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Hank's Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis and chemotherapy (2023)

story · status: told 34×, last update 2026 · last event: retold (2026-10-09)

Hank was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in May 2023, had four sessions of chemotherapy and then radiation over the summer, and was declared in complete remission in August 2023. In the years after he talked about recovery, anxiety and checkups, which kept finding him still in remission into 2026.

Told alongside: Hank joins TikTok and posts several TikToks a day (2020) · John's stint as reluctant temporary CEO of DFTBA.com during Hank's cancer (2023) · Complexly: the brothers' production company, renamed from EcoGeek (2016) · Pissing Out Cancer: Hank's stand-up comedy show about having cancer (2023) · John asks viewers to buy Pizzamas 2023 merch at pizzamas.com or the Pizzamas app before Pizzamas ends (2023) · The brothers' agreement never to use the L-word about each other (2010) · Awesome Coffee Club: the brothers' coffee subscription for charity (2022) · John's yearly January letters to himself: a look back and goals for the new year

About: Hodgkin lymphoma, chemotherapy, cancer

date event what video
2023-05-19 update The description reports that a PET/CT scan showed the cancer has not spread from its original location in Hank's left armpit/chest area. So, I've got cancer video description
2023-05-19 told Hank tells John he has been diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, a very treatable cancer, and will soon start at least four months of chemotherapy. So, I've got cancer 00:01:53
2023-05-23 update As Hank starts chemo, John has become temporary CEO of DFTBA and Complexly in his place. (playful) Rough Week 00:02:55
2023-05-26 update 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. My Cancer Press Tier List 00:04:31
2023-05-30 update John has been helping out with some of Hank's jobs because of Hank's chemotherapy and can hardly believe Hank does all of it. How Does He Do It? 00:00:00
2023-06-02 (said on 2023-06-01, implied) update Two weeks into chemotherapy, Hank feels nearly normal on the eve of his next dose, after side effects whose hardest has been fatigue. Chemo is Weird, Y'all 00:00:29
2023-06-13 retold John says Hank's swollen lymph nodes turned out to be lymphoma, but almost always swollen lymph nodes are no big deal, just the body dealing with an infection. touched by a king 00:01:43
2023-06-16 update 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) So, About This HAIR… video description
2023-06-20 update John says Hank pre-made a Vlogbrothers video because he knew he would be too sick to make one this week (week of 19 June 2023). Reflections from a Terrible CEO 00:04:45
2023-06-23 update Hank says his Hodgkin lymphoma is stage 2A with no bulky disease (no X), which is great. Understanding Cancer Survival Rates 00:06:50
2023-06-27 update Hank reports a new chemo symptom: for the first time in his life, two ocular migraines, with auras and no pain while they were happening; it felt like hallucinating, in both eyes, so a brain problem. Alone on the Cancer Boat: A Vlogbrothers Reunion 00:09:05
2023-06-30 update The description marks the last chemo day of Hank's current treatment plan; he expects a terrible week, then radiation, plus an important scan next week (week of 3 July 2023) whose results will take a scary while. Bon Your Vivant video description
2023-07-07 update Hank says he wants to hear advice from people who have had Hodgkin's lymphoma and ABVD, his chemo regimen; talking with people who have been through cancer has been very helpful. What to Get for a Cancer Patient 00:06:05
2023-07-14 update Hank says his lymphoma responded well and he has had the last chemo of his treatment plan, needing only four sessions. The Good News Video 00:04:14
2023-07-28 update Hank tells John that today was his very first radiation therapy appointment, which was weird. Let's Try Radiation Therapy! 00:00:29
2023-08-03 update 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. I love you, Hank. Happy Esther Day. 00:01:27
