Former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly has been free of the cancer that has cost him part of his upper jaw for the past year and a half, his daughter says.
Erin Kelly made the announcement on Twitter on Tuesday morning.
Kelly, 54, was first diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in his upper jaw on June 3, 2013. He underwent surgery four days later. He told news outlets not long after the surgery that he was declared cancer-free.
However, the cancer returned less than a year later. He underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatment.
In August 2014, doctors again declared him cancer-free. But less than three months later, Kelly announced that he had developed Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection in his bones.
The antibiotic-resistant infection is sometimes spread in hospitals, where people with weakened immune systems can be at risk. The infection could become life-threatening if it does not respond to treatment.
The infection was treated and cleared up within a few weeks.
Kelly’s latest all-clear comes after he underwent medical tests in New York City.
Kelly led the Buffalo Bills to four consecutive Super Bowl appearances in the early 1990s. But the team failed to win a single NFL title. He also led the Bills to six divisional championships between 1988 and 1995.
Kelly retired after the 1996 season. He spent 11 seasons guiding the Bills’ offence. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Aug. 2, 2002.
Kelly’s nephew, Chad Kelly, is the starting quarterback at the University of Mississippi.
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