Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Kelly suffered a stroke earlier this year, he revealed during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Buffalo Bills’ new stadium on Tuesday, June 23.
“I spent a few days in the hospital, but right now I feel good,” Kelly, 66, said, according to WGRZ’s Kim DeGeorge. “Eyesight’s not great. My hearing still sucks, but that’s part of life. It’s part of getting old, but I feel really good. Scans have been clean and all. Everything’s good, all good.”
Kelly added that he feels “very blessed.”
“It’s been about a month and a half since my setback, but I feel pretty good,” he said. “I feel good. I can’t wait for the first [Bills] game.”
This wasn’t the first health scare that Kelly has dealt with during his retirement. In 2013, he had surgery to remove squamous cell carcinoma of the upper jawbone. The next year, he underwent chemotherapy to treat cancer found in his maxillary sinus. Kelly then had additional surgeries in 2018 to remove oral cancer and reconstruct his upper jaw.
The former quarterback played 11 seasons in the NFL, all with the Bills, from 1986 to 1996. Kelly is one of only three players to have his number retired by the franchise and he was added to the Bills’ Wall of Fame in 2001, one year before his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction.
Despite his most recent health scare, Kelly remained focused on the Bills as he helped open Highmark Stadium on Tuesday.
“What a special day celebrating the Buffalo Bills Inaugural Season Ribbon Cutting Ceremony,” he wrote via Instagram alongside a photo of him posing in the stands. “Seeing the excitement around this new chapter for Buffalo brought back a lot of great memories.”
He continued, “Can’t wait for the home opener against the Lions and to hear Bills Mafia loud and proud once again. There’s nothing like football season in Buffalo — the energy, the fans, and that feeling when the stadium comes alive.”
Jim also shared a photo with his daughter Camryn, who came along to the ceremony and was celebrating her birthday.
“Happy Birthday, Camryn!” he wrote in the caption. “I don’t always have the right words, and they don’t always come out the way I hope, but I love you more than you’ll ever know. You’re always going to be the baby of the family and as your dad I will always want to protect you and take care of you.”
Jim and his wife Jill also share daughter Erin. Their late son, Hunter, died in 2005 at age after a battle with Krabbe leukodystrophy, a disease that affects the nervous system. The couple founded Hunter’s Hope Foundation in 1997 in his honor.
