Hank Green, YouTube star and John Green's brother, reveals cancer diagnosis
Hank Green just revealed he has been diagnosed with lymphoma and started chemotherapy.
"I'm fine, but I'm not fine," the author and YouTube personality said in a video shared Friday morning.
In the 13-minute video titled "So, I've got cancer," Green shared the news with fans, opening up about the diagnosis and his time processing it. The "An Absolutely Remarkable Thing" author, 43, told his followers he noticed his lymph nodes were swollen and consulted a doctor, who recommended an ultrasound.
Green's doctor, "suspicious for lymphoma," subsequently ordered a biopsy for the following day.
"When you're in the American health care system, you don't expect things to move quick. That's not what it does." Green joked. "That's not what it looks like. And when it starts to get a little bit efficient it's actually quite disconcerting."
The YouTube personality, co-star of the Vlogbrothers YouTube channel with brother, "Fault in Our Stars" author John, revealed he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma.
The Mayo Clinic defines Hodgkin's lymphoma as a "type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system." Green assured viewers that his form of cancer "is one of the most treatable."
"I've talked to a few friends who have been through various different cancers and cancer treatment and one of the things that they all said is this is your job now," Green continued.
Green, who said he lives with an autoimmune disease, said in the description of Friday's video that he was starting chemotherapy "literally as this video goes live."
He told fans that, as a result of his treatment and its side effects, YouTube videos will post irregularly.
Green also said he does not want to be perceived solely for his diagnosis: "I wanna be the fun, goofy, science guy. Not like, struggling-with-anxiety cancer guy."
He asked that fans refrain from both sharing health care advice and making a big deal of his cancer battle. Instead, he asked that they subscribe to his newsletters and recommend media that is "really dumb that could not make you cry" while he undergoes chemotherapy.
"I desperately need to be distracted," he said. "As you can tell, I'm fine, but I'm not fine and it sucks."
At the end of the clip, Green said he hopes that it's not his final "Vlogbrothers" video but said, "if it is, it is."
He added: "We'll figure it out as we go. One day at a time."
Green gained a devoted following through his YouTube content, which included the bite-size history and biology videos on the CrashCourse channel co-created with John. The brothers created the Vlogbrothers channel in 2007.
On the Vlogbrothers channel, siblings take turns posting videos addressed to the other. The channel touts a following of more than 3.5 million subscribers.
Green's published his other book, "A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor," in 2020 following the 2018 publication of "An Absolutely Remarkable Thing."
Continuing his health update in the video description Friday, Green said "the cancer has not spread anywhere from it original location" in his left armpit and chest area.
That is "very good news," he said.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
