Blood cancer diagnosis stems from woman’s neck pain after drinking alcohol
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A woman’s disturbing response to alcohol led to a serious discovery.
Hollie Thursby, a 28-year-old mother of two from the UK, told Kennedy News and Media that she began experiencing unusual symptoms after giving birth to her second son, Jack.
On examination of her son, who was a few months old, Thursby stated that he was experiencing “unbearable itching on the skin”, known as a postpartum symptom. The doctor said this was due to changing hormones.
ACCORDING TO RESEARCH FINDINGS, THE RISK OF FATAL CANCER INCREASES WITH CERTAIN LEVELS OF ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION.
Thursby added that he occasionally drinks a few glasses of wine. He described feeling “a lot of pain” on the side of his neck, despite keeping his drinking to a minimum.
“It’s really quite painful and disturbing,” he said, according to the report.
A mother in the United Kingdom reported feeling pain in her neck after drinking a glass or two of wine; This turned out to be one of the first signs of cancer. (Kennedy News and Media)
The mother also reported feeling extremely exhausted, which she thought was due to caring for her children throughout the day.
“Also, when I got into bed, it felt like someone was sitting on my chest,” she shared.
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In July 2025, Thursby discovered a lump on the side of her neck that she described as “really pretty big” but not painful, Kennedy News and Media reported.
“It was hard, it didn’t move but it was there,” he said. “You could see it when I turned my neck to the side.”
Thursby has reportedly begun chemotherapy for stage 2 Hodgkins lymphoma. (Kennedy News and Media)
Thursby’s symptoms turned out to be a type of blood cancer — stage 2 Hodgkins lymphoma, which means it’s in two or more lymph nodes, according to Cancer Research UK
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Common symptoms include swollen lymph nodes, excessive sweating, weight loss, itching, persistent cough or shortness of breath, high fever, and pain in the stomach or lymph nodes after drinking alcohol.
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“Pain that occurs when you drink alcohol is actually a known side effect of Hodgkin lymphoma,” he said, according to the report. “It’s something to do with the acidity of the wine, not when you drink other alcohols.”
Healthline confirmed that although alcohol-related pain in Hodgkins lymphoma patients has been an “accepted scientific consensus” since the 1950s, cases are rare.
Pictured above is 28-year-old Hollie Thursby and her two sons. The mother reported feeling extremely tired, which she thought was due to caring for her children throughout the day. (Kennedy News and Media)
Thursby reportedly started chemotherapy in November, noting that the hardest part was not being able to care for her children after losing her own mother to a blood disease called myelodysplasia.
“I grew up without a mother and it was terrible. I can’t do that to children,” Kennedy told News and Media. “We are all devastated but now we all know and we have a treatment plan, that’s what we need.”
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“I’m doing everything I can to make them better. I keep telling myself that this is temporary, I have to move on.”
Anyone experiencing pain or other related symptoms after consuming alcohol should consult a physician for guidance.
