TOUGHNESS IS JIM KELLY'S
TRADEMARK.
FORMER NFL QUARTERBACK WILL BE
THE FIRST TO TELL YOU THE
TOUGHEST PERSON HE HAS EVER MET
WAS HIS SON, HUNTER. IN 11
SEASONS WITH THE BUFFALO BILLS,
QUARTERBACK JIM KELLY TOOK HIS
TEAM TO FOUR CONSECUTIVE
SUPERBOWLS.
BY '97 HE WAS MARRIED AND A
DAUGHTER AND A BABY ON THE WAY.
WHEN HUNTER WAS TWO AREAS OLD,
HE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A FATAL
GENETIC DISEASE THAT EFFECTS THE
SYSTEM.
HUNT
HUNTER LIVED LONG ENOUGH TO SEE
HIS DAD INDUCTED INTO THE HALL
OF FAME.
TERRY: JIM KELLY HAS WRITTEN
A WONDERFUL BOOK CALLED PLAY
BOOK FOR DADS.
WELCOME TO THE "700 CLUB."
GREAT TO HAVE YOU HERE.
IT IS AN HONOR.
TERRY: TELL US ABOUT YOUR
SON, HUNTER.
A BOY BORN ON MY BIRTHDAY
VALENTINES DAY.
HIM BEING DIAGNOSED WITH A FATAL
DISEASE AND OF COURSE,
UNFORTUNATELY PASSED AWAY AT THE
AGE OF EIGHT.
WHAT I WAS ABLE TO WITNESS AND
SEE FIRSTHAND WITH MY WIFE JILL
HOW HE SUFFERED AND KEPT
FIGHTING BACK.
WHEN HE WOULD SUFFER FROM
PNEUMONIA 15-20 TIMES, HE WOULD
FIGHT BACK AND A TOUGHY.
JUST TO SEE WHAT HE WENT THROUGH
AND GET THROUGH THE OBSTACLES.
HOW HE ENCOURAGED ME AS A FATHER
AND HIS TWO SISTERS, WHEN THEY
STARTED ROUGH HOUSING, HOW HE
ACCEPTED IT AND SO WONDERFUL TO
SEE HOW HE WAS ABLE TO INTERACT
WITH HIS SISTERS.
JUST THE TOUGHNESS DAY IN AND
DAY OUT.
IT MAKES ME LOOK AND SAY I
WASN'T THAT TOUGH.
[LAUGHTER].
TERRY: I THINK WHEN YOU ARE
IN A SITUATION LIKE THAT,
ESPECIALLY PARENT WITH A CHILD,
I CAN THINK OF ANYTHING WORSE
THAN TO SEE YOUR CHILD SLOWLY,
SLOWLY GO THROUGH ALL OF THAT
PAIN AND COME TO A PLACE OF
DEATH, YOU LEARN THINGS THROUGH
THAT.
I LEARNED A LOT.
IT WAS HARD FOR ME.
HERE WAS A SON I DREAMT ABOUT
DOING WITH LIKE I DID WITH MY
DAD AND HIS SIX SONS AND MY
BROTHER AND HIS SON THAT WAS
BORN EIGHT DAYS BEFORE HUNTER.
THE GOALS AND DREAMS I HAD FOR
HIM, AT THE BEGINNING I WAS MAD
AT EVERYBODY THAT TOLD ME I WAS
A CHOSEN FATHER.
YOUR SON IS HERE FOR A REASON.
MY WIFE RAN TO THE LORD AND I
RAN AWAY.
I WAS MAD AT GOD AND ANYBODY
THAT TRIED TO CONVINCE ME THAT
WAS THE RIGHT PATH TO TAKE.
THAFRP THE THANKFULLY FOR THE
LORD, I FINALLY GOT IT.
ULTIMATE IS IF I WANT TO SEE HIM
AGAIN IF I DIDN'T CHANGE MY WAYS
I WOULD NEVER SEE HIM AGAIN.
WITH A DEVOTED WIFE JILL BEING
ABLE TO TEACH ME THE RIGHT
THINGS, IF I DIDN'T CHANGE MY
WAY, I WOULD NEVER GET TO SEE MY
SON AGAIN.
TERRY: YOU AND JILL WENT
THROUGH HARD TIMES CHRONICALLY
SICK SON AND THEN THE DEATH.
IT WAS TOUGH.
EARLY ON, DADDY COULDN'T DO
ANYTHING RIGHT.
I WAS ON THE ROAD A LOT.
I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT MY WIFE WENT
THROUGH.
I SAW WHAT HUNTER WAS GOING
THROUGH.
I WOULD COME HOME AND THREE OR
FOUR NURSES IN THE HOUSE.
THAT IS NOT WHEN I RETIRED, THAT
IS NOT WHAT I WANTED, WHAT I
THOUGHT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN WHEN
I GAVE UP THE GAME OF FOOTBALL.
I THOUGHT COME HOME, HAVE DINNER
AND PLAY WITH THE KIDS.
MY HOUSE WASN'T THE HOUSE I
THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE.
I WAS FORCED AWAY.
