiting.

🎙️ Guest: Katie Day

🎧 Host: Dominique Muhammad

Chapters

0:00 - Hook

1:24 - Advice for Facing the Unknown

3:06 - Diagnosed at 21: The Story Begins

5:44 - The Phone Call That Changed Everything

7:25 - What Is Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma?

10:21 - Why More Young People Are Getting Cancer

13:43 - Inside Chemo: Treatment & Side Effects

19:46 - The Cancer Came Back

20:41 - Fighting Cancer During COVID

29:13 - Stem Cell Transplant: Her Dad's Cells

34:00 - New Chapter: Working at Blood Cancer United

45:06 - How to Get Involved & Give Back

49:00 - Best Advice She's Ever Received

58:17 - On Grief, Loss & Letting Go

1:01:48 - Final Thoughts & Where to Follow

📺 Channel: The Cancer Podcast: BeastVsZombie

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

📌 Follow Katie Day: https://www.instagram.com/_katieday/

📌 Follow Dominique Muhammad: https://www.instagram.com/beastvszombie/

🛒 Shop & Support Cancer Research: https://beastvszombie.com/collections

#CancerSurvivor #MentalHealth #HealingJourney #BeastVsZombie #lymphoma

In this episode of The Cancer Podcast: BeastVsZombie, host Dominique Muhammad sits down with Savio Clemente — keynote speaker, TEDx speaker, journalist, resilience strategist, and two-time non-Hodgkin's lymphoma survivor — for a raw conversation about what it really takes to survive cancer, twice.

Savio opens up about his 2014 diagnosis, a decade of remission, and the shocking 2024 relapse that led to a grueling 29-day hospital stay, a stem cell transplant, and a body pushed to its absolute limit.

✅ Why doctors call it a "medical rebirth" — and why he now has two birthdays

✅ The physical toll: losing 26 pounds, tachycardia scares, and not being recognized by his own phone

✅ How 20+ years of meditation and metacognition helped him regulate his mind through the pain

✅ Why he refuses to let cancer define who he is — and calls it "one of the best things that happened" to him

✅ The mental framework anyone facing hardship can use to find strength in the struggle

This isn't just a survival story — it's a masterclass in resilience, mindset, and choosing perspective even when your body is falling apart.

If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it today. ️

🎙️ Guest: Savio Clemente

🎧 Host: Dominique Muhammad

📺 Channel: The Cancer Podcast: BeastVsZombie

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

📌 Follow Savio Clemente: https://www.instagram.com/thehumanresolve

📌 Follow Dominique Muhammad: https://www.instagram.com/beastvszombie/

🛒 Shop & Support Cancer Research: https://beastvszombie.com/collections

#CancerSurvivor #MentalHealth #HealingJourney #BeastVsZombie #lymphoma

In this powerful episode of BeastvsZombie, Armeda shares her incredible journey of surviving cancer not once, but twice. From being diagnosed at a young age to becoming a mother while battling cancer, facing chemotherapy, losing her leg, and overcoming a life-threatening diagnosis. Her story is one of strength, resilience, and hope.

Armeda opens up about living as an amputee, surviving rare bone cancer, and finding purpose through life's greatest challenges. This conversation is a reminder that even in our darkest moments, we are stronger than we realize.

🎙️ Guest: Armeda Batchler Cancer Survivor

🎧 Host: Dominique Muhammad Co-Host: Bree Jones

📺 Channel: The Cancer Podcast: BeastVsZombie

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

📌 Follow Dominique Muhammad: https://www.instagram.com/beastvszombie/

✅ Follow Armeda: https://www.instagram.com/ampd_livin/

🛒 Shop & Support Cancer Research: https://beastvszombie.com/collections

#BreastCancer #CancerSurvivor #MentalHealth #HealingJourney #BeastVsZombie

In this powerful episode of The Cancer Podcast: BeastVsZombie, host Dominique Muhammad sits down with Kelley Sgroi — a breast cancer survivor, licensed therapist, bestselling author, and business owner. Kelley shares the emotional reality of hearing the words "You have breast cancer," enduring chemotherapy, radiation, and multiple surgeries, and how she rebuilt her life through resilience, mindset, and purpose.

More than a survivor story, this conversation explores how our beliefs shape our lives, why anxiety doesn't define us, and how choosing growth over fear can transform even life's darkest moments.

✅ The emotional moment she was diagnosed with breast cancer

✅ How chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery changed her life

✅ Why your mindset can become your greatest weapon during adversity

✅ The hidden connection between anxiety, self-worth, and mental health

✅ How she turned pain into purpose and became a licensed therapist

✅ Why healing is about more than just beating cancer

✅ The life lessons every survivor—and every human—needs to hear

Whether you're fighting cancer, supporting a loved one, navigating anxiety, or simply looking for hope through difficult times, this episode is filled with powerful insights, resilience, and inspiration that will stay with you long after it ends.

🎙️ Guest: Kelley Sgroi — Breast Cancer Survivor, Licensed Therapist & Bestselling Author

🎧 Host: Dominique Muhammad

📺 Channel: The Cancer Podcast: BeastVsZombie

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

📌 Follow Dominique Muhammad: https://www.instagram.com/beastvszombie/

✅ Follow Kelley: https://www.instagram.com/kelleysgroi/

🛒 Shop & Support Cancer Research: https://beastvszombie.com/collections

#BreastCancer #CancerSurvivor #MentalHealth #HealingJourney #BeastVsZombie

She was diagnosed with Stage 3 Triple Negative Breast Cancer — and she refused to let it define her.

In this episode of The Cancer Podcast: BeastVsZombie, host Dominique Muhammad sits down with Priscilla Jones, known as Prissy
Passion — a Stage 3 Triple Negative Breast Cancer survivor who was diagnosed in 2024 and declared cancer-free in 2025. Priscilla
opens up about how she used mindset, faith, holistic habits, and self-advocacy to fight one of the hardest battles of her life — and win.

✅ Why "mind over matter" was her #1 weapon against cancer
✅ How she balanced her medical treatment plan with natural healing
✅ What she did daily to keep her mindset strong during chemo & radiation
✅ Why you MUST advocate for yourself with your doctors
✅ How she went from 6 months of chemo + 20 rounds of radiation to zero medications
✅ The role of diet, meditation, journaling & affirmations in her healing journey
✅ What she wants every cancer patient to know about treatment plans

No matter where you are in your cancer journey — fighting, surviving, or supporting someone who is — this episode will give you the
tools, the truth, and the hope to keep pushing forward.

🎙️ Guest: Priscilla Jones (Prissy Passion) — Stage 3 Triple Negative Breast Cancer Survivor
🎧 Host: Dominique Muhammad
📺 Channel: The Cancer Podcast: BeastVsZombie
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🔔 Subscribe for bi-weekly episodes with real survivors sharing real stories.

✅ Follow Priscilla: https://www.tiktok.com/@prissyj3?lang=en

📌 Follow Dominique Muhammad:
https://www.instagram.com/beastvszombie/

🛒 Shop & Support Cancer Research:
https://beastvszombie.com/collections

#CancerSurvivor #BreastCancerAwareness #BeastVsZombie #MindOverMatter #CancerHealing