2023-08-04 update Hank says it has been quite a year, though he is happy with the current trajectory. The Biggest Science Story of the Week 00:00:29
2023-08-08 mentioned John lists what took 2023 up a notch: Hank got cancer and had to have chemotherapy and radiation. (playful) TAKE IT UP A NOTCH 00:00:00
2023-08-08 update John stresses that such comments have been very rare for Hank and that almost everyone has been extraordinarily supportive. TAKE IT UP A NOTCH 00:02:26
2023-08-11 update The description says Hank is off to get the final radiation of his current treatment plan. It's About a YouTuber with Cancer video description
2023-08-22 update The description says John made the video before the news was public that Hank is in remission; John is grateful and relieved and hopes Hank will talk about it on Friday. The Panera Phenomenon video description
2023-08-25 update Hank announces that this week (week of 21 August 2023) his doctor told him he is in complete remission from his cancer. Remission 00:01:14
2023-09-01 update Hank reports side effects of finishing chemo: no longer allowed to donate blood, less regrown head hair and a possible beard, ocular migraines, health anxiety and survivor guilt. The Weirdest Post-Chemo Symptoms 00:00:26
2023-09-05 update John praises Hank's new beard: Hank looks different because he is different, moving through a profound, difficult experience and looking good; he might go full Tom Selleck. I Ain't Even Here, Sergeant. I'm in Cheyenne, Wyoming. 00:03:38
2023-09-22 update Hank says having cancer has brought a whole bunch of new sensations, ways of feeling he had never felt before. A Feeling I've Never Felt Before 00:01:08
2023-09-26 update Hank says going bald, then having his hair grow back and suddenly getting facial hair, has shown him his face in many different ways, as if he were a different person. THE REVEAL 00:00:58
2023-09-29 update 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. Like Apocalyptic Horsemen 00:00:58
2023-10-06 update Hank says he has not been working at full capacity while transitioning out of cancer treatment into recovery; he doesn't always feel as well as he looks, and recovery takes time. I Quit 00:00:00
2023-10-06 (happened 2023-05-04) retold Hank says the CEO interviews ran alongside finding a lymph node, a biopsy and his diagnosis on May 4, the day before his birthday; on his birthday he went to work for a long meeting about recruiting the CEO. I Quit 00:02:00
2023-10-13 retold During chemotherapy Hank expected to want long-form content, but he was so physically unwell and foggy that he couldn't enjoy things and had no attention span. Cancer Made me Do It. 00:00:16
2023-10-13 update 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. Cancer Made me Do It. 00:02:58
2023-10-20 update Hank says this morning, watching an old Vlogbrothers video with him, his son Orin said that was Dada before his injury, and Hank did not know what to say. My 'Injury' 00:00:00
2023-10-20 retold Hank says that to Orin it made sense: while Hank was ill Daddy couldn't do much, parts of him hurt badly and he couldn't pick him up or wrestle; they called it cancer without explaining what cancer was. My 'Injury' 00:00:13
2023-10-24 retold John recalls that for about a week they knew Hank had some cancer but not which one: another lymphoma, or a metastatic cancer spread to his lymph nodes. A Tale of Two Cancers 00:00:13
2023-10-27 retold Hank recalls that when he first got sick and was losing his hair, people sent him lots of hats, which seemed pointless in summer; he still has them now that it is cold. (playful) I Keep Thinking About Taylor Swift 00:00:12
2023-11-03 update Hank says keeping something for himself was forced on him by others rather than chosen, but that has changed some since he got sick, which he thinks is probably healthy. We Need to talk about Sarapocial Relationships 00:05:07
2023-11-10 retold Hank says going through chemotherapy was the worst thing that has ever happened to his body: it sucks immediately, gets a little better, then always a little worse. My Final Chemo Secret 00:00:03
2023-11-17 update Hank says some days he doesn't know what his job is; after finishing cancer treatment he has stepped back asking what he is doing and whether this is his life. WHAT AM I DOING 00:00:00
