Damar Hamlin meets President Joe Biden at to discuss bill on expansion of AED programs
‘It was a pleasure and an honor to meet you today’: Bills safety Damar Hamlin meets with Joe Biden at the White House to discuss legislation on expanding DEA programs in schools
President Joe Biden met Thursday with Damar Hamlin, the Buffalo Bills safety who went into cardiac arrest and was revived on the field after making a tackle during an NFL game in January.
Biden tweeted a photo of himself with Hamlin in the Oval Office and said it was an honor to meet Hamlin and his family. In the photo, Hamlin is seen holding a Bills jersey in his lap.
‘Damar Hamlin’s courage, resilience and spirit inspired the American people,’ wrote No. 46. ‘And what’s more, she turned recovery into action, and our country is better for it. It was an honor for me to have him and his family here today.
Hamlin also shared a tweet, writing: ‘It was a pleasure and an honor to meet you today. I know his time is precious and I wouldn’t waste a second! Our conversations were valuable… #UncleJoe.’ He closed his Twitter post with his signature hands forming a heart emoji.
Hamlin collapsed while playing against the Cincinnati Bengals on January 2, during ESPN’s “Monday Night Football.”
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who went into cardiac arrest during an NFL game on January 2, met with President Joe Biden on Thursday to discuss legislation on expanding AEDs to most sports facilities throughout the country.
President Biden praised Hamlin’s “courage, resilience and spirit” on Twitter, adding: “He turned recovery into action, and our country is better for it.”
Hamlin thanked the president for his time on Twitter and affectionately signed his tweet with the hashtag #UncleJoe.
Hamlin has remarkably recovered from his cardiac arrest in January as he attempts to return to the NFL with the Bills next season (pictured at the NFL Honors awards show in February)
Since then, the 25-year-old has made a remarkable recovery, according to doctors.
The team’s general manager said in February that Hamlin’s “final game” is to resume play as long as he receives the necessary medical clearance.
“We’re hopeful he’ll play, but at the end of the day, it’s a decision he’s going to make, but we support him whether he decides to play or not,” coach Sean McDermott said this week at the NFL annual meetings in Phoenix. Arizona.
The White House said in a statement that Hamlin’s efforts during his recovery helped “make life-saving technologies more widely available,” referring to AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators).
Bills players react after Hamlin’s collapse in the Bengals’ season opener at Paycor Stadium on January 2 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Biden had previously spoken to Hamlin’s parents by phone while he was visiting Cincinnati on Jan. 4, two days after the game and while Hamlin was in the hospital.
On Wednesday, Hamlin appeared with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) and Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla) to discuss a bill that would increase access to defibrillators in schools. public and private primary and secondary schools.
A defibrillator helped save Hamlin’s life.
On Monday, the NFL launched The Smart Heart Sports Coalition, a collaboration among several organizations advocating for adopting evidence-based policies that will prevent fatal outcomes from sudden cardiac arrest among high school students.