Today, Jim Kelly is the winningest quarterback in NFL history.
Multiple media outlets reported that the 54-year-old Hall of Fame quarterback, who was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma since 2013, was diagnosed as cancer-free.
According to NFL.com, Kelly had a portion of his jaw removed during the initial treatment for cancer. The cancer, however, reappeared in 2014, and Kelly aggressively battled the cancer with chemotherapy and radiation treatments in New York City and Buffalo.
NFL.com reported that Kelly underwent a series of biopsies in New York City on Aug. 29. Dr. Peter Costantino, the Chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Lenox Hill Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital, informed Kelly that the cancer is gone.
Jim Kelly admits he is praying for a miracle
"This is some of the greatest news I've ever gotten," said Kelly. "It's been a long road, and I'm still not back to one hundred percent, but I have a lot to be thankful for."
ESPN.com reported that initial tests taken last month after Kelly completed the chemotherapy and radiation treatments in the spring, showed no evidence of cancer in his jaw. But his doctors needed biopsies on other areas of his jaw.
"I am so thankful for the support and prayers of my family, my friends near and far, and everyone in Western New York and throughout the country through my illness. I also want to thank the medical specialists who have done such amazing work," Kelly said. "Most of all, I want to thank God. Without my faith and God's constant presence, there would be no such thing as 'Kelly Tough.' "
Last month, ESPN reported on Kelly's condition, in which it recorded portions of Kelly and his family as he battled the cancer. Kelly said in the heart-wrenching report that he had no taste buds, no saliva and no feeling in the left side of his face.
The chemotherapy had forced him to vomit continuously "every 10 or 15 minutes for 10 consecutive days," Jim's brother, Dan, said in the report.
But Kelly, who took the Buffalo Bills to four consecutive Super Bowls from 1991-94 but never won the game, has defeated something far bigger.
How much more of a fan are you now of Jim Kelly than you were when he played in the NFL? Comment below or tell us @SportsWN.
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