Lail, 32, first noticed a knot in his right bicep in 2012. His doctor near his hometown of Hickory, NC, referred Lail to a surgeon to have it removed. That’s when the situation turned serious. Tumors were found in the cartilage between Lail’s shoulder and arm. A biopsy came back positive. In March 2013, Lail was diagnosed with chondrosarcoma, a form of sarcoma known as cartilage tumor.
The rare cancer grows in the cartilage between joints. The tumors typically appear in adults starting around age 40. They can range from non-cancerous growths to dangerous, aggressive tumors that spread rapidly.