Pablo Luna
A science educator and YouTube star, Hank Green, has been diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. The author revealed on Friday that he was diagnosed with the disease after he went in to have his enlarged lymph nodes examined. He said his doctor interpreted the ultrasound result and booked him for a biopsy before confirming his blood cancer status.
The 43-year-old YouTuber who operates the “Vlogbrothers” YouTube channel with his brother John Green said he would be commencing chemotherapy very soon. He said he does not look forward to it but that he really has no choice. “What am I gonna make? I don’t know,” he said. “I know that I’m gonna feel like garbage. It’s gonna be really unpleasant.”
Hodgkin lymphoma is one of the four major types of cancer. It usually starts as an enlargement of lymph tissues and could progress to an enlargement of the spleen and liver. Some of the symptoms include painless swelling of the lymph nodes in the groin, armpits, and neck; fatigue, fever, night sweats, weight loss, shortness of breath, and itchy skin.
The lymph system distributes white blood cells to various parts of the body to fight off infections and strengthen the immune system against external invasion. Green said he feels stress and soreness, but is otherwise fine in every other way.
“Even though I don’t feel bad at all right now except for some soreness because of the biopsy and maybe because my lymph nodes are big,” he said. “I don’t feel any symptoms of this. I feel fine. I don’t even really feel fatigued. I feel stress symptoms.”
He revealed that the network of friends he has made along the way has really been supportive of him during his trial. The community of YouTubers which he and his brother John established – VidCon – said he will not be able to attend the annual convention of the group because of his diagnosis.
“All of the time that I have spent investing in friendships, and even when they have been hard, to try and keep them strong, and even when I have been busy, to try and spend time with them, has been joyful in the moment and wise in the long term,” he explained. “I’ve really needed friends in the last few weeks, and I’ve been very grateful to have them.”
Green started YouTubing in 2007 and hosts several podcasts with John who is the author of “The Fault in Our Stars.”
