Like many people her age, Claire Dougherty, a 22-year-old from Philadelphia, relished spending time with friends and enjoying the occasional cocktail. However, in August 2025, her social outings took an unexpected turn when she began to experience distressing symptoms while drinking.

Initially attributing the discomfort to a potential intolerance to vodka, Claire switched to wine and gin, hoping to find relief. But every sip resulted in a ‘roaring’ pain that radiated from the base of her neck to her left ear, making her rethink her drinking choices. “It was this intense pain starting from the base of my neck on the left side and moving up into my left ear,” she explained to the Daily Mail. “The most painful spot seemed to be my inner ear, leading me to suspect an ear issue causing neck pain.”

Despite noticing that the front of her neck felt tense, slightly swollen, and tender to touch, Claire assumed it was a lymph node issue linked to her ear pain, and thus, she wasn’t overly concerned at first.

Yet, the agony only intensified with every drink, prompting her to seek medical advice. A doctor prescribed allergy medications, but these provided no relief. September revealed a palpable lump in her throat, raising further alarm.

By October, the situation demanded more thorough investigation. Doctors conducted a CT scan and a biopsy to understand the underlying issue, marking a critical step in Claire’s medical journey.

In September, she felt a lump in her throat. The next month, doctors conducted a CT scan and a biopsy.

In November, Dougherty was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, a blood cancer that can spread quickly if left untreated. 

Dougherty realized that her pain and breathlessness were actually signs the tumor was slowly crushing her trachea.

Dougherty, a medical assistant, initially assumed her symptoms were related to an ear problem. She described pain starting at the base of her neck and traveling up into her left ear, with the inner ear the most painful spot

Dougherty, a medical assistant from from Philadelphia, was like any other 22 year old before her diagnosis

Dougherty said: ‘For a little bit every drink was a vodka drink so I kind of told myself maybe it was something [to do] with vodka.

‘[I thought] I had an intolerance to vodka but then eventually I had a gin drink and a wine and they made it hurt too so it didn’t really matter what alcohol it was.’

For months before her diagnosis, Dougherty continued to drink socially with her friends, fighting through the pain each time.

She said: ‘It was tough because I had no reason I couldn’t be drinking, but it would make everything so much worse.

‘I was very in my head about it and I got nervous every time I would drink because I was worried that it would make it [the pain] bad.’

Doctors chalked it up to allergies. Pain in the inner ear and neck can easily be caused by fluid buildup or eustachian tube dysfunction, often linked to allergies or sinus infections.

Too much alcohol also weakens the immune system, making a person more likely to get ill – something Dougherty and doctors might have put her symptoms down to. 

Lymph nodes in the neck also frequently swell in response to infections or allergies as the body fights off perceived invaders. 

To a doctor, feeling a slightly tender node would look like a typical immune response.

For months before her diagnosis, Dougherty continued drinking socially, fighting through the pain each time. She grew anxious every time she went out, worried the pain would return

In October 2025, doctors performed a biopsy, removing a small sample of the lump in her neck to send for testing, the first step toward her diagnosis

Claire began chemotherapy on December 3, the start of a grueling six-round journey she completed on February 11, 2026 

Between 8,000 and 9,000 Americans are diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma each year, making it a rare type of cancer. It is however the most common cancer among 15- to 19-year-olds, and rates peak in people 18 to 34. 

Dougherty was stage two, which has a high average five-year survival rate of about 90 percent, but doctors still initiated an aggressive treatment plan. 

She began her first round of chemotherapy on December 3, the start of a grueling treatment journey. 

She would go on to complete six rounds in total, finishing on February 11 this year. 

Now, with chemo behind her, she is waiting to begin 20 sessions of radiotherapy focused on her neck.

‘Luckily I don’t need surgery,’ Dougherty said.

Hodgkin lymphoma begins in white blood cells called B lymphocytes, which normally fight infection. 

When genetic changes occur, these cells transform into large, cancerous cells called Reed-Sternberg cells that define the disease.

The cancer typically starts in lymph nodes, most often in the neck and spreads in a predictable pattern from one lymph node group to the next.

Now, with chemo behind her, Dougherty awaits 20 sessions of radiotherapy focused on her neck

As it progresses, it can move to the spleen, bone marrow, liver and lungs. Advanced disease often causes fever, drenching night sweats and unexplained weight loss.

Dougherty breathes much better after undergoing chemo. The treatments rapidly shrank the tumor that was wrapped around and crushing her windpipe, relieving the pressure on her airway.

She is now urging others to be their own advocates by insisting on every available test and scan, even though it can feel uncomfortable or exhausting.

‘I hated going and getting all of the testing done but it’s worth it to know what’s going on in your body and to get that peace of mind,’ she said.