Former Bills great Jim Kelly had some miraculous news to report at the on-set of his Football Camp. The Hall of fame QB says he is cancer-free and won’t need radiation or chemotherapy after having surgery to remove part of his jawbone where the squamous cell carcinoma was found.
“I found out great news on Wednesday,” Kelly said Monday at the opening of his 26th annual Jim Kelly Football Camp. “I don’t have to go through radiation treatment and chemo, which is a blessing. From what I’ve been told everything that they did in surgery, if I had to do radiation or chemo it would put me way back.”
Kelly had the left side of his jaw removed in surgery earlier this month along with all the teeth on the left side of his mouth in addition to several in front. To replace what was removed Kelly had a skin graft performed where tissue was harvested from his left leg to be used in his mouth.
Kelly understands that there is a possibility that the cancer could return. To ensure that he remains cancer-free, Kelly will have regular checkups with his doctors every two months.
Kelly was also quick to thank all of his supporters that sent prayers and well wishes for a positive outcome and speedy recovery.
“I want to thank personally everybody from this area,” said Kelly of the Western New York community. “This community has rallied around me when I played for the Bills, when my son Hunter was diagnosed and of course my latest setback with cancer. The community’s prayers there are not enough words to describe the feeling in my heart and my family’s heart how much it means to me to have people take the time to email me, write me hundreds and hundreds of letters. Those prayers have been answered because of the things that I don’t have to do now.”
Lead journalist Chris Brown of the Buffalo Bills first broke the story, which can be seen here.
