Jim Kelly shows true grit, refuses to cancel 9th annual clinic in midst of cancer battle
Cancer may yet take Jim Kelly, but it is not going to do so without a truly monumental fight.
Kelly, ravaged by oral cancer and four months removed from reconstructive surgery on his upper jaw, is getting right back down to business.
At St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, New York, the former Buffalo Bills star is set to hold his ninth annual Jim Kelly Football Clinic on Tuesday, living his life to the fullest and doing work.
The one-day camp allows kids to learn football fundamentals from a Pro Football Hall of Fame honoree and four-time AFC champion quarterback.
It also lets a true legend of Western New York connect with a generation of young fans who might not have been born when Kelly was slinging the football around on Sundays in the NFL but whose parents watched the happiest days in Buffalo sports history during their own sporting formative years.
“I’m excited for the clinic in Rochester following another success at our Jim Kelly Camp in Orchard Park,” Kelly said via WHAM-TV in Rochester. “The Buffalo Bills organization has been supportive throughout my time running these camps and we are truly appreciative for our relationship with them. Our camp is a positive environment where many lessons are learned and friendships made for a range of kids, and where they can learn the fundamentals of the game. I love doing these camps because my heart is in it.”
Kelly had surgery on his jaw on March 28 in New York City, finally being released from the hospital on April 14.
He was initially diagnosed with cancer in 2013, had surgery shortly thereafter, and things took a turn for the worse.
In 2014, it was discovered that the cancer had metastasized to his nasal cavities; more surgery ensued to keep the disease from spreading further afield in his body.
He was declared cancer-free in 2016, but the reprieve was temporary; the disease stormed back with a vengeance earlier this year.
With luck, hope and prayers, the Kelly family hopes that this time the victory against the disease is a more complete one.
Kelly has been able to start eating solid food again this week, according to USA Today: He’s had some scrambled eggs as he tries to regain the 51 pounds he’s lost.
In the meantime, he will receive the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the ESPYs, serving as an inspiration for all those praying for his family.
Kelly’s statement in June upon his nomination for the award speaks volumes.
“As people out there know, when you have cancer, you never know what tomorrow holds,” Kelly said. “When I was diagnosed for the first time, it scares you. Second time, even more. Third time, I don’t even worry anymore. It is what it is. If it comes back, it comes back.”
But for now, there’s football to be played.
Not NFL football, of course. But football with young kids who will get to learn the basics of the sport from a true all-time great both on and off the field.
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