Texas teen, 17, dismissed a harmless throat symptom suffered by millions... it turned out to be cancer
In January 2025, Makaila Chenier, 17, found a 'little lump' in her neck but ignored it - believing it was a swollen lymph node due to a cold.
But when the lump 'got progressively bigger' months before she was meant to graduate high school and she had trouble breathing while lying down, the teenager decided to visit a doctor.
Mikaila's mother, Christina Chenier recalled her daughter saying: 'Look, the lump on my neck has gotten a lot bigger. I can feel it. It's on the other side now, and I feel like I'm being choked when I lay down.'
The high school student was referred to an ear, nose and throat specialist, who, after seeing the severity of her situation, advised her to quickly go to the emergency department.
'There was definitely a sense of urgency that we picked up on very quickly in the appointments,' Christina said. 'We knew something wasn't quite right.'
At the ED, Makaila underwent an ultrasound, X-ray and CT scan. The tests revealed she was suffering from Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system, an important part of the body's immune system.
The lymphatic system is widespread across the body, it includes bone marrow, the spleen, tonsils and tissue in the small intestine, and Hodgkin lymphoma limits the body's ability to fight infections.
Mikaila told PEOPLE: 'It was very hard because it was like everything changed literally overnight. It was just a little lump.'
After being diagnosed with the disease, which is expected to effect 8,700 Americans this year, the teenager was transferred to Texas Children's Hospital where doctors conducted a biopsy of her lymph nodes and uncovered the extent of her cancer.
It was stage 2, meaning the cancer was present in two or more groups of lymph nodes that are all on the same side of the body.
The estimated survival rate for stage 2 is between 93 and 95 percent. The American Cancer Society estimates there will be 1,150 deaths from Hodgkin lymphoma this year.
The mother added: 'I'm not sure why I thought to look at my watch, but 8:02 pm on Friday, February 18, 2025, will be permanently etched in my memory because that was the moment when everything changed.
'All of a sudden we were playing a completely different game and everything was completely upside down.'
Mikaila was admitted to the intensive care unit because doctors were worried about 'the airway constriction' in her neck due to the lump.
Christina said: 'They were concerned that she may have trouble breathing at any point. They felt it was the best place for her.'
Common symptoms of Hodgkin lymphoma include swelling of lymph nodes in the neck, armpits or groin, fever, tiredness, night sweats, weight loss and tiredness.
Treatment often involves two to four rounds of chemotherapy and radiation therapy - which doctors advised Mikaila undergo a week and a half after she was diagnosed.
'After the first cycle of chemo, they kept me for two or three days after to monitor and make sure I was responding well,' Makaila told TODAY.com.
She showed no serious reactions after her first round.
As of now, the teenager has finished her seventh round of chemotherapy and has five more to go. Doctors expect her treatment to end by August 1.
She is currently receiving infusions every two weeks.
Due to the frequency of her treatment and side effects, Mikaila was forced to drop out of school and is now being homeschooled.
She said: 'Initially it was a lot of tiredness. I slept probably for the whole next day.
'I get really bad nerve pain in my jaw and my tongue and then I will also get bone pain in my legs.'
However, there was one milestone the teen didn't want to miss out on.
'They let me do graduation because that's once in a lifetime,' she told TODAY.com.
After graduation and chemotherapy, she plans to take a gap year before starting college to become a pediatric nurse.
'I've been staying really positive through it all and I've learned that really helps get through it because they say time flies when you're having fun,' Makaila said.
'I try to have as much fun as I can and make the best out of it, which has really helped.'
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