‘I just wanted to show my appreciation’: Damar Hamlin pulls up to thank Buffalo nurses 

The Buffalo Bills shared a video of Damar Hamlin visiting a non-profit healthcare network that operates five hospitals in the Buffalo area.

Hamlin did this in recognition of National Nurses Week. Bills Security Service visited the facility last Tuesday to thank nursing staff for the care he received while recovering from cardiac arrest.

“I just wanted to show my appreciation for you… and also for the countless hours of work that are unseen,” Hamlin said.

“I appreciate you, and thank you, and I’m happy to be here,” he added in a clip posted on Twitter.

Curiously enough, Hamlin was heralded 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 that the former Pitt luminary was the 55th winner of the award.

Hamlin of The Bills won the 2023 George Halas Award for overcoming adversity to succeed

He received a blow to the chest when he tackled Bengals WR Tee Higgins, leading to cardiac arrest

Hamlin became a nationally known figure who went into cardiac arrest on January 2 during a nationally televised game after a tackle on a Cincinnati Bengals receiver. The defensive back tackled Bengals alongside Tee Higgins during the game before getting back to his feet, staggering and collapsing on the turf of Paycor Stadium, where he had to be resuscitated.

Hamlin was administered oxygen, placed on a stretcher and rushed to a local hospital in critical condition. In his own words, ‘died on national TV’.

He was released on January 11 and said last month that his doctors have concluded that the blow 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 to a specific point in your heartbeat that causes cardiac arrest,” Hamlin recently told reporters after training with teammates at the Bills facility in Orchard Park, New York.

“Five to seven seconds later you fall out and that’s pretty much what everyone saw on January 2 of this year.”

Hamlin has said he will use money donated to his foundation to help prevent similar incidents

There was some speculation that Hamlin had suffered from commotio cordis, but that diagnosis was not confirmed until his press conference, where the Pittsburgh resident said he hopes to raise awareness about the condition.

Hamlin has been cleared to resume playing and participated in the Bills’ voluntary training program last month. He also committed to helping youth sports avoid similar situations by donating the $10 million in donations he received after the incident to promote safety in the sport through CPR and AED training.

“We have been very deliberate and intentional in taking our time to properly set up my charity,” Hamlin said in a statement.

“I’m excited to start sharing news about programs we’re creating to impact and give back to a generation of young people.”