2023-11-17 retold Hank says that also happens at 43, and he turned 43 the day before he was diagnosed with cancer; this is new and he doesn't love it. WHAT AM I DOING 00:00:16
2023-12-08 retold Hank tells John that he got cancer, by far the worst thing that has ever happened to his body; untreated, he would be on his way to dying. (playful) Did Natural Cancer Treatments Save My Life? 00:00:00
2023-12-08 update The description says Hank is so happy to be cancer free, at the moment anyway, because chemotherapy exploded the cancer cells. (hedged) Did Natural Cancer Treatments Save My Life? video description
2023-12-19 retold John tells Hank this has surely been the hardest year of Hank's life, brutal, and one of the hardest of John's own. End of a Rough Year 00:04:25
2023-12-22 update 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. Let's Talk About Death 00:00:54
2024-03-01 retold Hank jokes that when he got sick and might die, he thought Jesus only got 33 years. (playful) Flyana Boss Asks Hank Anything 00:01:07
2024-03-15 update 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. The Worst Things About Not Having Cancer 00:00:00
2024-03-15 retold 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. The Worst Things About Not Having Cancer 00:00:58
2024-04-23 (happened 2023-04) retold John notes that Hank found out he had cancer almost exactly one year ago. Full Hank 00:00:00
2024-04-26 (happened 2023) retold Hank says Missoula holds a yearly parade where children and adults dress as animals; last year (2023) it fell the day after he learned he probably had cancer, before it was certain. One Year Out. 00:00:00
2024-04-26 update 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. One Year Out. 00:01:13
2024-05-10 retold 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. Three Whole Onions with Secretary Pete Buttigieg 00:11:44
2024-05-24 (happened 2023) retold Hank says they had not done much big birthday celebrating in recent years, but last year (2023) on Katherine's birthday he got his chemo port placed, so celebrating felt right. An Ancient Apocalypse 00:00:00
2024-05-28 retold John says his little brother getting cancer made him consider his life and work in an appropriately finite context. A Midlife Crisis 00:00:29
2024-06-14 update 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) Some Reasons why People Suck 00:07:24
2024-06-21 retold Hank tells an unshared moment: after an ultrasound suggested cancer, he asked his normal doctor before biopsy results whether he would be dead in a month; she could not say for sure. I Was So Sad that I Did Comedy 00:00:00
2024-06-21 update The description says Hank's head still isn't entirely on straight, but he learned how lucky he is in opportunities, support and a brain almost always interested in stuff. I Was So Sad that I Did Comedy video description
2024-08-03 retold John says saying 'I love you' has become easier since Hank got cancer: they are more aware it is silly not to tell people you love that you love them. I Love Hank. (Also I'm back.) 00:00:58
2024-08-07 mentioned Hank says his TikTok star shone brightly, then he got cancer and Vlogbrothers had its biggest subscriber day in ten years. (playful) Dear Hank and John Livestream! 00:08:09
2024-10-08 update 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. Hank Steals John's Cells 00:01:30
2024-10-30 update 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. Sipping the Tea with Hank 00:07:46
2024-11-01 update John reminds Hank that he just got better from cancer, and that intense anxiety is really common afterwards. Working Through a Crisis with My Brother 00:01:52
2024-11-01 retold Hank says he found when he was sick that if he could be interested he was doing okay; curiosity isn't about identity or status. Working Through a Crisis with My Brother 00:06:49
2024-11-03 retold 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. Hank's very messy post-cancer year of mistakes, meaning… 00:00:58
2024-11-03 update 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. Hank's very messy post-cancer year of mistakes, meaning… 00:05:46
2024-11-26 mentioned John recalls that Hank had Hodgkin lymphoma, using it to explain rates per 100,000 people. Good News 00:00:08
