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Hodgkin lymphoma

concept · in 70 videos (2023–2026)

Hank's cancer, a cancer of the lymphatic system and one of the most treatable cancers, for which he began chemotherapy aimed at cure. After two months of chemo and targeted radiation he was declared in remission, and later checks found no signs of cancer. Hank stresses it is quite aggressive and safe only because of treatment, whose cure rates are far lower in low- and middle-income countries.

Videos by year: 2023: 36 · 2024: 17 · 2025: 12 · 2026: 5

Also known as: Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin's

Threads

Often together

What comes up in the same parts of the videos; the number is how many parts.

cancer (20) · chemotherapy (12) · health equity (8) · Earth (3) · tuberculosis (5) · United States (6) · Sierra Leone (3) · TikTok (2)

What the videos say

The most important statements of each year; all statements.

2023

  • 2023-05-19 · So, I've got cancer — announcement: Hank does not know whether he will make Vlogbrothers videos, Dear Hank and John, SciShow or Tangents during treatment; he is playing it by ear. (unsure) — 00:06:14
  • 2023-05-26 · My Cancer Press Tier List — Hank: A week after his first chemo, Hank feels much better than a few days ago; chemo has been pretty miserable, but he is getting amazing care and much support. — 00:04:31
  • 2023-06-16 · So, About This HAIR… — Hank writes it is too early to tell how well treatment is going, but early signs indicate his cancer cells are responding well, meaning dying a bunch. (hedged) — video description
  • 2023-06-27 · Alone on the Cancer Boat: A Vlogbrothers Reunion — John says that although Hank is tolerating treatment brilliantly, without the 'but': this sucks, and Hank gets really sick. — 00:01:36
  • 2023-07-14 · The Good News Video — Hank says his lymphoma responded well and he has had the last chemo of his treatment plan, needing only four sessions. — 00:04:14
  • 2023-08-03 · I love you, Hank. Happy Esther Day. — John says this Esther Day hits different: Hank's cancer diagnosis reminded them life is fragile and that they are fortunate in the people they share life with. — 00:01:27
  • 2023-08-25 · Remission — Hank announces that this week (week of 21 August 2023) his doctor told him he is in complete remission from his cancer. — 00:01:14
  • 2023-09-22 · A Feeling I've Never Felt Before — Hank says having cancer has brought a whole bunch of new sensations, ways of feeling he had never felt before. — 00:01:08
  • 2023-09-29 · Like Apocalyptic Horsemen — John tells Hank he is extremely grateful, relieved and happy that Hank is, at least for the foreseeable future, through chemo and doing so well. — 00:00:58
  • 2023-10-13 · Cancer Made me Do It. — Hank's doctor said he should avoid stress if possible because it can increase the chance of relapse, a big deal to him; comedy is fun on stage but not relaxing. — 00:02:58
  • 2023-11-10 · My Final Chemo Secret — Hank says Hodgkin lymphoma is a curable cancer: with treatment you have almost a 90% chance of dying of something else when old. — 00:02:22
  • 2023-12-22 · Let's Talk About Death — Hank: Before getting sick Hank thought he had a good grasp on what life was for, but once close to the edge he was amazed how quickly he lost it. — 00:00:54
  • …and 77 statements more in 2023 — all statements of 2023

2024

  • 2024-03-15 · The Worst Things About Not Having Cancer — Hank says it has been more than four months since his last scan declared him in remission from Hodgkin lymphoma; that beats the alternative, but some things about it he doesn't like. — 00:00:00
    • Hank says in Missoula he was extremely well taken care of during treatment: he saw his doctor at least twice a month and was getting scans, chemo and radiation. — 00:00:58
  • 2024-04-26 · One Year Out. — Hank says that as the anniversaries arrive, many things will remind him of the last year; that is scary and makes him wonder how he would deal with a relapse, online and in his body. — 00:01:13
  • 2024-05-10 · Three Whole Onions with Secretary Pete Buttigieg — Hank says he had a 'cheap cancer', scans being the costliest part, plus flexible work, support systems and money, so he didn't have to worry. — 00:11:44
  • 2024-05-28 · A Midlife Crisis — John says his little brother getting cancer made him consider his life and work in an appropriately finite context. — 00:00:29
  • 2024-06-14 · Some Reasons why People Suck — Hank says he is coming out of a few weeks of brain fog, fatigue and discomfort, maybe post-chemo, maybe normal depression; in survivorship you don't know what your body is telling you. (hedged) — 00:07:24
  • 2024-10-08 · Hank Steals John's Cells — Hank says if he relapses he will probably need an autologous stem cell transplant, his own marrow cleaned of cancer and put back, so he would need no donor. (hedged) — 00:01:00
    • Hank says his cancer is neither past nor present: he is in remission, and nobody can know for sure whether cancer cells remain in his body. — 00:01:30
  • 2024-10-30 · Sipping the Tea with Hank — Hank: Asked about his curls, Hank says they seem to be going; after he wore a hat recently, his straightened hair looked like pre-cancer Hank. — 00:07:46
  • 2024-11-03 · Hank's very messy post-cancer year of mistakes, meaning… — Hank: After cancer treatment Hank felt bad but much better by comparison, with lots of energy, and more aware that his life is finite than before cancer. — 00:00:58
    • Hank wants to feel less anxious; cancer didn't help: he has more anxiety now, as if the muscle grew stronger during diagnosis and treatment. — 00:05:46
  • 2024-12-13 · TIL Some People Have an 'Inner Monologue' — Hank says he is fine, though not a hundred percent; he has been better, he is fine physically, and they are getting through it. — 00:05:10
  • …and 17 statements more in 2024 — all statements of 2024

