Jim Kelly’s fight against cancer continues, but the Hall of Fame quarterback is still not willing to miss the enshrinement of his former teammate, wide receiver Andre Reed. Reed is being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the Class of 2014 on Saturday along with six other candidates.
Jim Kelly focused on seeing Andre Reed make Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Hall of Fame quarterback is determined to be there for his former Bills teammate despite his ongoing fight against cancer.
According to Jerry Sullivan of the Buffalo News, Kelly is gearing up for a number of activities in Canton, Ohio to celebrate Andre Reed and also toss the coin before the NFL's preseason opener between the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants.
“He’s pushing it,” Jim’s wife Jill Kelly said. “Don’t get me wrong. It’s not as if he’s all better and good to go. There’s still the looming test in August, the not knowing if treatments worked, the fact that he’s still on a feeding tube.
“His life is still in that place of uncertainty, not knowing really what’s going to happen with all of this. So he’s still beat down; he’s still tired, he still gets sick quite a bit. But he would not miss this for the world.”
Kelly’s family explains that during Reed’s visits, the former teammates would consistently reference Reed’s enshrinement and how much Kelly wanted to be there.
“It was a given that Jim was going to be at the Hall of Fame,” said Jill.
Kelly was diagnosed with cancer in his upper jaw in 2013 and underwent successful surgery in June. He was declared cancer-free later that month, but the cancer returned earlier this spring. Kelly finished chemotherapy in May.
Kelly and Reed were key offensive weapons for the Bills and their incredible run of four straight Super Bowl appearances. Kelly was immortalized himself in the Hall in 2002. The team also featured other Hall of Famers such as running back Thurman Thomas (2007) and defensive end Bruce Smith (2009).
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