Jim Kelly Cancer: Hall Of Fame QB Has ‘Very Good’ Prognosis

Football Hall of Fame legend Jim Kelley revealed that he has cancer recently, but added that his prognosis is “very good.”

The 53-year-old former Buffalo Bills quarterback revealed that he has been diagnosed with cancer in his upper jaw bone and will have surgery on June 7.

Jim Kelly’s cancer is specifically squamous cell carcinoma, for which he has recently undergone tests. The cancer is isolated in his jaw, and has not spread to other parts of his body.

”The past couple of weeks have been difficult for me,” he said. ”Because of the nature of social media, I thought it would be best to share with everyone what has been going on with my health.”

He made the announcement Monday morning just prior to the beginning of his Kelly for Kids charity’s annual celebrity golf tournament. Despite the worrisome news, Kelly said that he is expected to make a full recovery after his surgery.

”Doctors have told me that my prognosis for recovery is very good,” he added.

”I am extremely confident in my road to recovery,” Kelly said. ”I plan to tackle this challenge head on, as we Kellys always do, with toughness, perseverance and faith.”

Those who know Kelly personally are also hopeful that the QB, inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002, has what it takes to recover from his cancer. Former general manager of the Bills Bill Polian said that he is confident that Kelly will pull through.

”The first thought is you say a prayer that everything works out OK,” Polian said. ”Secondly, he didn’t earn a reputation as the toughest guy ever to play quarterback for no reason at all. So if anybody can overcome this, Jim can. He takes challenges head on.”

Former Bills receiver Andre Reed expressed similar sentiments.

”Jim’s a fighter. We think he’ll be OK. We’re all in his corner,” he said. “‘He’s such a resilient guy, and that’s been our motto forever, in whatever we did.”

”He’s got the support, and Jim will be OK,” he concluded.

Are your surprised by Jim Kelly’s cancer announcement?

[Image via: jetsrant]