Caption: Russian immigrant and real estate entrepreneur Yan Kaminsky poses in an Instagram post. Photo courtesy of Kaminsky’s Instagram.

By Lily Defnet 

As a real estate entrepreneur and brain cancer survivor, Yan Kaminsky, 50, has rebuilt his life more than once — from the wreckage of the 2008 housing collapse to the cancer diagnosis that sent him into emergency brain surgery. 

When he was three years old, Kaminsky emigrated from the Soviet Union to the United States in 1978. He remembers little of his life before coming to America but recalls the poverty his family encountered throughout his childhood. They survived on government-subsidized food programs and free school lunches and waited in line for powdered milk and eggs. 

“When we arrived in the United States, we had nothing,” Kaminsky said. “We grew up poor, but there was love.”  

Kaminsky began working at 13, cycling through various restaurant dishwasher and busboy jobs. He dropped out of high school at one of the most difficult points in his life, with escalating bills and his parents’ divorce. 

 “I’ll never forget my high school counselor,” Kaminsky said. “She said, if I drop out of high school, and I did drop out, she said I’d be nothing.”  

That moment was impactful and he credits it for fueling his desire to work hard. 

“By the time I was 30, I built a real estate company and a mortgage company, and I had a net worth over a million dollars,” Kaminsky said.  

He says a restaurant customer inspired him to get into the real estate business. 

“I thought he was insanely cool,” Kaminsky said. “I got to chat with him for a while, and I talked to him about real estate.” 

Kaminsky began collecting VHS tapes on real estate and motivational speakers. He worked his way through the ranks of the restaurant business, eventually becoming a general manager. He saved enough money to buy two rental properties– condos in Aurora and Denver. He got his real estate license in 1996 when he was 21. 

“I became a high producer within about a year,” Kaminsky said. “And then about two years later, I went on my own, starting Elite Realty Group with Metro Brokers.” 

Kaminsky worked long hours, sometimes heading to the office at 6 a.m. until the next day. His business was heavily impacted during the 2008 financial crisis, and he was forced to file for bankruptcy and foreclosure.  

“I worked so hard building an empire by the time I was 30,” he said. “And then I lost everything at 35.” 

But he didn’t give up and opened Landmark Residential Properties shortly after the crash.  

“You could achieve anything here in the United States,” Kaminsky said. “And this is one of the only countries that gives you that opportunity.”  

The financial struggles and business ventures were only part of Kaminsky’s journey. 

“I was 499 pounds, at my highest weight, when I first got diagnosed with brain cancer,” he said.  

Duing his first bought with cancer, Kaminsky was rushed into emergency surgery. Following a long period of recovery and weight loss, he went back to rebuild his business. The experience was transformative.  

“It makes you realize a lot of things,” Kaminsky said. “The purpose is living your best life, living for a purpose.” 

The brain cancer came back in July 2025. Kaminsky underwent another surgery followed by radiation and chemotherapy treatments.  

“It’s a willpower game,” he said. “My dad always taught me, you got to be strong, and you got to have the willpower.” 

Kaminsky’s father remembers him as an independent and energetic child. 

“He was interested in everything,” Alexander Kaminsky said. “He was active. He loves to do something.”  

Yan Kaminsky’s niece agrees. Reana Kaminsky has worked as a realtor with the brokerage firm for 13 years.  

“He’s just always had a really solid work ethic,” she said. “I think that’s why he’s been so successful.” 

Yan Kaminsky says that his near-death experiences have taught him some valuable lessons. 

“You can’t take the money with you,” he said. “That’s what I learned on the hospital bed. You can’t take anything with you, but you can leave an impact. You can leave an impact in life.” 

Kaminsky considers his battle with brain cancer a blessing because it forced him to reexamine his priorities. 

“If it wasn’t for that, I don’t think I would have even made it to 50,” he said. “And the reason is, I was working seven days a week, sometimes 14, 16, 18 hours a day.” 

Now he tries to spend more time with his family.

“Life can change in a moment,” Kaminsky said. “Be a good human, be well-traveled, and make lots of memories.”