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Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin said on Tuesday that he will return to National Football League (NFL) activities, after he suffered cardiac arrest during a game last season and needed his heart restarted on the field.
Hamlin collapsed during a Jan. 2 game against the Cincinnati Bengals moments after making a tackle and received life-saving CPR on the field as the frightening scene unfolded in front of a packed stadium and national television audience.
The 25-year-old’s recovery captivated the sporting world with Hamlin receiving an outpouring of support from around the globe.
“I’ve seen some of the top professionals across the country and their answers to me were pretty much all the same – they were the same: This event was life-changing, but it’s not the end of my story,” Hamlin told reporters.
“I’m here to announce that I plan on making a comeback to the NFL.”
Such an outcome seemed impossible three months ago when Hamlin was rushed to a Cincinnati hospital, sedated, and placed on a ventilator in critical condition.
He remained in hospital for several days with fans holding vigils while the NFL rallied around their fellow player with members of every team donning Hamlin-inspired apparel at games along with other expressions of love and support at stadiums.
“The ‘wow moment’ is every day just being able to wake up and just take deep breaths and live a peaceful life, to have a family, to have people around me that love me and that care about me,” said Hamlin.
“I died on national TV in front of the whole world.”
RARE OCCURRENCE
Hamlin said he was diagnosed with commotio cordis, a very rare occurrence in which blunt force trauma to the chest can cause an arrhythmia.
He met with U.S. President Joe Biden last month and spoke on Capitol Hill in support of legislation that would increase the availability of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in schools.
“My heart is still in it. My heart is still in the game,” said Hamlin. “I love the game. It’s something I want to prove to myself – not nobody else.”
The Bills said on Tuesday that Hamlin had been “fully cleared” to return.
“He’s cleared to resume full activities just like anyone else coming back from an injury,” said Bills general manager Brandon Bean in a post on the club’s Twitter account.
“He’s here and he is of the mindset, he’s in a great head space to come back and make his return.”
Bean said three specialists were in agreement that Hamlin was fit to resume full activity.
Copyright 2023 Thomson/Reuters