Damar Hamlin: After the Scare
On January 2, 2023, Damar Hamlin (second year safety for the Buffalo Bills) collapsed during the Buffalo Bills game against the Cincinatti Bengals after making a tackle. The NFL community has shown unbelievable amounts of love and support to the Hamlin family. Every NFL team and various companies have donated over $4 million to a charity of Hamlin’s choice, and the NFL gained well over 1 million followers on Instagram.
Damar Hamlin and family showed their gratitude to the football community on January 10, and praised the Buffalo Bills medical team for the outstanding "love and support" shown after the player suffered cardiac arrest during a Monday night game in Cincinnati.
"Your generosity and compassion mean the world to us," stated a representative for Hamlin's family, Jordan Rooney, in response to the outpouring of love and support from the NFL community. Rooney also announced to the community, "Please keep Damar in your prayers."
The family chose not to provide a specific medical update on Hamlin, but they thanked the first responders and medical staff at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for their "exceptional care."
Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest while tackling receiver Tee Higgins in the first quarter of a game against the Bengals. Medical staff restored his heartbeat on the field before he was taken away in an ambulance to the Cincinatti Medical Center, where he remained until January 9. After January 9, Hamlin was moved to a hospital in his hometown of Buffalo.
Hamlin may have suffered a "remarkably rare" condition when he collapsed on the field, CBS News medical contributor Dr. David Agus stated while on CBS Mornings.
Video shows that after the hit, Hamlin stood up, took a few steps and fell to the ground. When he fell to the ground, Hamlin’s heartbeat stopped until the medical staff cared for him.
Initially, Dr. Agus believed that Hamlin’s heart went into ventricular fibrillation. Dr. Agus believes the player sustained blunt force trauma to his chest "in the exact right spot, at the exact right moment during his heartbeat," which caused his heart to have an arrhythmia — "not beat effectively to push blood to the brain."
Dr. Agus also stated, "What we know with commotio cordis, which is this condition, is that every minute you delay shocking them, resuscitating them, what happens is there's an increase of 10% in mortality," Agus said. Fortunately, the doctors were able to begin CPR before blood flow to Hamlin’s brain became too restricted and caused brain damage.
The NFL and the community as a whole were very close to losing a young star right on the field. Fortunately, there were outstanding medical professionals on site to protect Damar and transfer him to a better facility to ensure his safety. Damar’s health continues to improve as time goes by. He is predicted to make a comeback to the NFL by next season. Keep Damar in your prayers as he continues to heal.
Credits to: CBS Morning News, January 3, 2023
