On January 2 in the first quarter of an NFL game between the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals; Bills safety Damar Hamlin made a tackle and promptly collapsed on the field. While it wasn’t known at the time Hamlin’s heart had stopped, and as a stadium filled with fans and millions of fans watched on television, the nation’s heart collectively stopped awaiting news about Hamlin and any potential injury.
Seeing footballs players collapse on the playing field is nothing new to long time fans, that Monday night in January somehow felt different.
Players and staff stood, kneeled, and prayed as they awaited news on Hamlin. It would be 20 minutes before Hamlin was loaded into an ambulance and taken to the hospital.
Despite having playoff implications, the NFL cancelled the remainder of the game with no plans to reschedule.
A week later, Hamlin was out of the hospital and back home in Buffalo but his football future was still very much up in the air.
In the succeeding weeks and months, Hamlin made numerous appearances promoting CPR training, raising money for his charity, meeting with President Biden, and making an appearance on “Sesame Street” night on “The Masked Singer” with his little brother Tamir.
On April 18, the Buffalo Bills and Hamlin revealed that Hamlin has been medically cleared to return to football. At a press conference Hamlin noted that his heart is “still in the game”. He added, “this was a life-changing event, but it’s not the end of my story. I plan on making a comeback to the NFL.”
He also noted nor does he take a minute forgranted saying “the ‘wow’ moment is every day just being able to wake up and just take deep breaths and live a peaceful life, to have a family and people that are around me that love me. They almost lost me. Like I died on national TV, you know what I mean? So that right there is the biggest blessing of it all, for me to still have my people, and my people still have me.”
Hamlin is beginning to participate in volunteer workouts with the Bills.
Hamlin met with three different specialists before he was cleared to play again; with all of them agreeing that there would be no setbacks or complications from his medical incident.
After Hamlin collapsed on the field, there was a great deal of speculation and “theories” as to what caused the collapse. At the press conference Hamlin revealed that the cardiac arrest was caused by commotio cordis – “a direct blow at a specific point in a heartbeat.”
Hamlin’s teammates were happy to see him back at the facility; fellow safety Micah Hyde spoke on Hamlin saying, “D-Ham is a special person, a beautiful soul. I look up to him, especially how he’s bounced back after facing adversity. A little scary. But to see him well and in the building and move around a little bit, it gives you a little energy.”
Hamlin was watching a game form his hospital bed when he realized that he wasn’t ready to give up the game yet.
Feature photo credit: uffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is seen outside the U.S. Capitol before a news conference on the Access to AEDs Act, which aims improve access to defibrillators in schools, on Wednesday, March 29, 2023.