Damar Hamlin created his first public statement on Saturday after Buffalo Bills safety went into cardiac arrest following an on-field collision during Monday night’s since-cancelled game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
“If you put real love into the world, you get three times as much in return,” he posted on Instagram on Saturday. “The love has been overwhelming, but I am thankful for every single person who has prayed for me and reached out. Behind this we have brought the world together again. If you know me, you know that this only way makes me stronger. On a long road keep praying for me! #3 strong”
Since the terrifying incident on the field on Jan. 2, Hamlin has been under the care of doctors at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where his prognosis has steadily improved; on Thursday, the team announced that he had shown “remarkable improvement in the past 24 hours” and that he was “neurologically intact”.
After initially communicating via a writing board — his first question reportedly was whether the Bills had won the game — the team announced on Friday that “Damar’s breathing tube had been removed overnight. He continues to make remarkable progress in his recovery. His neurological function remains intact and he has been able to talk to his family and care team.”
On Friday, Hamlin communicated with his teammates via FaceTime before addressing the concerned crowd, days after many saw him collapse on the field after colliding with Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins. Though Hamlin bounced back to his feet, after a few steps he slumped back onto the turf. An umpire whistled for the clock to stop with 5:58 left in the first quarter.
Medical personnel and local paramedics rushed to the motionless player and administered CPR to restore Hamlin’s heartbeat before he was transported to hospital in an ambulance about 16 minutes later.
After a long delay, the Monday night game was suspended and finally canceled by the NFL Thursday.
Prayers for Hamlin flooded social media after his on-field collapse, and donations to his holiday fundraiser — a toy drive promoted by his Chasing M’s Foundation — raised more than $3.4 million from more than 134,000 backers in the hours following the medical emergency. At the time of writing, the foundation has received more than $8 million in donations since the incident.
