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Jim Kelly, the Hall of Fame quarterback who led the Buffalo Bills to four consecutive Super Bowl appearances in the 1990s, announced on Thursday that he had again received a diagnosis of cancer.
“The oral cancer we hoped would be gone forever has returned,” Kelly said in a statement released by the Bills. “Although I was shocked and deeply saddened to receive this news, I know that God is with me.”
The team added a statement of its own, saying, “We are deeply saddened to hear about Jim Kelly and his impending battle with cancer. Jim is a tough and courageous man and we know he will fight this battle with strength and determination.”
Kelly, 58, was previously diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in his upper jaw in 2013. He was declared to be cancer-free following surgery but had a recurrence that required treatment through radiation and chemotherapy. Before Thursday’s announcement, he had been believed to be free of cancer since September 2014.
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After his first experience with cancer, Kelly discussed the lingering effects from the disease and treatment, including difficulty in speaking, the inability to produce saliva and an inability to taste food.
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Kelly’s family was open about the latest diagnosis, with his wife, Jill, and one his daughters, Erin Kelly-Bean, discussing it on Instagram.
No matter how many successful surgeries are performed or how much chemo is pumped into the body, or how many tests come back negative, or how many days life becomes normal again, or how many prayers are answered, cancer rarely surrenders and never disappears for good.
Even survivors who whipped the disease and returned to full health would concede it remains in the mind long after it's removed from the body. It stays in the backdrop while stalking its victims, waking up with them in the morning and going to sleep with them at night, deviously waiting to strike without ever truly going away.
Jim Kelly knew as much.
Oral cancer didn't get the message the first time it challenged the Hall of Fame quarterback. The disease that attempted to kill him five years ago, and instead revealed his character and toughness, has demanded a rematch with Buffalo's beloved adopted son. Apparently, cancer doesn't like losing, either.
Kelly's statement Thursday announcing the disease had returned took our breath away much the way it did in 2013, when he was initially diagnosed, but it was less shocking this time around. Cancer doesn't get intimidated by the name of the opponent or the ferocity in which he fights. It doesn't care about its previous won-loss record.
If it did, it would choose someone else.
"As our family has faced many trials and triumphs throughout the years, you have blessed us with your prayers. We are asking for those prayers once again," Kelly said. "Although I was shocked and deeply saddened to receive this news, I know that God is with me. I continuously talk about the four F's: Faith, Family, Friends and Fans. With all of you by my side, we will fight and win this battle together."
It’s important to note that Kelly didn't mention another F – football – which explains where the game belongs in the grand scheme of life. Football is the reason for his celebrity, but it never was the reason for his existence. After all the touchdown passes and great moments on the field, he ultimately realized his calling was helping people. Now, he needs people praying for him.
Betting against him would be foolhardy, by the way. Kelly was knocked down and dragged around more times than he could count but kept getting up for more. At age 58, he has the same fervor he had at age 18, when he left East Brady, Pa., for Miami, or age 30, when he lost his first Super Bowl, or age 44, when he lost his son.
[From the archives: Kelly toughs it out as he battles cancer]
Cancer has returned because that's what it does. Just know that Kelly will be back for another challenge because that's what he does. That much hasn't changed for as long as anyone has known him. He's Exhibit A when talking about strength of the human spirit. His stubbornness will serve him well again.
Friends and family who have supported him throughout his life and fans who were behind him for more than 30 years will be there again, too, because that's what they do. His family for years has talked about being "Kelly Tough," but for him it was never a catchy slogan so much as his daily existence.
None of this made the latest news any easier, of course. Kelly must have been devastated when hearing the diagnosis after years of living cancer free. It would test anybody's resolve, even an eternal optimist like him, after all the surgeries, feeding tubes, chemotherapy, pain and God knows what else. But knowing him, he'll keep battling.
You wonder how much one man can tolerate until you remember that you're talking about this man. Kelly has persevered through so much adversity, in so many ways, that it's difficult to imagine him surrendering this time around. The cold, harsh reality is that we don't know while people #PrayForJK. He could beat cancer again. He could be living on bonus time.
Kelly and the people around him should take comfort in what was gained in the five years since cancer first threatened to take him away. He inspired thousands of others battling the disease, showing how the power of faith, when combined with family and friends, can put up a hell of a fight.
He was able to see his daughter, Erin, write a best-selling book and graduate from college before he walked her down the aisle on her wedding day. He was there when his younger daughter, Camryn, graduated from high school and left for college. He was there when his father passed away.
Rather than concentrate on the suffering he endured and time spent while battling cancer, Kelly often emphasized how the disease made him a better husband and father and a better human being overall. He has loaned his name and used his fame to raise millions of dollars for charities in the fight against cancer and other diseases, especially those affecting kids.
