On the second of January, 2023, Damar Hamlin, safety for the Buffalo Bills, suddenly went into cardiac arrest during a game. Luckily, he has almost fully recovered and recently returned to his home, where he will continue to be nursed back to full health.
Who is Damar Hamlin?
Born on March 24, 1998, Hamlin grew up in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania. He attended the Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he was named first-team All-State and the Class AAAA Defensive Player of the Year. While there, he played as a top cornerback. Because of his golden reputation as a football player, he was offered positions on top college football programs including from the University of Pittsburgh, Penn State, Ohio State, and Temple Univesity. He chose to join the Pittsburgh Panthers at the University of Pittsburgh and played in three games as a freshman before he was injured and given a medical redshirt for the remainder of the year. Even after the start of his second year in college, Hamlin did not recover until the third week of the football season. When he did, he played as a safety and made a personal best with 41 tackles in nine games. In his third year in college, he made 77 total tackles and received the honorable mention All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). One year later, he made 84 tackles in all. As a five-year senior, Hamlin was a team captain and received the ACC Co-Defensive Back of the Week honors with 66 tackles in one year.
What May Have Caused the Cardiac Arrest?
According to Dr. Nahush Mokadam, who works at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, and other cardiologists, Hamlin was subject to a rare occurrence called “commotio cordis,” which occurs by itself and not as the result of having an unhealthy heart. During this phenomenon, Dr. Hari Tandri, from the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, says blunt force applied at a specific time to a healthy heart can cause it to beat at “…an abnormal and potentially deadly rhythm,” as the interview conducted by Erika Edwards for the New York Times states. The most important takeaway is the fact that commotio cordis only takes place if the subject is hit at a very specific time. Without the timing, there would be no cardiac arrest.
As you may already know, the heart pumps blood throughout the body every second. However, every time the heart beats, there is a time window – less than a fifth of a second – where the heart is “…vulnerable to the force of a projectile” (Edwards), which can cause it to beat at the rhythm which causes cardiac arrest.
What Happened on the 2nd?
Nine minutes into his away game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Hamlin was tackled by Bengals receiver Tee Higgins, who attacked him in the head and chest. Immediately afterward, Hamlin picked himself up, took two steps, then fell on the grass, under cardiac arrest. Luckily, medical personnel who were nearby were able to rush over, spending ten minutes attending to him including administering CPR and inserting an IV. They did so just in time: for every minute that a subject is not treated with CPR, their chances of survival decrease by 10%. Afterward, Hamlin was placed on a stretcher, where he was carried to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he spent a week before he was moved to the Buffalo General Medical Center/Gates Vascular Institute.
Upon his collapse, all the fans at Paycor Stadium, where the game had taken place, grew silent and turned to shedding tears or kneeling in prayer. As Hamlin was carried out of the game, the audience applauded, expressing their relief that Hamlin would be moving to a location with more medical personnel trained to save his life.
Neither coach from either team wished to resume the game after witnessing such a jarring event. It was released to the public that the game was canceled, so the Bills and Bengals will each play one game less than the rest of the NFL teams this season.
What were some of the Public’s Reactions?
Overall, reactions from football players and fans were sympathetic and wished Hamlin could get back on his feet as soon as possible. Only 15 minutes after his collapse, Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes tweeted, “Praying hard… please be okay man.” 26 minutes after the event, J.J. Watt from the Arizona Cardinals wrote, “The game is not important. Damar Hamlin’s life is important. Please be ok. Please.” Damar Hamlin’s teammate, Josh Allen, one of the quarterbacks for the Buffalo Bills, posted, “Please pray for our brother.” Other NFL teams “…showed their support for Hamlin in a variety of ways, including with blue-and-red stadium lights, T-shirts with ‘Love for Damar’ and moments of prayer and celebrations of his recovery.”
As soon as Hamlin was brought to the hospital, one hundred fans assembled outside the building. Two specific fans, Janet Kohl and her brother Chuck Kohl, rushed to the hospital to pray.
Only a few hours after Hamlin was brought to the hospital, The Chasing M’s Foundation Community Toy Drive, a toy drive organized by Hamlin, gained more than $3 million from donations made by nationwide sympathizers. Currently, the fundraiser has more than $8.81 million, far surpassing its original goal of $2,500.
How is Damar Hamlin Now?
As soon as Hamlin woke up in the Cincinnati hospital, he scribbled a note to his medical team, asking, “Did we win?” One responded, “Yes, Damar, you won. You’ve won the game of life.” Now, T-shirts with Hamlin’s question written on them are selling on didwewin.shop for $33 each.
On January 9th, 2023, Hamlin was discharged from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and was brought to the Buffalo General Medical Center/Gates Vascular Institute in Buffalo, New York. Two days later, on the 11th, he was removed from the hospital in Buffalo and brought to his home. Jamie Nadler led the group of caretakers looking after him.
Unfortunately, according to experts, it will take weeks or even months for Hamlin to fully recover, and any hopes of his being able to return to playing football would need to be pushed far into the future.
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