AFTER A WHILE, I KNEW IF I
DIDN'T START TREATING MY WIFE
THE WAY SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN
TREATED I WAS GOING TO LOSE
EVERYTHING.
I SPOKE ABOUT WANTING TO SEE MY
SON AGAIN.
PROBABLY ONE OF THE KICKERS, I
WANTED TO WALK THROUGH MY FRONT
DOOR AND HAVE MY TWO DAUGHTERS
ERIN AND CAMERON LOOK AT THEIR
DADDY WITH RESPECT.
IF I DIDN'T GIVE MYSELF TO THE
LORD THAT WASN'T GOING TO
HAPPEN.
I WANTED TO, I NEEDED IT.
I REMEMBER THE DAY LIKE IT WAS
YESTERDAY, I MET WITH PASTOR
GEORGE.
THAT WAS THE DAY I WAS GOING TO
GIVE MYSELF TO THE LORD.
WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT FREE AND I
HAVE HEARD THAT WORD USED A LOT
PRIOR TO, I KNOW WHAT IT MEANS
NOW.
WHEN I DECIDED THIS WAS THE PATH
I WANTED TO TAKE, EVERYTHING WAS
LIFTED OFF MY SHOULDERS, NO MORE
LYING.
I HAD SOMEONE I COULD TALK TO, I
COULD HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH
THE LORD, IT IS NOT ALWAYS
TALKING TO YOUR FRIENDS.
YOU NEED SOMEONE ELSE TO TALK
TO.
WHEN THAT HAPPENED, IT WAS LIKE
WOW, WHY DIDN'T I GET THIS
SOONER?
IT IS GOD'S PERFECT PLANNING.
[LAUGHTER].
TERRY: SOMETIMES IT IS SO
FUNNY.
IT REALLY IS.
PEOPLE LOOKED AT ME AS THE TOUGH
QUARTERBACK.
THERE IS NO WAY BUT YES, THERE
IS A WAY.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE SOMEBODY
THAT ALWAYS SUFFERS, YOU CAN BE
A TOUGH GUY, A FOOTBALL PLAYER
AND SEE THE LORD AND KNOW THE
MAGIC HE HAS AND WHAT HE CAN DO
FOR YOU.
NOT ONLY PERSONALLY IN THE
EVERYDAY LIFE BUT IN YOUR HEART.
NOW THOSE THINGS THAT YOU
HAVE LEARNED FROM HUNTER AND AS
THE LORD HAS BEEN LEADING AND
DIRECTING YOU, YOU ARE POURING
INTO THE LIVES OF OTHER KIDS.
I TRY.
ESPECIALLY IN THIS BOOK "PLAY
BOOK FOR DADS."
TO MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT,
THROUGHOUT YEARS OF HAVING A
FOOTBALL CAMP FOR KIDS AND
RAISED IN A FAMILY OF SIX BOYS
WITH MY FATHER AND THE VALUES
BEING ABLE TO SEE THE 25 YEARS
HOW KIDS DON'T APPRECIATE WHAT
THEY HAVE AND THE WORK ETHIC
ISN'T THERE ANYMORE.
EASY THINGS WE TOOK FOR GRANTED,
FIRM HAND SHAKE AND LOOKING AT
THE MAN IN THE EYE AND THE THANK
YOUS.
DON'T GET ME WRONG, THERE ARE
KIDS THAT STILL DO THAT.
TRUST MY, I AM NOT A PERFECT
FATHER.
THERE ARE A LOT OF KIDS THAT
HAVE GRABBED ME BY MY HAND, WHEN
THEY LEFT THEIR FINGERS WERE
HURTING.
MY FATHER TAUGHT HIS SIX SONS
FIRST SIGNS OF RESPECT IS WHEN
YOU GIVE THE MAN A FIRM HAND
SHAKE AND LOOK THEM IN THE EYE.
I LEARNED A LOT FROM MY FATHER.
IN MY SPIRITUAL LIFE, EVERYDAY
IS A LEARNING EXPERIENCE WITH MY
WIFE, JILL.
THAT IS AWESOME, YOU ARE
MAKING SUCH A DIFFERENCE IN THE
LIVES OF YOUR KIDS AND YOUR
BOOK.
I LOVE THE POIGNANT MESSAGES TO
HUNTER THAT BEGIN EVERY CHAPTER
AND END EACH CHAPTER WITH A
MESSAGE TO YOUR DAUGHTERS.
I AM A BIG OUTDOORSMAN.
MY SON HUNTER BESIDE ME.
I HELP OUT WITH MY TWO
DAUGHTER'S BASKETBALL.
TERRY: YOU ARE THE COACH.
KIDS SOMETIMES DON'T WANT TO
LISTEN TO DADDY.
MY DAUGHTER ERIN, DADDY KNOWS A
LITTLE BIT ABOUT BASKETBALL,
TOO.
SHE DOES LISTEN, KEEP LISTENING,
ERIN.
TERRY: "THE PLAY BOOK FOR
DADS."
IF YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT
HUNTER'S FOUNDATION, LOG ON TO
CBN.COM.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.