Damar Hamlin did his first public statement on Saturday after the Buffalo Bills safety suffered a cardiac arrest following a collision on the field during his team’s canceled Monday night game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
“When you put true love out into the world it comes back to you 3x as much,” he posted on Saturday via Instagram. “Love was great, but I am grateful for every single person who prayed for me and it came true. We reassembled the world after that. If you know me you know this is gone just make me stronger. In a long way keep praying for me! #3strong”
Since the terrible accident of January 2 on the spot, 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 “marked improvement in the last 24 hours” and that he was “neurologically intact.”
After initially communicating via a writing board — his first question was reportedly whether the Bills won the game — the team announced Friday that “Damar’s breathing tube was removed during the night. He continues to make remarkable progress in his recovery. His neurological function remains intact and he has been able to communicate with his family and care team.”
Until Friday, Hamlin was in communication with his teammates via FaceTime before addressing the concerned public, days after many saw him collapse on the field after colliding with Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins. Although Hamlin regained his feet, after taking a few steps, he fell back onto the turf. Referee blew his whistle to stop the clock with 5:58 left in the opening quarter.
Medical staff and local paramedics rushed to the motionless player and administered CPR to restore Hamlin’s heartbeat before he was transported to the hospital in an ambulance about 16 minutes later.
After a long delay, Monday night’s game was suspended, and finally canceled by the NFL on 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 over 134,000 contributors in the hours following the medical emergency. At press time, the foundation has received more than $8 million in donations since the incident.
