2014 - Kelly Tough: ESPN Interview with Jim Kelly's Daughter and His Cancer Fight

last June Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly had part of his jaw removed when cancerous cells were found this March he learned cancer had returned and so Kelly endured chemotherapy and radiation but Kelly has something stronger than the medicine in him and it's rooted in his character the ability to remain Kelly tough and that mantra extends to his family who will be celebrating an especially poignant Father's Day today his 19 year old daughter Erin sat down with our chris burrman dad's lost a lot of his hair most of us here then again like some of us he didn't have that far right and you told them you were thinking about shaving your head the lady came in to shave his head the other day and I said dad if you want me to do it I will do it I said I will shave my head for you and he said no you don't have to do it but I wouldn't do it he's my dad of course I would do it but he he insisted he's like no you don't have to do it so I listened to him it must be kind of a shock a little bit to be his eldest daughter and see well this isn't the dad that I kind of have seen my whole life it's hard as his little girl you see him as this big tough guy but we've kind of had to be strong for him just taking on this and encouraging him through it it's hard but he's getting through it and he's being Kelly tough well his toughness has gotten him this far he'll always be his DNA and yours too absolutely Kelly toughness I've we've grown up saying Kelly tough I mean from playing basketball getting hurt he'd always be like Aaron you gotta be Kelly tough and I I took that and I was like okay you know he's my dad of course he's just gonna want me to be tough but I never really knew what it meant until I've seen him actually be weak but now I truly know what it means to find your strength and something other than yourself to find your strength and God when you know the doctors say that you know cancers back still smiles he still is he does and that makes it so much better for us my sister my mom and I just seeing him smile because there are days when he's down and out and there's rarely a smile rarely even words sometimes because he just it takes so much out of him just to talk and so those smiles are precious moments to us I know I could not have done this without family and friends you guys figure thank you guys go way to go but I know with you people my team there are people rooting for him that aren't really football fans he's transcended football a lot of people out there pulling here with the same faith in a different way than you guys I am completely overwhelmed with the amount of people who have come behind us through this just people tweeting me and Instagram and Facebook just saying you know I'm not a Bills fan but I'm a fan of your dad and we're praying for him and it's people we've never met but they just love my dad which being his daughter that makes me so proud to know that he's my dad and that just people look up to him and people look to him for strength Father's Day is here there's probably some different Understanding between the two of you your sister cam and dad to that okay no we're really together wrong reason right result I have an entirely new perspective on what Father's Day is I mean Father's Day would roll around when I was younger and I would you know make my own little homemade card but knowing this Father's Day that my dad has been fighting for his life the past few months and you just you have this whole new perspective on what Father's Day is actually about so Father's Day to me is just the most incredible blessing that just experiencing being his little girl and calling him my dad something you want to say to dad I just wanted to say that you are my hero and I love you so much and I'm so incredibly proud of you that through this entire journey you have found your strength in Christ alone and you have encouraged me in so many ways especially to be Kelly tough I love you so much daddy happy Father's Day as you saw in that piece in May Jim celebrated the end of his chemotherapy and radiation through a statement he released that same month he spoke of his battle against cancer and something else he's ready to fight for keeping his beloved Bill's who will be sold in Buffalo

Channel: USFL Forever

Views: 23,039

Rating: 4.9629631 out of 5

Keywords: ESPN, Chris Berman, Jim Kelly, Erin Kelly, Buffalo Bills, Cancer, radiation, Chemo, interview, SportsCenter, USFL, NFL, Quarterback, Houston Gamblers, Hall of Famer

Id: aZbqZ1Km7aU

Length: 5min 32sec (332 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 15 2014