Sipping a drink in a pub garden, Lauren Firenze suddenly felt a pain in her neck and shoulders.
The then 24-year-old assumed it was simply a pulled muscle, after spending a lot of time in the gym.
Lauren, now 32, says: ‘When I got home, I had a hot shower and it gradually got better.
‘The pain only lasted a couple of days and I quickly forgot about it.’
But, one week later, the same sensation returned after taking a few sips of gin and tonic at a bar. After that, she noticed the pain would return each time she drank alcohol.
‘One second I was chatting to my friend and the next I was in complete agony. I was left with severe pins and needles and painkillers didn’t really help it,’ she says.
‘The pains continued every time I had a drink so [I] decided to cut out alcohol and noticed that the pain disappeared. I didn’t really think any more of it as I was so busy.’
But a few months after the initial pain in the pub appeared, Lauren was visiting a friend for Christmas, and in the festive spirit, she decided to have a small tipple: one sip of Bailey’s.
She says: ‘It was the worst reaction I’d had so far. I’d only had the tiniest sip and my arm went numb, it was really scary.’
At the beginning of 2019, she went to the doctor, who ordered bloodwork and scans.
Shockingly, the tests detected two masses: one in her chest and one in her right lung. By then, she’d also developed a persistent cough.
After more investigations, Lauren received some life-altering news: at 25, she had stage four Hodgkin lymphoma.
According to Cancer Research UK, symptoms of Hodgkin lymphoma can be exacerbated when drinking alcohol.
Lauren alleges that she received her diagnosis unexpectedly due to a staff mix-up, when a fertility clinic called her offering treatment, which is routine for patients who are about to undergo chemotherapy, as it can effect fertility. They didn’t know she hadn’t yet received the results.
‘My heart completely sank,’ she says.
At the time, Lauren was actually getting ready for a date, who she had to call, explaining the situation.
Thinking he would cancel, her date, Danny, arrived at her house with flowers. It turned out to the start of their love story, and now, the pair are married.
Since Danny is six years younger than her, Lauren initially thought it’d be ‘daunting’ — but he never shied away from supporting her through her health journey.
Following the diagnosis, Lauren started fertility treatment to freeze her eggs, and embarked on three months’ worth of chemotherapy.
Throughout, she and Danny continued dating, opting for ‘light’ activities like the cinema or a coffee. Lauren says: ‘I’d always wear my wig with him as it made me feel normal and more me. His support was incredible.
‘Since the day we met, we’ve text[ed] every day and he used to call me and check in.
‘When I was in the hospital, really weak and ill, he’d call me and say “I can tell you’re not feeling great and can’t talk so I’ll just play you some music,” and I’d cry, laugh, and fall asleep to him playing guitar over the phone late at night through my noise cancellation headphones.
‘I’m the luckiest girl.’
Two years after they first met, in 2021, Lauren went into remission. Ever since, she’s remained stable, and in January 2025, the pair got engaged.
They married that same November, speeding up the timeline of their wedding as they wanted to include Danny’s dad, who had been diagnosed with terminal bowel that same month. They’d originally been planning for 2027, but they pulled together a wedding in three days.
‘Life is literally too short and it was so important to me that his dad was there for him when we got married. His dad couldn’t leave the hospital so we brought the wedding to him,’ Lauren says.
‘I called the hospital’s chapel room. The celebrant was incredible and hosted it in there.’
Since entering remission, Lauren has been on an enduring mission to build a ‘cancer community.’
She’s started a podcast called F THE NOISE, and interviewed those living with cancer, as well as working with the Department of Health and Social Care to shape how it’s represented in the media.
She concludes: ‘It’s crucial to me that patients like myself with lived cancer experience are in those rooms to help share points of view to impact and truly relate to those affected by cancer.’
What is Hodgkin lymphoma?
Hodgkin lymphoma is a type of cancer that impacts the types of white blood cells responsible for helping the body fight infection (called lymphocytes, which are part of the lymphatic system).
According to Cancer Research, in the UK, it’s more commonly diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 24, and between 75 and 79. It’s also slightly more prevalent in men than in women.
The symptoms can include:
- Heavy sweating, particularly at night
- High temperatures without an obvious cause
- Rapid weight loss over a short period of time
- Itching (which can be worsened by drinking alcohol)
- Persistent cough
- Stomach pain (after drinking alcohol).
Do you have a story to share?
Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.