Hank Green, a science educator and bestselling author, announced in a YouTube video on Friday that he has cancer and has started treatment.
Green revealed the news on Vlogbrothers, a popular YouTube channel he runs with his brother, novelist John Green, in a video titled “So, I’ve got cancer.”
Green shared that he had noticed enlargements in his lymph nodes. A biopsy revealed that he has Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system.
According to the American Cancer Society, symptoms of Hodgkin’s lymphoma include enlarged lymph nodes that usually aren’t painful, as well as fever, night sweats and weight loss. Green said in the video that he feels “fine” and hasn’t felt any symptoms aside from the enlarged lymph nodes.
Hodgkin’s lymphoma is one of the most treatable cancers, and requires several rounds of chemotherapy. Green underwent his first round of treatment on Friday. He said his recent scans show that the cancer hasn’t spread from his left armpit and chest area, where it was originally located, which he said is “very good news.”
“I know that I’m going to feel like garbage. Like, it’s gonna be really unpleasant,” he said in the video, referring to chemotherapy. (Green recorded the video shortly before receiving his first round of treatment.)
“I want to be ‘fun, goofy science guy,’ not, like, ‘struggling-with-anxiety cancer guy.’ And, you know, you can be both,” Green said, acknowledging how people might perceive him now that they know of his diagnosis. “I think I just have to let that go. Because it’s just one more thing that I’m not in control of right now, which is a lot of things.”
Green is well known for the Vlogbrothers channel. He and his brother John started the channel over a decade ago and have cultivated a fanbase of more than 3.56 million subscribers. The two also run another channel, CrashCourse, that delves into various topics such as science and U.S. history.
Green is the author of the science fiction novels “An Absolutely Remarkable Thing” and its sequel, “A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor.” He is also a popular science educator, and is often tagged in videos on TikTok to respond to science questions and myths. His brother is the author of multiple books, including the bestselling novel “The Fault in Our Stars.”
In the video posted on Friday, Green said that he isn’t sure what his work will look like in the future as he undergoes treatment, but he’s taking it one day at a time and will create whenever he feels up to it.
“I hope this isn’t my last Vlogbrothers video for four months or whatever. If it is, it is. I don’t want to put pressure on me,” he said. “We’ll play it by ear, we’ll figure it out as we go, one day at a time. And I continue to be extraordinarily grateful for so many of the things in my life, including this.”