Jim Kelly underwent a 12-hour surgery Wednesday to remove cancer from his body, and Dr. Mark Urken called the procedure a success.
The Head and Neck Surgeon at Mount Sinai West, Urken released a statement to WKBW in Buffalo.
“We successfully removed Mr. Kelly’s cancer from his upper jaw and lymph nodes from his neck. We then reconstructed his upper jaw. Mr. Kelly is resting comfortably post-operatively.”
Per ESPN’s Mike Rodak, the surgery involved taking part of his fibula and blood vessels from Kelly’s leg to rebuild his upper jaw.
Kelly’s wife also shared a message on Instagram, saying the former Bills quarterback has a “long road ahead” but shared that, by faith, they don’t walk alone.
At the beginning of the month, Kelly had announced the surgery returned after three years of remission.