Hank Green, Beloved Science Vlogger and Author, Has Been Diagnosed with Cancer
Hank Green, born William Henry Green, is fairly well known, especially among the young adult community, as a science vlogger, an inventor, an author, and a philanthropist. Alongside his brother, John Green, he has created and worked on beloved video blogs and podcasts like Vlogbrothers, Crash Course, SciShow, SciShow Tangents, Bizarre Beasts, Mental Floss, How to Adult, Dear Hank & John, and more.
Needless to say, the man has been busy. That might soon change, however, as Hank has recently announced that he has been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and will be focusing on treatment and healing for a while.
Hank says in his most recent post on the vlogbrothers channel that the whole journey started when he noticed that his lymph nodes were swelling beyond their typical size. Of course, this can happen for a variety of reasons, but Hank was smart to get checked out just in case. His doctor sent him for an ultrasound, which showed something abnormal, so he was sent right away for a biopsy.
Hank likens seeing the medical system moving quickly and efficiently to seeing a flight attendant in a plane in the air running down the aisle. He felt that he didn’t know exactly what was going on but that the people who did know what was going on were sending some signals that it wasn’t good.
Hank does have some risk factors for cancers like lymphoma, including medications he has taken, his autoimmune disease (he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 2006), and the fact that he had mono as a kid. So he says he’s been on the watch for something like this to happen. However, that doesn’t take away from the shock factor of getting an actual diagnosis and having to navigate how to move forward with life and cancer treatment.
Hank reports that he told his brother, John, in characteristic Hank Green fashion, “This is the best time so far in human history to get lymphoma.”
And John answered in similarly characteristic fashion, “Well, a year from now would have been better.”
Luckily, Hank, as always, is able to find some humor and positivity in his difficult situation. He shares some funny anecdotes regarding his diagnosis and ensures his audience that his type of cancer is very treatable and that he’s likely to survive with proper treatment. It’s just the treatment part itself that promises not to be very fun.
We hope Hank’s audience will continue to be supportive and encouraging during this difficult time while also giving him some space to take a break while he undergoes treatment and only create content when he’s feeling up to it.
We wish Hank all the best as he moves forward with lymphoma treatment. May you heal quickly and get back to your old self soon. Check out the video below to hear Hank’s announcement in its entirety.
