is In the last several years, former Buffalo Bills great and Hall of Famer, Jim Kelly, has been working his way back from a couple of bouts with cancer—each time successfully fending off. He has been a huge inspiration with his continued battle with the disease that has fatally impacted millions of people across the globe.

In honor of his courageous will and perseverance over oral cancer despite it repeatedly returning, Kelly is scheduled to receive the Jimmy V Award at the ESPYs this summer, according to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk.

“Kelly announced at his charity golf tournament on Monday that he has been selected as the recipient of the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance. The award is named after the late Jim Valvano, who died of cancer less than two months after delivering a memorable speech at the ESPYs about never giving up the fight against the disease.”

It is quite a deserving award for Kelly given what he has gone through over the past several years that has truly changed his life. He has shown a unique personal fight to get through those difficult times that could have derailed him or worse possibly ended his life much sooner than he ever anticipated.

Kelly is still working his way through ongoing battle with oral cancer as he is expected to have another surgery on his mouth in June and will receive the award in July. He has already gone through multiple operations that included removing cancer from his upper jaw.

He becomes the second Bills players to receive this prestigious award as Kevin Everett got it back in 2008 after he relearned to walk after he suffered a spinal injury during the 2007 season. Nonetheless, this is a well-deserved honor for Kelly to receive in his push to topple the disease.