Rest assured he found peace as a cancer survivor, knowing darn well it also could return and challenge him again, the way it often does. If the disease ultimately wins, he can rest in peace knowing cancer will not be waiting for him when he wakes up in the morning and goes to bed at night, that cancer will not follow him to heaven.
With the return of cancer once again, Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly confronts a potentially challenging medical path ahead of him.
But with the limited specifics available about his latest diagnosis, it is difficult to know what his treatment or prognosis might be.
Experts say that among the issues that will likely be assessed by Kelly and his medical team include whether a tumor is in the same area as before or in a new location, the stage of the tumor, whether it can be surgically removed, what other therapies remain options for treatment, the potential complications of treatments and what is the patient's overall physical health.
"It's unfortunate when there is a cancer recurrence, but it is not necessarily terminal," said Dr. Wesley Hicks Jr., chairman of the department of head and neck/plastic and reconstructive surgery at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.
"All cancer is a challenge, whether it is the first diagnosis or a recurrence. And the recurrence isn't necessarily more challenging. You have to consider all the factors involved in each case," he said.
One positive sign, for instance, is that Kelly has gone four years since his last recurrence in 2014.
The former Buffalo Bills quarterback issued a statement Thursday announcing that his cancer had returned.
"As our family has faced many trials and triumphs throughout the years, you have blessed us with your prayers. We are asking for those prayers once again," he announced.
"The oral cancer we hoped would be gone forever has returned. Although I was shocked and deeply saddened to receive this news, I know that God is with me. I continuously talk about the four F's: Faith, Family, Friends and Fans. With all of you by my side, we will fight and win this battle together. Staying “Kelly Tough” and trusting God will carry us through this difficult time."
News of the recurrence comes shortly before Kelly is to be honored Saturday in Milwaukee by the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation at its 28th Award of Excellence Dinner Ball. The foundation raises funds to support cancer research, prevention and care. Kelly is scheduled to speak at the event.
In an Instagram post, Kelly's wife, Jill, wrote, "The cancer is back. We are shocked, heartbroken, sad, angry, confused and just darn tired."
Kelly, 58, was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma isolated to his upper jaw in June 2013. Doctors at Erie County Medical Center removed part of the upper jaw, part of the roof of his mouth and numerous teeth.
"The ECMC family sends its affection and thoughts to Jim Kelly and his family. He has always shown ECMC and our entire community what it means to be "Kelly Tough," and we will all be at his side as he shows us again," hospital officials said in a statement.
In March 2014, Kelly's cancer came back, having spread to his maxillary sinus cavity and adjacent tissues. After radiation and chemotherapy, Kelly announced in August that year that he was once again cancer-free.
Cancers of the oral cavity may involve bone, teeth, muscle, nerves, blood vessels, saliva glands, and the specialized lining called mucosa. By far, the most common cancer of the oral cavity is squamous cell carcinoma, and it arises from the lining of the inside the mouth, the nose, and the throat, according to the National Cancer Institute.
In recurrent oral cancer, doctors generally will put all the treatment options on the table, although radiation might be excluded if it was used in the past, depending on the circumstances, Hicks said.
Citing the progress in treatment and survival he has witnessed during his career, Hicks stressed that it's important to maintain an attitude of hope and optimism. That's especially true for distraught patients and their families when cancer comes back.
"The first goal is a cure with quality of life," he said. "I feel there is always something that can be done."
Tobacco use is the main risk factor for oral cancers. Kelly was not a smoker or tobacco chewer.
“Luck of the draw,” he said in a 2013 interview when first diagnosed with cancer. “Bad luck. I don’t know what you want to call it."
News Sports Reporters Jay Skurski and Vic Carucci contributed to this story.
Jim Kelly is facing another battle with cancer. (Bill Wippert/Associated Press)
Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly announced Thursday that he is fighting oral cancer for the third time.
“As our family has faced many trials and triumphs throughout the years, you have blessed us with your prayers. We are asking for those prayers again,” Kelly, 58, said in a statement. “The oral cancer we hoped would be gone forever has returned. Although I was shocked and deeply saddened to receive this news, I know that God is with me. I continuously talk about the four F’s. Faith, Family, Friends and Fans. With all of you by my side, we will fight and win this battle together. Staying ‘Kelly Tough’ and trusting God will carry us though this difficult time.”
In June 2013, Kelly had surgery to remove cancerous cells in his upper jaw, with doctors installing a prosthesis to replace the teeth and bone removed during the surgery. Nine months later, he announced that the cancer had returned and had aggressively spread to his brain. He underwent months of treatment, including chemotherapy, that removed the cancerous cells.
The Bills released a statement Thursday:
Team statement on Jim Kelly. pic.twitter.com/dKMQOijf2E — Buffalo Bills PR (@BuffaloBillsPR) March 1, 2018
After leading the Bills to four consecutive Super Bowls over his 11-year NFL career, Kelly was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002, his first year of eligibility.
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