Ethan Zohn, the winner of Survivor: Africa, is now battling cancer. Zohn was diagnosed with stage two Hodgkin’s disease on April 30.

What Ethan Zohn thought was originally a skin condition including unexplained itching and night sweats, was explained by a swollen lymph node under his left clavicle, with a CT scan revealing a mass on the left side of his chest.

Further testing revealed that Ethan Zohn is suffering from a rare form of the disease called CD20-positive Hodgkin’s Lymphoma; the Survivor winner started chemotherapy last Friday.

Ethan Zohn told People.com, “This is the ultimate game of Survivor, and there’s really only one outcome, and that’s to win. There’s no other option.”

Ethan Zohn’s girlfriend, Survivor: The Amazon winner Jenna Morasca, is standing by her man, saying, “I will fight with every fabric of my being to get him through this.”

Zohn has a positive outlook on his cancer diagnosis, saying, “This is happening for a reason. You have to get spiritual about this [stuff]. I know I want to help people and inspire people. That’s my purpose in life. So I need to use this as a platform.”