Football Hall of Famer Jim Kelly to Undergo Chemotherapy for Cancer Recurrence

Former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly has experienced a relapse of oral cancer that he had removed last June. Today, he begins a rigorous regimen of chemotherapy to fight the aggressive cancer.

Last June, Kelly had surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in his jaw, but now he has countless microscopic tumors in his brain, Peter King told Sports Illustrated. At only 54 years old, Kelly is already experiencing his second battle with cancer; his first bout left him with a prosthesis of six fake teeth and bone and a skin graft on the roof of his mouth.

The second time around, Kelly's cancer was harder to diagnose. He had been complaining about "massive headaches and migraines" and the doctors thought it could be from the jaw surgery that had him receive six root canals. Further scans revealed little tumors riding up the nerve leading to his brain.

However, Kelly's oncologist at the Lenox Hill Hospital in New York says that his condition is "very treatable and potentially curable" through several weeks of chemotherapy and radiations. Starting today, he will undergo chemotherapy Monday and Tuesday and then radiation on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Surgery is a risky option because if all of the cancer isn't removed, weeks could go by before chemo or radiation would be a possibility, which could allow it to further spread into his brain.

"There is no way I'd be here without my faith. It's been such a roller coaster. So many things. The Super Bowl losses, the fabulous career, my son born sick, making the Hall of Fame, my son dying, two plates and 10 screws in my back after major surgery, one plate and six screws in my neck after another surgery, a double hernia, the cancer, surgery on my jaw, the cancer coming back, now what I'm facing," Kelly said, via this NFL.com article.

Jim Kelly played for the Buffalo Bills from 1986-1996 and took them to four consecutive Super Bowls between 1990-1993, but did not win any of them. He is the only quarterback in the history of football to lead his team to four consecutive Super Bowls. He amassed a NFL record of 101 wins and 59 losses, throwing for 35,467 yards and 237 touchdowns. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002.

To read more about Jim Kelly and his current battle with cancer, visit the Monday Morning Quarterback website via Sports Illustrated.