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Hall of Famer Kelly lays son to rest
8-year-old Hunter James died Friday after fight with Krabbe disease
Don Heupel / AP
Jim Kelly, former Buffalo Bills quarterback, his wife, Jill and daughter, Camryn, 6, watch Hunter's casket being placed into the hearse.
HAMBURG, N.Y. - Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly and his wife laid to rest their son Tuesday with a promise to continue their fight against the disease that claimed his life. Hunter James Kelly died Friday at age 8 following a lifelong struggle with Krabbe disease, an inherited fatal nervous system disorder that takes most of its victims in their first two years. "We will not give up, back down or surrender until we have helped every family," Jill Kelly said in a recorded message to Hunter that played as family photographs flashed above a small green casket flanked by two tall stuffed giraffes. The Kellys, who didn't speak at the service, have publicly shared their private struggles with Hunter to raise awareness and research funds. They invited the public to Hunter's funeral, which they called a celebration of his life. More than 1,000 people filled the Wesleyan Church in this Buffalo suburb, including Jim Kelly's former Buffalo Bills teammates Bruce Smith, Thurman Thomas, Darryl Talley, Frank Reich, Steve Tasker and former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason. | |
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