Damar Hamlin opens up about his on-field cardiac arrest and his ‘savior’ trainer
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Damar Hamlin says she owes her life to her ‘saviour’, Buffalo Bills coach Denny Kellington, after being revived following his on-field cardiac arrest in Cincinnati on January 2.
In an interview to air Monday morning on ABC, the Bills safety spoke about his near-death experience and why he’s grateful Kellington was brought into action after Hamlin’s collapse during a Monday Night Football game. with the Bengals.
“I owe Denny my life, literally,” Hamlin told Good Morning America co-host Michael Strahan. “He loves to say that he was just doing his job, which is true. That night he was literally the savior of my life, giving me CPR.
“If it wasn’t for someone showing up that day with a clear head and whatever’s going on in their personal life, just to put it aside and be present in the moment so they can do their job properly, that’s something I’m truly grateful and I don’t take it for granted.
Hamlin, a 24-year-old coming off his second NFL season, continues to recover from his cardiac arrest after being released Jan. 11 from a Buffalo-area hospital.
Damar Hamlin says she owes her life to her ‘saviour’, Buffalo Bills coach Denny Kellington, after being revived following his on-field cardiac arrest in Cincinnati on January 2.
Bills assistant athletic trainer Denny Kellington walks onto the field before an NFL football game against the New England Patriots on Sunday, January 8.
The first responders who saved Hamlin’s life were recognized with a video tribute at ‘NFL Honors’ before being invited onstage, with the man they saved standing right behind them.
Hamlin made his second appearance in Phoenix during Super Bowl week on Thursday night, paying tribute to those who helped give him a second chance at life.
“All my life, I felt that God was using me to give hope to others and now, with a new set of circumstances, I can say that he is doing what he has always done,” Hamlin said from the stage at the Phoenix Convention Center. . ‘I have a long journey ahead of me, a journey full of unknowns and a journey full of milestones, but it is much easier to face your fears when you know your purpose.’
The Bills safety received the NFLPA’s Alan Page Community Award on Wednesday, just over a month after Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and required resuscitation on the field in Cincinnati.
He appeared again on ‘NFL Honors’ Thursday night after the Bills and Cincinnati Bengals training and medical staff, along with staff from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, collectively called ‘Team Damar,’ were recognized.
Bills assistant track trainer Denny Kellington, who performed CPR on Hamlin on the field, also got a bit of recognition during ‘NFL Honors,’ receiving a fifth-place vote for the NFL MVP award. .
Once onstage, Hamlin personally thanked an ICU doctor named Yusef who, three nights into his hospital stay, told him he had been through something similar.
“It showed me that I was okay and that meant a lot to me,” said Hamlin, who also thanked everyone onstage. “There was so much uncertainty at the time and just him coming to me, showing me that he could live a normal life again, it meant a lot to me and my mom.” I want to say a big thank you to him.
In an interview that will air Monday morning on ABC, the Bills safety opened up about his near-death experience. “I owe Denny my life, literally,” Hamlin told ABC’s Michael Strahan. “He loves to say that he was just doing his job, which is true. That night he was literally the savior of my life’
Hamlin collapsed on the field after a collision with Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins on January 2. The sight of an elite athlete nearly dying on the field shocked the NFL and the world.
In the days and weeks after Hamlin’s collapse, his toy drive received unexpected GoFundMe donations. Since then, ‘Chasing M’s’ has grossed over $9 million.
“Sudden cardiac arrest is something I would never have chosen to be a part of my story, but that’s because our own visions are too small, even when we think we see the whole picture,” Hamlin said. “My vision was to play in the NFL and be the best player I could be, but God’s plan was to have a purpose greater than any game in this world.”
Hamlin spent nearly a week in a Cincinnati hospital before being airlifted to Buffalo, where he spent a couple of days in the hospital before being released on January 11. He has made steady progress in what will be a long recovery, appearing at the Bills’ facility. before attending their divisional game against Cincinnati.
Damar Hamlin poses for a photo with the Buffalo Bills medical staff during the NFL Awards at Symphony Hall on February 9.
Hamlin received the Alan Page Award on Wednesday and a standing ovation from his peers at NFL Honors.
“Every day it amazes me that my experiences can encourage so many others across the country and even around the world: encourage them to pray, encourage them to spread the love, and encourage them to keep fighting no matter what the circumstances,” Hamlin said.
Hamlin has said that he plans to support youth through education and sports with GoFundMe donations. He will also use the proceeds from the sale of new T-shirts, emblazoned with ‘Did we win?’ along with his heart-shaped hands, to raise money for the Cincinnati trauma center that treated him.
“I told my teammates they might as well give Damar Hamlin man of the year, just because of the way he’s galvanized our country, brought us together,” Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott said. who was selected as the Walter Payton Man of the Year.
“(He) made a lot of people understand the power of prayer, the power of community, the power of coming together and resilience, not giving up and having faith.”
Buffalo Bills’ Damar Hamlin speaks in front of staff at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center during the NFL Honors awards ceremony ahead of Super Bowl LVII