Just days after oral surgery, Jim Kelly already hosting youth camp
Buffalo Bills and University of Miami legend Jim Kelly is one of the most beloved figures in professional sports for a myriad of reasons.
For Bills fans, Kelly represented the last era of consistent winning.
For sports fans not from western New York, Kelly was always an honest and hard-working athlete who’s constantly given back to his community.
In essence, Kelly represented the platonic ideal of what a retired star athlete should be.
For those reasons, and many more, the sports world has been sending support to Kelly as his ongoing battles with oral cancer raged on.
The latest update with his oral cancer happened last week when he underwent surgery to add tissue into the upper portion of his mouth following a return of his cancer.
Five implants were put into Kelly’s upper jaw during the course of the surgery. The initial procedure to remove a cancer cell and reconstruct his jaw was a 12-hour procedure that happened in March.
In short, it was not a minor procedure.
Yet despite the harrowing nature of the surgery, it wasn’t enough to keep Kelly from hosting his 31st annual youth football camp at the Buffalo Bills’ New Era Field on Monday, just three days after his surgery.
Jim Kelly Football Camp is underway. #12 was having a blast with the kids! @WGRZ @JimKelly1212 @buffalobills pic.twitter.com/ELASfBMHJb
— Mike Luksch (@michaelluksch) June 25, 2018
“This is my life,” Kelly told the Buffalo News in his first public comments since his latest surgery. “This is why I do it. If you don’t love it doing it for 31 years, then something is wrong with you. My heart is in it.”
Even though he was recovering, Kelly wasn’t content with just idly standing by during the camp either.
“I knew I’d be here, but I didn’t know how much I would participate,” Kelly said. “The only part for me (that’s hard) to do a lot of is talking. My upper jaw is completely covered in stitches. But I’ve been hit after games and I was a lot sorer. It’s all good.”
“It seems like every year I’m sore three or four times for a period of time,” said Kelly. “It is what it is. I just keep fighting, and hopefully one day I’ll be able to walk out of my front door and feel good.”
Kelly, who is no stranger to wearing his faith on his sleeve, cited the hope he has despite the reoccurring cancer.
“I’ve got a lot of things on my plate that I want to do and I can’t do them when I’m in this state,” Kelly said. “But I’m going to keep working. The Good Lord is the only one who knows what the outcome is going to be for what I’m about to do, for what I’m about to go through. I still have a few more surgeries to come, and I take it one day at a time.”
Kelly is also scheduled to receive the Jimmy V Award at the ESPY awards in July. Following that, Kelly also revealed that he’s slated for more oral surgery in August and September.
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