Messages of #KellyTough return as former quarterback battles cancer again

Upon hearing the news that Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly's oral cancer had returned, prayers and messages of support flooded social media. The hashtag "Kelly Tough", which was widely used in 2014 when the former Buffalo Bill last battled cancer, returned through countless social media posts.

More than a dozen NFL teams and many players, both current and former, hopped on social media to stand behind Kelly.

Football is family. ✊️ #KellyTough pic.twitter.com/ymZ08rmmRg

— Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills) March 1, 2018

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Senator Charles Schumer also offered messages of support to Kelly.

So, it's no surprise many people in Western New York quickly went looking for #KellyTough wrist bands as a visible show of solidarity, just like they did in 2014. They turned to 26 Shirts, the company that sold the wrist bands before.

"As soon as the news broke yesterday, people started hitting the website," Del Reid, found of 26 Shirts, explained. "It's something that people can really use to rally around the family. I think the family uses it to express their fortitude that they have in the face of these obstacles."

Reid explains #KellyTough was started by the family and Jill Kelly helped design the original wrist bands.

On the back of each wrist band is Exodus 14:14, which reads: "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

The last wrist band was sold one month ago and Reid didn't plan on ordering any more. Now, however, he's bringing the wrist bands back.

"[The Kelly's] really are a group of people you can really look up to in terms of how they're able to take the bad that has come into their lives and use it for good," Reid said.

The sale of each wrist band will benefit Hunter's Hope. Here is a link to purchase a wrist band.

Hunter's Hope is a charity founded by Jim Kelly and his wife, Jill. It is "committed to giving hope through education and awareness, research, and family care for Krabbe, Leukodystrophies, and Newborn Screening". The charity is named after Kelly's son who passed away in 2005 after living with Krabbe Leukodystrophy for eight years.