2024-11-29 retold Hank says he also won the 'got cancer' lottery, but only after winning the lottery of being born when and where chemo was available, so it balances. (playful) I am Grateful for My Worry 00:00:00
2024-12-13 update Hank says that now whenever he tells people he is not doing well he has to add that he does not have cancer. (playful) TIL Some People Have an 'Inner Monologue' 00:05:20
2025-01-07 mentioned John recalls that one year his carefully set goals were overtaken when Hank got cancer. The Format but it hurts to stand up 00:02:59
2025-01-24 update Hank says he finished chemo about 18 months ago and is probably about as recovered as he will get, which is pretty good. (hedged) Am I OK? 00:00:00
2025-03-25 retold 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. Taylor, Dr Pepper, and My Anxiety Strats: It's Question Tuesday 00:03:24
2025-04-18 update 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. I Still Don't Have Cancer (and I'm Still Scared) 00:01:27
2025-05-09 retold 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) OK, I MESSED UP. 00:01:31
2025-05-16 retold Hank says he got a cancer, a disease often fatal, got medicine for it, and now seems likely to die of something else, so he knows he didn't die. (hedged) No One Knows When They Don't Die 00:00:00
2025-05-23 update Hank was recently at his dermatologist for a skin check, because after his cancer treatment he has a higher than normal risk of melanoma. I Can’t Believe How Few People it Takes. 00:00:00
2025-08-01 update Hank says he has a much higher risk of someday needing a bone marrow transplant himself, but many people need one right now. We Stole a Man's Blood 00:03:10
2025-08-05 retold Hank says his oncologist was younger than him; Hank thinks the doctor regarded him as young. ONE TAKE JOHNNY 00:11:36
2025-09-26 update 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. I've Not Been Doing Well 00:04:25
2025-10-03 mentioned John notes that Hank didn't take any time off even when he had cancer, so this may not be an issue for him. (playful) Is It Time to Retire? 00:02:22
2025-10-07 mentioned John tells Hank he didn't deserve to have cancer. Luck vs. Work vs. Skill vs. Privilege 00:05:16
2025-11-04 mentioned John notes that his brother could receive cutting-edge curative cancer care. The Real Question 00:03:53
2025-11-10 update 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) My Cancer Treatment was Not Cutting Edge 00:00:58
2025-11-10 retold 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) My Cancer Treatment was Not Cutting Edge 00:03:53
2025-11-24 retold John says Good Store donated more in 2023 because Hank had cancer and people were very supportive; Hank adds the cancer socks were a very big product. Good Store Holiday Gift Guide LIVE with Hank and John 00:12:20
2025-11-28 retold After being told he could do QI, Hank got cancer and cancelled, actually ghosting them; once better he asked to do it again. Three Things! (Wait, no, actually four...) 00:04:21
2026-02-13 (happened 2023) retold 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. Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! 01:00:55
2026-02-15 mentioned Calling a single-digit percentage small, Hank jokes that it is what his doctor said his chance of not getting cancer again was. (joke) Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! 03:25:23
2026-03-13 retold 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. Pain 00:01:47
2026-05-08 retold 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. My Deathday 00:00:00
2026-05-08 update Hank says Hodgkin cells usually die under treatment but sometimes survive, which is why he is technically still in remission rather than cured. My Deathday 00:02:26
2026-10-09 retold 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. The Productivity Lie 00:06:25

Dates are upload dates, which set the order. Where the speaker gives a different recording date in the video, it is added as "said on YYYY-MM-DD, implied" (derived from the date said in the video).

What is said about it

74 statements, by date (the events above are the turns of the thread; these are the details).

