The 43-year-old announced he's been diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Hank Green, a popular YouTuber with more than 3.5 million subscribers and co-founder of VidCon, announced Friday on his channel that he's been diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma.
The 43-year-old posted a 13-minute video in which he revealed the diagnosis and said that "it seems likely that we caught mine early." Green added that he's "still waiting on a scan to sort of confirm that."
In the wake of the diagnosis, Green also said he'll be stepping back from creating content on his channel, vlogbrothers, which he shares with his brother, John, though he said he's "playing it by ear."
"I know I'm gonna feel like garbage," he added, "like it's gonna be really unpleasant."
Green will soon begin chemotherapy sessions.
According to the Mayo Clinic, Hodgkin's lymphoma is a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system, which is part of the body's germ-fighting immune system. The renowned clinic says that, with Hodgkin's lymphoma, white blood cells called lymphocytes grow out of control, causing swollen lymph nodes and growths throughout the body.
"So, I noticed that my lymph nodes were big. I talked to my doctor, she said it was probably nothing. 'We’ll send you in for an ultrasound,'" Green explained. "Got an ultrasound. The tech in the ultrasound room was like, 'I'm gonna go get a doctor.' That’s not what you want to have happen. She was great, the tech, and so was the doctor. And they were like, 'This looks like it could be suspicious for lymphoma and we'll get you in for a biopsy.'"
Green said his surgery was scheduled immediately, prompting him to joke about the speed with which the American health care system moved, which is not something he's used to.
"And when it starts to get a little bit efficient, it’s actually quite disconcerting," he said.
VidCon, the internet culture convention set to take place in Anaheim, California, next month, released a statement following Green's announcement and said its co-founder would not be attending the event.
"Due to his recent diagnosis, Hank will no longer be able to attend VidCon Anaheim 2023 next month," the statement read in an Instagram post. "To our Co-Founder, go-to science guy, and only person on the internet who seems to understand where all the candle wax goes: we're sending all the love from the VidCon community & beyond."
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