Woman Thinks Shoulder Pain Is From Sleeping Awkwardly

By Alyce Collins

Life and Trends Reporter

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A college graduate who thought her shoulder pain was the result of moving back home and sleeping awkwardly was stunned when she received a life-changing diagnosis.

After returning home in August 2024, Allie Reece, 23, noticed a persistent dull pain in her shoulder and collarbone. She told Newsweek that it was akin to the soreness felt "when you sleep wrong," so that is what she attributed it to.

She was sleeping on a different bed to the one she had been used to, so it seemed like an ordinary muscular ache. The pain occurred sporadically in the months that followed, and it would usually last for around a day each time.

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"At the end of April, I woke up with a sharper pain in my shoulder blade," Reece, of Atlanta, Georgia, said. "The intensity of the pain, along with the existing shoulder pain, drove me to the emergency room."

Throughout those months, Reece had also been experiencing extreme fatigue. She didn’t realize it at the time, however, as she was a recent college student, so, of course, her sleep pattern was irregular.

Reece continued: "My sleep schedule was far from normal as I've always been a night owl. However, my fatigue was so severe that I couldn't make it through my day without a nap."

Reece had been living with the shoulder ache for around 18 months, but, when she awoke with the sharp pain in her shoulder blade, she knew it was finally time to get it checked.

Blood tests revealed an elevated D-dimer (a protein fragment that can indicate a blood clot), so Reece was also given a CT scan. It was that which led to the shocking discovery of an orange-sized mediastinal mass in her chest.

Reece was given the devastating news while laying in a hospital bed in the hallway. She said she will never forget the moment she received "the worst news of [her] life" while people were just ambling by. The mass was located toward the front wall of her chest, resting on her heart and lung.

"This was without a doubt the most devastating news I've ever received. I had no answers, just the fact that I had a mass that looked like lymphoma," Reece said.

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On August 5, a year after the shoulder pain started, Reece was diagnosed with Stage II Hodgkin lymphoma. Never in a million years did she think the pain in her shoulder could be cancer, especially at 23 years old.

Reece thought she was perfectly healthy and had just completed her first 5-kilometer run, with no idea there was a mass sitting on her chest.

"You hear it often, but life truly is so fragile. I never thought I would be facing something like this at such a young age," Reece told Newsweek.

She had to undergo several procedures to reach the diagnosis, including a fine-needle biopsy in May; a cervical mediastinoscopy in June; a PET scan in July; and a robotic thymectomy surgery, which also required surgeons to deflate Reece’s lung to reach the mass.

Surgeons didn’t think it would be possible to remove the mass because it was located near so many vital organs. Fortunately, they were in fact able to remove it in its entirety without complications, enabling them to reach the final diagnosis.

Reece had a port placed in September to begin chemotherapy. She is now undergoing her sixth round and will have to complete two further rounds before the treatment is over.

Reece is incredibly grateful for the strong support network around her, especially her mom who has been her primary caretaker throughout. She doesn’t think it would be possible to beat cancer without this love and support she has.

"My health, as of right now, is as good as it can be with chemotherapy taken into consideration," Reece said. "I had a PET scan after my fourth round of chemo that showed a complete response. This means there’s no visible evidence of cancer in my body. Even so, it’s still common to finish out the treatment plan to ensure that all cancer cells are eradicated."

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Following her diagnosis, Reece has been documenting her experience on social media (@big_.al on TikTok), with many of her posts going viral with thousands of views. By sharing her cancer journey with others, Reece said she hopes to show others that cancer can impact anyone and that every case is different.

At the beginning, Reece was terrified of the road that lay ahead. But, after seeing the bravery and vulnerability of other cancer sufferers online, she wanted to repay that and be able to inspire other women out there, too.

Now, there is no better feeling for Reece than receiving a message from someone saying her videos helped them. She feels so fortunate to have such a supportive online community that has led to some beautiful friendships.

Whether it is shoulder pain, fatigue, or minor hair loss, all of which Reece had, she implores people to listen to their body.

"Cancer doesn't discriminate. I had very minimal side effects—no swollen lymph nodes, no night sweats, and routine blood work. Listen to your body when it repeatedly tells you that something is wrong," Reece said.

"A diagnosis isn’t 'one size fits all.' Cancer can be extremely hard to diagnose, and every process of the diagnosis journey looks different for everyone."

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