A lash technician who developed a lump in her neck told herself it was nothing, and she thought her shoulder pain was simply caused by the physical strain of her work, only for scans to reveal the devastating truth. For eight years, Sarah Esposito, 26, steadily built her career in the beauty industry, working as a lash technician and a permanent makeup artist. She told Newsweek that she "genuinely loved" her job and was glad to devote so much of her time to the work.
But everything changed in February 2026 when Esposito from Toms River, New Jersey, woke one morning to discover a lump in her neck. "One of the earliest signs that something was wrong was a lump in my neck," Esposito said. "I noticed it months before my diagnosis, but I never imagined it could be something serious." At first, she believed it was a kink in her neck caused by sleeping awkwardly.
She also started to experience a sharp pain in her shoulder in the weeks that followed. As much of her work requires leaning over patients during procedures, she presumed it was just part of the regular back ache she had grown accustomed to. Nonetheless, Esposito couldn’t quite shake the feeling that something was wrong.
As a result, she arranged an appointment with her doctor to get the lump in her neck checked. "Eventually, I began experiencing other symptoms, including pain in my chest and back, especially when taking deep breaths. What I didn’t know at the time was that I had a large mass growing inside my chest," Esposito continued.
She underwent a PET scan which showed cancerous lymph nodes in her neck and chest, as well as a seven-centimeter mass in her mediastinum (the thoracic cavity between the lungs). "After undergoing several tests, scans, and a biopsy, I was diagnosed with classic Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, in June 2026," Esposito said. "Hearing the words ‘you have cancer’ at 26 is something I don’t think I could ever fully describe.
One minute, you’re living your normal life, and suddenly, the future you pictured for yourself feels uncertain." Hodgkin lymphoma is a cancer that affects the lymphatic system, most commonly found among people in their 20s, 30s, and those over 65. Symptoms may include swollen lymph nodes, fever, fatigue, night sweats, weight loss and itchy skin. Rather than channeling her energy into her work and hobbies, Esposito now says her life revolves around medical appointments, scans, blood work and cancer treatment.
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