  • 2023-05-19 · So, I've got cancer — The description says Hank's first chemotherapy treatment begins as the video goes live. — video description
  • 2023-05-19 · So, I've got cancer — announcement: Hank announces the biopsy showed cancer: Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system and one of the most treatable cancers; the goal of treatment is cure. — 00:01:53
  • 2023-05-19 · So, I've got cancer — Hank: A friend of Hank's who is ten years past Hodgkin's lymphoma treatment has been someone to text when he panics. — 00:02:23
  • 2023-05-19 · So, I've got cancer — announcement: Hank will very soon start the fairly well-established treatment, a system of chemotherapies; he does not look forward to it but looks forward to starting on the path. — 00:02:37
  • 2023-05-19 · So, I've got cancer — Hank says the prognosis for people with Hodgkin's lymphoma is very good. — 00:02:45
  • 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
  • 2023-05-19 · So, I've got cancer — announcement: Hank says his chemotherapy will last no less than four months. — 00:07:58
  • 2023-05-19 · So, I've got cancer — Hank feels very grateful to everyone who has spent their careers studying disease, cancer, lymphoma and Hodgkin's specifically. — 00:10:45
  • 2023-05-23 · Rough Week — John: After a rough week and couple of months, John tells Hank, who is starting chemo, that he loves him and that many people are in his corner. — 00:00:00
  • 2023-06-02 (said on 2023-06-01, implied) · Chemo is Weird, Y'all — Hank's chemotherapy hits him hard on a Friday, then he gets a Friday off, then he is dosed hard again the Friday after. — 00:00:00
  • 2023-06-02 (said on 2023-06-01, implied) · Chemo is Weird, Y'all — Hank explains that his four chemo drugs interfere with rapidly dividing cells, mostly cancer cells but also some normal cells, which makes patients feel sick. — 00:00:00
  • 2023-06-02 (said on 2023-06-01, implied) · Chemo is Weird, Y'all — The description says Hank is posting the video from the infusion center while receiving chemotherapy. — video description
  • 2023-06-02 (said on 2023-06-01, implied) · Chemo is Weird, Y'all — Hank says the off week lets patients recover, so they stay in treatment, feel less bad and avoid complications from piled-up side effects. — 00:00:29
  • 2023-06-02 (said on 2023-06-01, implied) · Chemo is Weird, Y'all — Hank: For Hank the biggest and hardest side effect is fatigue: it does not feel possible to be that tired. — 00:03:01
  • 2023-06-23 · Understanding Cancer Survival Rates — Hank says some cancers, especially in older people, are now treated as chronic diseases because curative treatment would cost too much quality of life or risk death. — 00:07:48
  • 2023-06-23 · Understanding Cancer Survival Rates — Hank says a person of his age with his stage of Hodgkin lymphoma has about a 94% five-year survival rate and about a 90% chance of five-year disease-free survival. — 00:10:49
  • 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 Hodgkin's lymphoma is a treatable disease that responds well to treatment in most cases. — 00:04:14
  • 2023-07-14 · The Good News Video — Hank: Showing his scans, Hank explains that dark areas on a PET scan mark high glucose uptake, since cancer cells use far more glucose than normal tissue. — 00:04:43
  • 2023-07-14 · The Good News Video — Hank says that if he relapses there are further treatments, worse than what he has been through, but still options. — 00:05:42
  • 2023-07-14 · The Good News Video — Hank says his cancer is clearly responsive to chemotherapy: he has killed and pissed out so many cancer cells. (playful) — 00:05:42
  • 2023-07-28 · Let's Try Radiation Therapy! — Hank recaps that chemotherapy killed so much of his cancer that doctors can no longer find it inside him. — 00:00:35
  • 2023-07-28 · Let's Try Radiation Therapy! — Hank says his doctors think he likely still has microscopic disease, probably centered where his lymph nodes were very swollen. (hedged) — 00:00:43
  • 2023-08-03 · I love you, Hank. Happy Esther Day. — John says their dad had cancer twice when they were little, which had a huge impact on his life and theirs. — 00:01:59
  • 2023-08-08 · TAKE IT UP A NOTCH — John says Hank's experience is not typical: with HIV, cancer, tuberculosis or another highly stigmatized disease, the social response is part of what makes the illness so difficult. — 00:02:26
