NFL legend and cancer survivor Jim Kelly finished his final round of radiation treatments on Wednesday, and received a hero's welcome when he left the hospital.
Kelly, who was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the upper jaw bone last year, celebrated with well-wishers as he left the Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) in Buffalo, New York.
The hospital's exit walkway was lined on both sides with people wearing "Kelly Tough" t-shirts, and clapping and cheering for the former Bills star.
The NFL Hall of Famer high-fived each of them, then wiped tears from his eyes. In a hoarse voice, he thanked them for their support.
"I know I could not have done this without family and friends," he began, "and you guys have been there from day one.
"I've got a long way to go, but I know that with you people on my team, I'll be here for many, many more years, and many, many more parties and gatherings. Thank you, guys."
Kelly, 54, finished chemotherapy on May 20. His wife, Jill, thanked God for making it through the grueling treatments.
"Jim is DONE with chemotherapy!" she wrote on Instagram.
"No weapon formed against us shall prosper... (Isaiah 54:17) #prayersforJKFollow."
Jill also thanked the Lord following the last radiation treatment.
"IT IS FINISHED! GLORY TO GOD!!!! DONE! THANK YOU FOR PRAYING! #prayersforJK #kellytough," she wrote.
There has been an outpouring of support from people across the country for Kelly in his cancer battle.
"Shout out for #JimKelly being done with chemo! Woo-woo!! #PrayersForJK," Angela Davis of Atlanta tweeted.
"God Bless you JimBo!" David Fleming of Sherman Oaks, California shared on Facebook.
ECMC nurses created a poster expressing admiration for the former quarterback.
"Thanks for showing us what Kelly Tough really means," they wrote. The poster was decorated with a Buffalo Bills helmet and Kelly's former uniform number, 12.
Kelly spent 11 seasons with the Bills and led them to four consecutive Super Bowl appearances in the early 1990s, only to lose them all. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002.
