Novelist and YouTuber Hank Green revealed Friday that he has Hodgkin’s lymphoma — a cancer that attacks the immune system.
The 43-year-old VidCon co-founder said in the 13-minute video announcement that he will be starting chemotherapy “very soon.” He’s not experiencing symptoms, but admitted to feeling “stressed.”
“It seems likely that we caught mine early. I’m still waiting on a scan to sort of confirm that,” he shared.
Green and his brother, “The Fault in Our Stars” author John Green, gained a following through their YouTube channel vlogbrothers, which they launched in 2007.
Hank addressed John, 45, throughout his cancer announcement, though John did not appear in the video.
“I said this to you already, John. I said, ‘You know, this is the best time so far in human history to get lymphoma.’ Which is a very Hank Green thought, and then you gave me a very John Green thought,” Hank joked.
“You said: ‘Well, a year from now would’ve been better.'”
The Post has contacted reps for the brothers for comment. A rep for John Green declined to comment.
Hank said he received advice from friends who have been in similar situations.
“So I’ve talked to a few friends who have been through various different cancers and cancer treatment, and one of the things that they all said is, ‘This is your job now,'” he shared.
“Do this one day at a time. Don’t have obligations. You can have things that you can do if you want to that day, and it’s good to have those things because depression and anxiety are a big part of this,” he added.
“I’m not a person who’s struggled a lot with that, but I have seen firsthand now how intricately linked those things can be.”
He explained that he still wants to have things to look forward to during his treatment, but isn’t promising that he will continue to make vlogs or be as active on social media.
“And, it sucks,” he declared about his diagnosis. “Like I know that this sucks most for me, but I also know that it sucks for everybody in this community.”
He continued: “So, I feel like apologizing, but that would be stupid, so I’m not going to. But I think you know what I mean.”
“This sucks so bad, but I’m already learning so much … mostly about myself,” he noted in the video’s description.
Meanwhile, VidCon organizers announced on Instagram that Hank will not be attending next month’s convention.
“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,” read Friday’s post.
VidCon takes place in Anaheim, California, from June 21 to June 24, and in Baltimore from Sept. 28 to Oct. 1.
