Hollie Thursby, 28, experienced pain behind her ear and down the side of her neck when drinking wine after the birth of her second son
A mother was left stunned when she realised the neck discomfort she felt after drinking a glass or two of wine was actually an early warning sign of cancer. Hollie Thursby began noticing pain behind her ear and along the side of her neck whenever she enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine after welcoming her second son in December 2024.
The 28 year old says lager caused no problems whatsoever, but prosecco would occasionally trigger discomfort, whilst wine in particular would ‘really, really hurt’. She was also experiencing exhaustion – though she attributed the tiredness to caring for both a toddler and a newborn.
Hollie says she initially raised these symptoms, which also included itchy skin, with doctors during her six-week postnatal appointment in January 2025, but they ‘blamed it on her hormones’. After finding a lump on the left side of her neck, Hollie decided to visit her GP again in July 2025, and further investigations revealed the mum had a substantial cluster of lymph nodes in the left side of her neck.
Hollie underwent a biopsy and on 23rd October 2025, she received the “heartbreaking” diagnosis of stage two Hodgkin lymphoma, a form of blood cancer. The NHS identifies pain in your neck, armpit or groin when drinking alcohol as a symptom of Hodgkin Lymphoma.
According to Healthline, the discomfort occurs due to swelling in the lymph nodes or disease-affected tissue resulting from blood vessel dilation following alcohol consumption. In November, Hollie began her first course of chemotherapy treatment.
The primary school teacher reveals the most difficult aspect of undergoing treatment is being unable to care for her two sons, as she’s desperate not to leave them to grow up without their mother. Hollie, from Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, explained: “After I had Jack, my second baby, I’d have a couple of glasses of wine with a meal. I would get pain in my neck and behind my ear on the left side.
“I could have prosecco and sometimes it would hurt and sometimes it wouldn’t. I could have lager and it wouldn’t hurt but with wine it would really, really hurt.”
Hollie added: “I’d been shattered for a long time. [I felt] painfully tired but I had two babies under two so I just put that down to being a busy mum and having a newborn and a toddler. I was unbearably tired, I would need to have a nap during the day which is not particularly normal.
“When I went to my GP for the six to eight week check after I’d had my second baby, I complained that I was having really, really itchy skin. My legs were unbearable itchy, on a nighttime particularly. They just said that it was probably down to hormones, I listened to what the GP said and obviously didn’t think anything else of it.”
Following the discovery of the lump in her neck, Hollie returned to her doctor and was sent for a CT scan. The results showed a substantial cluster of lymph nodes on the left side of her neck.
Hollie describes feeling “devastated” when her biopsy results arrived in October 2025, confirming a stage two blood cancer diagnosis. Hollie revealed: “The doctor told me on October 23rd that I have stage two Hodgkin lymphoma. I was heartbroken, absolutely devastated. My mum died when I was 10 of something called myelodysplasia which is a blood disorder, it’s like a form of blood cancer.
“It’s too much of a coincidence that my mum had something now I’ve got this. I just felt shocked and heartbroken. We’re all devastated but we all know now and we’ve got a treatment plan, which is what we need.”
Hollie explained that the oncologist told her the neck pain she experienced after drinking wine was probably linked to the alcohol’s acidity. She shared: “When I spoke to the blood cancer doctor, she said she’s been working for 17 years and has only seen it one other time.
“But pain when you drink alcohol is actually a known side effect of Hodgkin lymphoma. It’s something about the acidity in the wine and not when you drink other alcohol.”
The mother-of-two revealed that being unable to care for her two sons during treatment has been the most challenging aspect. Hollie explained: “I’m having chemo and it’s horrendous. I can’t look after the boys which is what is affecting me the most.
“Thankfully they are so young they don’t know I’m poorly which is a blessing for them. I’ve got loads of support but for me personally, not being able to look after the boys is the worst thing about it all.
“I’m their mum, it’s my job to look after them. I keep telling myself, me getting better is me looking after them. I’m worried that I’m dying and that I’m going to leave them.
“I can’t leave them without a mammy. I grew up without a mum and it was horrendous, I can’t do that to the boys. I’m just doing everything I can to get better for them. I keep telling myself this is only temporary, I just need to keep going.”