2025

  • 2025-01-24 · Am I OK? — Hank says he finished chemo about 18 months ago and is probably about as recovered as he will get, which is pretty good. (hedged) — 00:00:00
  • 2025-03-25 · Taylor, Dr Pepper, and My Anxiety Strats: It's Question Tuesday — John recalls that when Hank got Hodgkin lymphoma he said it has a 93% cure rate for those who can access treatment and a 20-70% cure rate in low- and middle-income countries. — 00:03:24
    • John says the estimate is so wide because we do not even do a good job of diagnosing, identifying or counting Hodgkin lymphoma patients in poor countries, let alone treating them. — 00:03:53
  • 2025-04-18 · I Still Don't Have Cancer (and I'm Still Scared) — Hank's empathetic oncologist checked his lymph nodes, now the only monitoring he needs given his cancer, stage and scans, and found them all perfectly normal: no current signs of cancer. — 00:01:27
    • Hank says last night in bed he felt more nervous than he had in a while, which made no sense since he had just been told he doesn't have cancer. — 00:02:58
  • 2025-05-09 · OK, I MESSED UP. — Hank: After Hank got cancer and finished treatment, most of 2024 was his 'I'm not dead, I must do everything' year, and he pushed to get the book out. (playful) — 00:01:31
  • 2025-05-23 · I Can’t Believe How Few People it Takes. — Hank was recently at his dermatologist for a skin check, because after his cancer treatment he has a higher than normal risk of melanoma. — 00:00:00
  • 2025-08-05 · ONE TAKE JOHNNY — Hank says his oncologist was younger than him; Hank thinks the doctor regarded him as young. — 00:11:36
  • 2025-09-26 · I've Not Been Doing Well — Hank: Following his oncologist's advice to come in if anything feels weird, Hank had tests and blood work and was relieved to find he is still normal and in remission. — 00:04:25
  • 2025-11-10 · My Cancer Treatment was Not Cutting Edge — Hank is pretty sure he will turn out to have been cured all along: the odds of it going the other way are like rolling a one on a 20-sided die. (playful) — 00:00:58
    • Had he gotten sick maybe 20 years earlier, Hank would probably have had about six months of treatment; he had two months of chemo then targeted radiation, cutting his long-term risks. (hedged) — 00:03:53
  • 2025-11-28 · Three Things! (Wait, no, actually four...) — Hank: After being told he could do QI, Hank got cancer and cancelled, actually ghosting them; once better he asked to do it again. — 00:04:21
  • …and 13 statements more in 2025 — all statements of 2025

2026

  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — John offers 20 prints of the Good News Bridge, which his mother painted after learning Hank's cancer was treatable rather than the worst case; John and his parents were on a walk there when they heard. — 01:00:55
  • 2026-03-13 · Pain — Hank says he has missed plenty of Vlogbrothers videos, but during chemo he never missed one, partly because he was not feeling too bad to make them. — 00:01:47
  • 2026-05-08 · My Deathday — Hank once thought it would be fun to party on the day he would have died without cancer treatment: had he been born 100 years ago, lived where Hodgkin's is mistaken for TB, or refused treatment. — 00:00:00
    • Hank picked a method: the point at which 50% of untreated, recently diagnosed Hodgkin patients are dead, from old data, padded since they were likely diagnosed later than he was. — 00:00:29
    • Hank says Hodgkin's, thought of as not particularly dangerous, is safe only because of treatment: it is actually quite an aggressive cancer. — 00:01:27
    • Hank explains that Hodgkin cells signal healthy cells to surround them, so a Hodgkin tumor is only about 5% cancer cells and 95% healthy cells and can grow very fast. — 00:01:56
    • Hank says chest lymph nodes can grow into masses pressing on airways, lungs and heart, and as a lymphoma it spreads to spleen, liver, lungs or bone marrow and can kill. — 00:01:56
    • Hank says Hodgkin cells usually die under treatment but sometimes survive, which is why he is technically still in remission rather than cured. — 00:02:26
    • Hank did the math and missed his chance: with no clean clock and too much precision, his untreated death day would have been about June 2025; he is unsure how he feels. (hedged) — 00:02:55
    • Hank says about 95% of people diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in the US are alive five years later, and about 89% worldwide. — 00:03:24
    • Hank says Hodgkin's is a big problem for an individual, which he lived through, but also a big problem for the world, whose effort to solve it he did not experience. — 00:04:22
  • 2026-10-09 · The Productivity Lie — Hank: When Hank was sick and thought he might be nearer the end of his life, one of his few big regrets was not having done more of that supporting work. — 00:06:25
  • …and 4 statements more in 2026 — all statements of 2026