Hank Green has taken to social media to share his devastating cancer diagnosis.
The 43-year-old author, science communicator, and YouTube star - who runs the account @vlogbrothers with his author brother John - shared the news in a 13-minute video on their channel titled: "So, I've got cancer."
"Good news, bad news," Green said. "One, it's cancer. It's called lymphoma. It's a cancer of the lymphatic system. And good news is something called Hodgkin's lymphoma. It's...like one of the most treatable cancers. It responds very well to treatment. The goal is cure. The procedure to get there is fairly well known, if unpleasant."
The social media personality said he had many risk factors for lymphoma - which included certain medications he takes, an autoimmune disease, and even having had mononucleosis as a child. He said he will soon begin at least four months of chemotherapy. "It seems likely that we caught mine early," Green said. "I'm still waiting on a scan to sort of confirm that."
In the YouTube video, Green told his subscribers the story of his diagnosis. "When you're in the American health care system, you don't expect things to move quick. When it starts to get a little efficient, it's actually quite disconcerting," he said, recounting his experience having tests done.
Though, Green's worries were necessary, given that the tests came back quickly and showed that he was positive for cancer. Despite this, Green told viewers he was hopeful about his diagnosis, explaining that the type of lymphoma he has is treatable and that, right now, it appears likely that it was caught early enough. Then, in what Green described as a "very Hank Green thought," he stated that he believes "this is the best time in human history to get lymphoma."
Having been active on YouTube since 2007, and currently hosting multiple podcasts alongside running his TikTok account, Green admitted that he wasn't sure how his diagnosis would affect his ability to continue these projects (though he did add that he knew his audience would be okay with him taking breaks when he needs to). Green also directed people to his newsletter — which will be easier for him to keep up with during chemo.
As the video ends, Green has two requests for his audience. First, he asked people not to not give him health care advice, and secondly, he wanted suggestions for movies, TV and video games that are "not heavy at all, like no emotion... really dumb things that could not make anyone cry."
Many people have taken to social media to wish Green well following his diagnosis, with one person saying: "'I have cancer, but it could be worse' is both sad and comforting. I have to believe that Hank will make his way through this, and I hope he does. He's got a massive support structure, and a good prognosis. The science man will eventually be okay!"
Our thoughts are with Hank Green at this time, and we wish him every success in his upcoming treatment.
