It was pleasing to hear that Jim Kelly’s oral cancer surgery was successful roughly a week ago. Success is nothing new to the man, as he has had triumphs far greater than that of the common quarterback.
Among other things, Kelly was a first-round pick, USFL MVP, first-team All-Pro and a five-time Pro Bowler. He appeared in five AFC Championships, winning four of them. Most impressively from his playing days, though, is that he’s a first ballot Hall of Famer.
There are many a talented folk who’ve played in the NFL that don’t have the same bullet points as Kelly on their resume, and he has said, he’s a blessed man. That said, it’s the trials and tribulations that he’s gone through that continue to test him to this day.
Despite the success he has had, Kelly has had a tough life. No one would question his toughness — we all know “Kelly Tough” is the way to do it. But why does life seem to be testing this man so roughly?…show more content… Wasn’t taking hard hits from players like Reggie White and Lawrence Taylor enough? Wasn’t losing four straight Super Bowls enough? How about getting knocked unconscious in his final game, which was a playoff loss? That is his on-field career; his life off the field has been even tougher.
In 1997, his son was diagnosed with a disease so rare that doctors informed him his child wouldn’t make it past his third birthday. Did Kelly quit? Hell no! He turned right around and formed a charity dedicated to his son’s memory, who lived to eight years old, and the betterment of others. It’s impossible to think of anything more devastating to a human being than burying his or her own child.
One would think the tough times would stop there, but there’s more. Shortly after undergoing surgery for his first bout with cancer in 2013, Kelly announced that he was cancer-free and became a living legend for the toughness he displayed during the ordeal. Now that his cancer has returned for a third time, hasn’t he been through enough
