Stonecrest mayor says lung scarring from COVID-19, benign tumors mistaken for cancer

Weeks after learning he might be battling a third round of cancer, Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary said his initial diagnosis was incorrect.

That diagnosis showed a potential return of lymphoma and the possibility of lung cancer, Lary said.

However, second opinions found that he’s dealing with lung scarring that resulted from COVID-19, kidney stones and non-cancerous growths called adrenal nodules. The three symptoms contributed to fears that his cancer had returned.

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Lary, who turned 59 this week, had his first battle with cancer in 2018 when he was treated for prostate cancer. He didn’t take time off from city meetings while undergoing radiation treatments. Last year, he was given an excused absence to miss meetings while battling lymphoma. At the end of the year, he was diagnosed with COVID-19 amid his cancer surgeries.

“I was coughing like you wouldn’t believe,” he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I had full-blown COVID and cancer at the same time.”

He returned about 11 weeks later, but he feared he came back too quickly after the dour diagnosis in late February. Lary announced the potential cancer return at a tense Feb. 28 City Council retreat, where he apologized for his impatience with other city leaders.

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After that, he said he went to the West Coast for second opinions, which revealed coronavirus-related scarring and benign adrenal tumors were mistaken as possibly cancerous.

During Monday’s meeting, he finished up his health update by showing off an inhaler and saying he’s in good spirits.

“I don’t feel that sick anymore,” he told The AJC. “I’m going to be fine.”