Jim Kelly Says He Suffered a Stroke and Is Feeling 'Good'
The Hall of Fame Bills quarterback, who has faced down cancer more than once, shared an update on his health and his familiar message of perseverance.
Jim Kelly, the Hall of Fame quarterback who carried the Buffalo Bills to four straight Super Bowls, revealed this week that he recently suffered a stroke. True to form, the 66-year-old framed the news with the same toughness that has defined his life on and off the field. Kelly said the stroke happened about a month and a half ago and that he is now feeling good. For a man Bills fans have watched battle one health scare after another, it was another update delivered with characteristic grit and gratitude.
What did Jim Kelly say about the stroke?
Kelly described the stroke as a setback rather than a defeat. "I had a little setback about a month and a half ago. But right now, I feel good," he said. He acknowledged some lingering effects without dwelling on them, noting, "Eyesight's not great. My hearing still sucks, but that's part of life." When the subject turned to his recent medical scans, he kept it short and hopeful: "Everything's good. All good." The tone was steady and even light, the same way Kelly has met so many of the challenges that have come his way.
How does this fit into Jim Kelly's long health history?
Kelly has endured a series of serious medical battles over the past decade-plus, and Bills fans have walked through each one with him. In 2013 he underwent surgery for squamous cell carcinoma in his upper jawbone. The following year he went through chemotherapy for cancer in his maxillary sinus, and in 2018 he had surgeries to remove oral cancer and reconstruct his upper jaw. His resilience through those fights led the ESPYs to honor him with the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance in 2018. A stroke is a new and different challenge, but it lands on someone who has shown again and again how he responds to hard news.
Why does Jim Kelly mean so much to Buffalo?
Kelly is one of the most beloved figures in Buffalo Bills history, and his bond with western New York runs far deeper than statistics. He quarterbacked the Bills from 1986 to 1996 and led the team to four consecutive Super Bowl appearances from the 1990 through 1993 seasons, a run no other franchise has matched. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002 in his first year of eligibility. Beyond the trophies and records, it is his willingness to keep showing up and keep fighting that has made him a symbol of strength for a city that takes its football, and its own, personally. This latest update is one more reason the community will be pulling for him.
Sources
- ESPN: Bills great Jim Kelly says he recently had stroke but feels 'good'
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