The Buffalo Bills shared a video of Damar Hamlin visiting Kaleida Health, a non-profit healthcare network which manages five hospitals in the Buffalo area – just over four months on from his cardiac arrest during an NFL game.
Hamlin did so in recognition of national nurses week. The Bills safety visited the facility last Tuesday to thank nursing staff for care he received during his recovery from cardiac arrest.
After receiving immediate treatment at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Hamlin was transferred to Buffalo General Medical Center/ Gates Vascular Institute — which sits under the umbrella of Kaleida Health.
‘I just wanted to show my appreciation to you guys… and also the countless hours of work that are unseen,’ Hamlin said.
‘I appreciate you, and thank you, and I’m glad to be here,’ he added, in a clip posted to Twitter by the Bills.
Thank you to all the healthcare heroes that take care of our community.
Our guy @HamlinIsland stopped by @KaleidaHealth to celebrate #NationalNursesWeek! ¿ pic.twitter.com/LvFDoLuK5E
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills)May 16, 2023
It is presently unclear as to whether the nurses seen with Hamlin in the video are those who treated him during his recovery.
Hamlin was curiously announced as the 2023 George Halas Award for the NFL player, coach or staffer ‘who overcomes the most adversity to succeed’ by the Pro Football Writers Association. The PFWA revealed Monday the former Pitt standout was the 55th winner of the award.
The 25-year-old became a nationally known figure after going into cardiac arrest during a nationally televised game vs. the Cincinnati Bengals on January 2. The defensive back tackled Bengals wideout Tee Higgins during the game before returning to his feet, wobbling, and collapsing on the Paycor Stadium turf, where he needed to be resuscitated.
Hamlin was administered oxygen, placed on a stretcher and rushed to a local hospital in critical condition. In his own words, he ‘died on national TV’.
He was released January 11, and said last month that his doctors have concluded the hit to the chest caused his heart to stop.
The rare condition – called commotio cordis – occurs when a severe blow to the chest causes the heart to quiver and stop pumping blood efficiently, leading to sudden cardiac arrest.
‘It’s a direct blow at a specific point in your heartbeat that causes cardiac arrest,’ Hamlin told reporters after his workout with teammates at the Bills facility in Orchard Park, New York recently.
‘Five to seven seconds later, you fall out and that’s pretty much what everyone was seeing January 2 of this year.’
There was some speculation that Hamlin had suffered commotio cordis, but the diagnosis was unconfirmed until his press conference, where the Pittsburgh native said he hoped to raise awareness about the condition.
Hamlin has been cleared to resume playing and took part in the Bills’ voluntary workout program last month. He has also committed to helping youth sports avoid similar situations by donating the $10million in donations he received after the incident towards promoting safety in sports through CPR & AED training.
‘We have been very deliberate and intentional about taking our time to set my charity up properly,’ Hamlin said in a statement.
‘I’m excited to begin sharing news about programs we are creating to impact a generation of youth and give back to others.’
