Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelley said Monday he is cancer-free according to BuffaloBills.com. He added he won’t be requiring chemotherapy or radiation following surgery to take away a portion of his jawbone where cancer was found.
"I found out great news on Wednesday," said Kelly prior to the opening of the 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 [about] everything that they did in surgery, if I had to do radiation or chemo it would put me way back."
“I never thought I’d be saying cancer. I never thought the ‘C’ word would become part of my vocabulary. But it is what has happened to me and the ups and downs of my life. I’m already on the way back up,” the Buffalo Bills great added.
The left portion of Kelly’s jaw was removed in addition to all of his teeth on the left side and some teeth in the front. He was able to replace the removed skin with a skin graft which required tissue from his leg.
According to Kelly the hardest part of the procedure has been dealing with the soreness—this coming from a man who has been through neck, hernia and back surgeries within the past few years.
“The worst part about my cancer is it’s right here in the area of my mouth,” Kelly said. “They had to remove most of my jaw on my left side. It’s very, very sore, but it takes time. I know when you have knee surgery or shoulder surgery it’s sore for a small period of time and rehab and everything is good and you just take your time. This is just constant pain for now, but it’s a small price to pay for where I’ll be later on down the road.”
The Hall of Famer thanked everyone for their support especially those in the Western New York area.
“I want to thank personally everybody from this area,” Kelly said. “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.
