26-Year-Old Woman Thought Her Neck Hurt Because She ‘Slept Funny.’ But the Pain Was Sign of Stage 4 Cancer.

Venus, 24 at the time, began her lymphoma journey like many with symptoms that seemed attributable to everyday life.

“In September 2021, I was teaching about six exercise classes a week via Zoom,” she explained. “I started experiencing this strange light-headedness, but I didn’t think much of it.

“I also was incredibly fatigued. I would nap at least once a day, and waking up in the morning was difficult regardless of how much sleep I’d gotten.”

 

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Her symptoms only progressed from there. One day in November 2021, after she had just gotten a new puppy with her partner, Venus developed an “awkward feeling” in her neck. Still, she assumed her symptoms were nothing to worry about.

“It felt like I had slept funny,” she said. “My symptoms continued for the next week, but I still was under the impression that I was just exhausted due to the new puppy and exercise, and the neck pain was from tweaking my neck.”

"You Are Your Own Best Advocate"

But by the end of that week, Venus developed a symptom she simply couldn’t ignore.

“I had a lump come up just above my collarbone,” she said. “The discomfort was preventing me from being able to teach the upper-body parts of my exercise classes, so I booked a doctor’s appointment.”

After her doctor referred her to the hospital, she was eventually diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma at age 24. Treatment began shortly after with 12 rounds of chemotherapy over six months.

'Cancer Brought Me So Many Lessons' Says Survivor Fernanda Savino; It Can Change Your Perspective On Life

Thankfully, her cancer responded well to the drugs, and Venus has been happily in remission for a year. She might not get her time in treatment back, but she’s determined to move forward in a positive way.

“After my treatment, I had to accept that I will never have that year again,” she said.

“I now have lots of new allergies, and my heart and other organs will forever be weaker than they once were, but I am so grateful to be able to move onwards and upwards with a new appreciation for how wonderful life is.”

What Is Hodgkin Lymphoma?

Hodgkin lymphoma is a cancer of the immune system. It is one of two main sub-categories of lymphoma with the other more common one being non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. But even within these categories there are many different types of the disease.

"One of the best ways to wrap your head around lymphoma is to start thinking about the different ways we categorize lymphoma and how we, as doctors, approach lymphoma because it really helps to better understand the literature and better understand what you should specifically be reading about," Dr. Elise Chong, a medical oncologist at Penn Medicine, previously told SurvivorNet.

"I always advise that people understand their specific type of lymphoma because there are over 40 different types of lymphoma.

"So, if you don't know what specific type you have, then you may be reading the wrong literature on that treatment."

What Kind of Lymphoma Do You Have? Why Your Type Matters

According to Dr. Chong, Hodgkin lymphoma is most often seen in younger adults and generally easier to cure than non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Symptoms of the disease, according to the Mayo Clinic, can include:

• Painless swelling of lymph nodes in your neck, armpits or groin
• Persistent fatigue
• Fever
• Night sweats
• Unintentional weight loss
• Intense itching
• Pain in your lymph nodes after consuming alcohol

It’s important to note that the above symptoms are not exclusive to Hodgkin lymphoma, and some lymphoma patients might not even have any symptoms.

"The symptoms of lymphoma, especially if you have a low-grade lymphoma, often are no symptoms," Dr. Chong explained. "People say, but I feel completely fine, and that's very normal."

Sneaky Lymphoma Symptoms Often Lead to a Late Diagnosis

Even when symptoms do occur, they might not sound any alarms which makes the disease hard to diagnose. That’s why it’s important to always see a doctor if you notice any changes to your health. Dr. Chong says people with lymphoma, in general, are lucky if they’re diagnosed with the disease early.

“Either they had a symptom that made people look very early, or this was part of scans or some sort of blood work for something unrelated,” she explained.

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