Jim Kelly has endured numerous battles throughout his life, both on and off the field. The Buffalo Bills legend led his team to multiple Super Bowls but never hoisted the Lombardi Trophy. He is deep-rooted in his beliefs and recently even joked about falling short of Super Bowls on the podcast when talking about faith.
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“But don’t you think God could at least got me one or two Super Bowls?” Kelly said before the couple laughed it off.
Kelly led the Bills to four straight Super Bowl appearances from 1990 to 1993. However, Buffalo came up short each time, first in Super Bowl XXV against the New York Giants, then in Super Bowl XXVI against Washington, followed by losses to the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII. So, it’s safe to assume that despite remaining faithful through numerous off-field battles, Kelly’s one complaint to God is that he never got the chance to lift the Lombardi.
Jim and Jill’s son was diagnosed with Krabbe disease shortly after his birth. Unfortunately, the disease took Hunter’s life on August 5, 2005, at the age of 8. As the tragedy struck, the Kelly family established a non-profit organization, Hunter’s Hope. And since then, both Jim and Jill, along with their daughters, have emphasized faith and god, especially during tougher times.
Kelly was diagnosed with Cancer back in 2013, with squamous cell carcinoma in his upper jaw. While he underwent surgery the same year, his cancer returned the very next year, and Kelly had to undergo radiation and chemotherapy treatment. Then, four years later in 2018, Kelly’s cancer returned one more time. Ultimately, the former Bills quarterback defeated the cancer.
Jim Kelly is now a cancer survivor. And that’s exactly why his wife believes that the many hardships he endured throughout his life have given people a reason to listen to him. Despite all the adversity, Kelly never lost his hope or faith. In fact, he later came to believe that everything he endured was part of a greater purpose: to become a source of strength and inspiration for others. And his wife, Jill, wholeheartedly agrees.
“You had an opportunity to speak your hope and all the experience that you’ve gone through and what God has done,” Jill said on her Immeasurably More Podcast. “That person’s life has changed. The ability to do that doesn’t come from you. It comes from God working through you and your story. And what’s amazing about that is it’s because you went through what you went through that people will listen to you. It’s because you went through cancer that people are like, ‘Wow, he went through all that, and he still has hope, and he trusts God.'”