Hall of Fame Quarterback Jim Kelly played for the Buffalo Bills from 1986-1996. During his tenure with the Bills, he went to four Super Bowls and was selected to five Pro Bowls. While Kelly's NFL career is one of grandeur and success, his life after football was far more difficult and grueling. An NFL Quarterback takes an immense amount of physical punishment during their careers, but Kelly experienced more pain after football then he did while he was on the field.
On June 3, 2013, Jim Kelly was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma. Squamous cell carcinoma is a form of cancer in the upper jaw. Kelly's battled this cancer on and off during since his diagnosis in 2013. Multiple surgeries were conducted to remove it, but it continued to return.
Kelly's persistence and will to live is in part to his son Hunter fight with Krabbe disease. Hunter was diagnosed with Krabbe disease soon after his birth in 1997. Hunter fought the disease until he was 8, which is the longest any child has ever lived with the disease. Kelly dedicated his Hall of Fame speech in 2002 to Hunter, while also declaring him his "hero". Hunter would soon pass in 2005, but he got to witness his dad praise him as exhibited strength and fought against Krabbe disease. Hunter's fight led to Kelly creating The Hunter James Kelly Research Institute, which studies myelin and its diseases.
Kelly didn't expect to be fighting as well, but he did, and his fight led him to become one of the most inspirational figures in sports. In March 2018 the cancer had returned, which resulted in Kelly reconstructing his upper jaw to remove it once again. Kelly's fight with this disease is one of determination and toughness, which is why ESPN selected him to win the 2018 Jimmy V Award at this year's ESPYS.
I personally had admired Jim Kelly since I heard about his story, and while I'm too young to have seen him play I still believe he's one of the toughest people to have ever touched a football field. I watched him receive his award on July 18, and his speech will be something I'll always remember and cherish. "I will never give up. I will keep fighting till the end. Get up, you'll be alright." The camera panned to multiple people in the audience crying and cheering on Kelly as he uttered these inspirational words. Kelly's speech resonated with me, and it made me admire him even more than I already did.
Kelly's fight has been well documented and as of today, Kelly's scans came back cancer free. I decided to write about Kelly a couple of days ago, so for his scans to reveal no signs of cancer today is remarkable. I pray that cancer doesn't return and I pray for anyone else who's currently fighting cancer or other terminal diseases. Kelly is a one of a kind individual, and I hope his story continues to inspire others to fight and not let anything deter you from living your best life.
