Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly undergoes surgery, daughter reveals - 'I'm choosing to trust God'
Former Buffalo Bills great Jim Kelly was admitted to a Buffalo hospital and underwent surgery to have his gallbladder removed.
Kelly’s daughter, Erin Kelly-Bean, announced the news on social media Friday night.
She also revealed that her mother and Jim’s wife, Jill, was in the same hospital — recovering from pneumonia in the room next to Jim’s.
As of Saturday morning, Jim is now out of the hospital but his wife remains there. Jim posted on Instagram that he was leaving the hospital for a while to participate in the Hunter’s Day of Hope 20th year celebration.
“I don’t get it but have to continue praying as Jill still needs all our prayers,” he wrote. “I’m out and heading to Hunters Day of Hope for children for a few minutes today to visit with some kids that have it alot worse then we do. GOD bless our day.”
Hunter’s Day of Hope was created in honor of Jim’s son, Hunter, who was diagnosed with Krabbe disease shortly after his birth and died from it in 2005 at the age of 8.
Earlier in the week, Kelly was in Minneapolis for various Super Bowl events, visiting with old friends and teammates.
He wasn’t shy in his support for the Eagles; Philadelphia’s offensive coordinator is Frank Reich, who was Kelly’s longtime backup in Buffalo.
It’s been a rough past few years for Kelly with various stays in the hospital.
In 2013, he was diagnosed with cancer in his upper jaw. About a month after undergoing surgery, he was declared cancer-free.
But a follow-up test eight months later revealed that Kelly’s cancer had returned, and he began radiation and chemotherapy. In August 2014, doctors said they could no longer find evidence of the cancer in Kelly’s jaw.
Just three months later, Kelly announced that he had contracted MRSA. Thankfully a few weeks later he had recovered from the infection.
The former Miami Hurricane played all 13 of his NFL seasons with the Buffalo Bills and was a five-time Pro Bowler. His Bills were one of the first teams to utilize the no-huddle offense, which they nicknamed the K-Gun.
The Bills are the only team to make four straight Super Bowls, all of which ended in defeat. Kelly is the only quarterback to lose four Super Bowls, although Tom Brady is now one loss away from tying him.
Kelly was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2002. He is one of eight Bills players, coaches or executives from those four Super Bowl teams to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
Kelly’s nephew, Chad Kelly, is a backup quarterback with the Denver Broncos. He spent his 2017 rookie season on injured reserve as he recovered from offseason knee and wrist surgery.
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