  • 2023-08-25 · Remission — Hank says untreated Hodgkin lymphoma has about a 90% chance of killing you within five years, and about a 10% chance if treated. (hedged) — 00:00:21
  • 2023-08-25 · Remission — Hank says Hodgkin lymphoma, when it responds to treatment, tends to respond very well, and in his case it worked about as well as it does. — 00:01:22
  • 2023-08-25 · Remission — Hank: Showing his before scan, Hank explains a PET scan shows glucose uptake; his cancer mass consumed a lot of glucose because it was dividing fast. — 00:01:33
  • 2023-09-01 · The Weirdest Post-Chemo Symptoms — Hank says people told him that hair lost to chemo grows back re-rolled: curly may become straight, bald may regrow, gray may be lost or gained, some become gingers. — 00:00:55
  • 2023-09-22 · A Feeling I've Never Felt Before — The description says Hank has a new kind of pain after radiation, unlike muscle pain he has had before, and because it is new it is hard to deal with. — video description
  • 2023-09-22 · A Feeling I've Never Felt Before — Hank names a bad new sensation: pain between skin and muscle all over the body at once, which chemotherapy delivers. — 00:01:29
  • 2023-10-06 · I Quit — Hank says he expected to resume as CEO after treatment, not realizing that recovery from cancer treatment takes time. — 00:05:23
  • 2023-10-13 · Cancer Made me Do It. — Hank: Until cancer Hank was broken only in normal little ways; cancer has given him new issues, which may be healing or just being buried again. — 00:01:50
  • 2023-10-13 · Cancer Made me Do It. — Hank says he needed something very complicated but very simple, like making people laugh about cancer. — 00:02:26
  • 2023-10-24 · A Tale of Two Cancers — John says finally learning it was Hodgkin lymphoma was a tremendous encouragement, the best of the bad news they could have gotten. — 00:00:24
  • 2023-11-10 · My Final Chemo Secret — Hank says chemo makes thinking very hard but possible in specific ways: he couldn't watch a movie but could watch Seinfeld, couldn't write fiction but could write nonfiction. — 00:00:30
  • 2023-12-08 · Did Natural Cancer Treatments Save My Life? — Hank says Hodgkin lymphoma was one of the first cancers shown to respond well to both chemotherapy and radiation, so chemo was never in question. — 00:00:16
  • 2024-03-15 · The Worst Things About Not Having Cancer — Hank's first and worst point: during treatment, hard-working, high-status people fretting over you makes you feel valued; after remission, being plopped back into normality feels like being ignored. — 00:00:58
  • 2024-04-23 · Full Hank — John: When Hank was diagnosed, John took on a few of Hank's many jobs and enjoyed the work so much that he seems to have gone 'full Hank'. — 00:00:00
  • 2024-06-21 · I Was So Sad that I Did Comedy — Hank: After that first ultrasound Hank only got good news: not metastatic, one of the most treatable lymphomas, fairly early stage; on chemo he could feel the tumors shrinking. — 00:00:44
  • 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
  • 2024-10-08 · Hank Steals John's Cells — Hank says that because he had cancer, the registry does not want his bone marrow. — 00:05:03
  • 2024-11-26 · Good News — John says the burden of health problems is measured per 100,000 people: about 2.5 of every 100,000 people are diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, the cancer Hank had, each year. — 00:00:08
  • 2024-11-26 · Good News — John: Since most people in the US survive Hodgkin lymphoma, its mortality rate is only about 0.28 per 100,000, close to the US tuberculosis death rate of about 0.22 per 100,000, or several hundred deaths a year. — 00:00:34
  • 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
  • 2025-01-24 · Am I OK? — Hank has some chemo nerve damage (tingly fingertips) and nerve pain where he had radiation on top of surgeries, felt only in certain activities. — 00:00:29
  • 2025-01-24 · Am I OK? — Hank says that body-wise, aside from an increased risk of secondary cancers, he is pretty much unscathed. — 00:00:51
  • 2025-01-24 · Am I OK? — Hank says people miss that after cancer treatment people almost always live with a different level of ability, sometimes serious disability: being done with treatment is not being done. — 00:00:51
  • 2025-03-25 · Taylor, Dr Pepper, and My Anxiety Strats: It's Question Tuesday — 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 says the lymph nodes under his tongue have been a little swollen and sore for the last few weeks. — 00:00:00
