Damar Hamlin speaks publicly for first time since cardiac arrest | ‘My mind is blown away from all your support!’ | NFL News

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field earlier in January during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals; spent almost a week in the hospital and is now recovering at home.

Damar Hamlin thanked fans and the medical team for their support, nearly a month after he collapsed on the field during the Buffalo Bills’ game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Hamlin recovered after suffering a heart attack in that game on Jan. 2 and received a standing ovation when he appeared in Sunday’s postseason game between the same two teams.

The security posted a video on Instagram, where he expressed his gratitude for the support he has received and the donation to the non-profit organization, Chasing M’s Foundation, which has received more than $ 9 million.

“It’s important for me to wait and speak publicly at the right time, because there’s just so much to process in myself. Mentally, physically, even spiritually, there’s just so much to process,” Hamlin said.

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Damar Hamlin was given a standing ovation by the Buffalo crowd after attending the Bills’ clash with the Cincinnati Bengals just 20 days after suffering a heart attack.

“I can’t say enough how much I appreciate all the love, all the support and everything that just came my way.”

“My mind is literally blown from all the support. I don’t even have words to express my gratitude for the amount of support I’ve been given.

“To the entire Bills organization and my brothers who made it a priority to lift me up spiritually, mentally, and in every way possible, reaching out every day to see how I was doing, calling and texting, just checking on me no matter what the situation was. .I’m proud to be a part of the team here, i am proud to call you brother.

“To the city of Cincinnati, the Bengals, and the entire NFL, just to put team loyalty aside to root for the life of one child, and the humanity of the player wearing Buffalo blue. You put humanity above team loyalty, you show the world. unity over division. I’m not surprised , but I am very grateful, and I will always be grateful and indebted for that.

After Hamlin collapsed, medics administered CPR and treated him on the field for nearly 10 minutes.

The match was postponed and Hamlin spent several days in a coma at the University of Cincinnati Academic Medical Center.

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The Buffalo Bills family shows their support for Damar Hamlin during the game against the New England Patriots.

He began to be able to communicate by writing on paper a few days later and on January 6, he took a breathing tube.

A week after entering the hospital, Hamlin was thrown out and returned to Buffalo to continue his treatment, where he spent two days at the Buffalo General Medical Center before being allowed to go home.