Author and vlogger Hank Green announces cancer diagnosis

Hank Green, the best-selling author, vlogger, and brother of fellow novelist John Green, announced Friday that he has been diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system.

Green, 43, shared the news on Vlogbrothers, the popular YouTube channel he runs with his brother, and said his diagnosis came after he noticed enlarged lymph nodes and sought medical attention.

Green said the diagnosis was "good news, bad news" — the bad news being that he has cancer, the good news being that it is a type that "responds very well to treatment."

"The goal is cure. The procedure to get there is fairly well known, if unpleasant," he said. "I'm not really looking forward to it, but I'm looking forward to starting on the path."

The An Absolutely Remarkable Thing and A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor author also said he will not be attending this year's VidCon, the annual convention founded by the Green brothers for fellow YouTube creators. And while he hopes to update fans somewhat regularly, he doesn't want to put pressure on himself to create content, and said he'd take it "one day at a time."

"I hope this isn't my last Vlogbrothers video for four months or whatever," he said. "If it is, it is. I don't want to put pressure on me." He added that his brother would likely be taking a step back from the channel as well.

And, while Green doesn't want medical advice from fans, he does hope they'll send him their favorite upbeat movies, TV shows, and game recommendations: "really dumb things that will not make you cry, could not make anyone cry."

"All of this to say, I don't need there to be a big thing about it, I just want y'all to know where I'm at and what's going on," he said. After posting the video, Green tweeted that he had started chemotherapy and was resting.

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