  • 2025-04-18 · I Still Don't Have Cancer (and I'm Still Scared) — Hank: Still nervous, and nearing his two-year mark, Hank called and took the first oncology appointment available. — 00:00:58
  • 2025-04-18 · I Still Don't Have Cancer (and I'm Still Scared) — Hank says his oncologist asks his biggest worries and scolds him a little for knowing too much, as if he would research Hodgkin lymphoma less. (playful) — 00:01:56
  • 2025-04-18 · I Still Don't Have Cancer (and I'm Still Scared) — 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
  • 2025-04-18 · I Still Don't Have Cancer (and I'm Still Scared) — Hank says before he got sick his anxiety was mostly his body usefully calling him to figure out something important; now it sometimes just calls out for no reason. — 00:04:10
  • 2025-09-26 · I've Not Been Doing Well — Hank says he wanted to ignore it and not talk publicly before it was resolved, because everyone would freak out about cancer. — 00:03:36
  • 2025-09-26 · I've Not Been Doing Well — Hank says one of the risk factors for relapse is stress, which he finds hard to avoid right now. — 00:04:25
  • 2025-09-26 · I've Not Been Doing Well — Hank says that since cancer is not responsible for how he feels, it is something else, and he feels he has been improving. — 00:05:46
  • 2025-11-10 · My Cancer Treatment was Not Cutting Edge — Hank says his treatment was probably curative but definitely not cutting edge. — 00:00:58
  • 2025-11-10 · My Cancer Treatment was Not Cutting Edge — Hank says the chemo cocktail he received became the standard treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma in the late 1970s. — 00:00:58
  • 2025-11-10 · My Cancer Treatment was Not Cutting Edge — Hank likes to say he got 'vintage chemo'; it weirded him out at first, but it is actually very good for two reasons. (playful) — 00:00:58
  • 2025-11-10 · My Cancer Treatment was Not Cutting Edge — Hank: First, the treatment has been curative all along: Hodgkin's has not been a big focus for new cancer drugs because good tools already existed. — 00:01:27
  • 2025-11-10 · My Cancer Treatment was Not Cutting Edge — Hank: Asked why Hodgkin's is easier to cure, Hank says its cells are dumb and love to eat chemo like Halloween treats, while other cancers are better at surviving poison. (playful) — 00:01:27
  • 2025-11-10 · My Cancer Treatment was Not Cutting Edge — Hank: Second, an old drug is well understood after long use, so some elements of his treatment were more cutting edge, coming well after the 1980s. — 00:01:56
  • 2025-11-10 · My Cancer Treatment was Not Cutting Edge — Hank says his chemo drugs are known for causing vomiting, but are now given with pretreatments that fight nausea in advance, plus an escalating series of safely overlapping nausea meds at home. — 00:01:56
  • 2025-11-10 · My Cancer Treatment was Not Cutting Edge — Hank says controlling nausea is fighting cancer: many people stop chemo because of side effects, so better control of a side effect means better control of the cancer. — 00:02:26
  • 2025-11-10 · My Cancer Treatment was Not Cutting Edge — Hank says the drugs are the same but the amount given has changed a lot since 1979, when the idea was to give as much as patients could handle for as long as they could. — 00:02:55
  • 2025-11-10 · My Cancer Treatment was Not Cutting Edge — Hank says that because the full treatment cured Hodgkin's, it was hard to get doctors and patients to agree to research trying smaller doses. — 00:02:55
  • 2025-11-10 · My Cancer Treatment was Not Cutting Edge — Hank says the drugs he took carry serious long-term risks: possible permanent lung or heart-muscle damage and higher risk of other cancers. — 00:03:24
  • 2025-11-10 · My Cancer Treatment was Not Cutting Edge — Hank read those studies during treatment to check it was okay to take less; taking less is scary, but here it is better. — 00:04:21
  • 2025-11-10 · My Cancer Treatment was Not Cutting Edge — Hank sums up: the drugs are old, but treatment kept improving, with cheap anti-nausea meds added and doses scaled back after research showed less chemo similarly curative for his stage. — 00:04:21
  • 2026-05-08 · My Deathday — 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
  • 2026-05-08 · My Deathday — 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
  • 2026-05-08 · My Deathday — 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
  • 2026-05-08 · My Deathday — 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