NFL Star Damar Hamlin Speaks Out After Mid-Game Cardiac Arrest: ‘Keep Praying’
After collapsing and suffering a cardiac arrest during a Monday Night Football game on January 2, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is on the mend — and thanking fans for the outpouring of support.
“When you put real love out into the world, it comes back to you 3x’s as much,” Hamlin wrote on Instagram on Saturday, January 7, in a nod to his No. 3 jersey. “The love has been overwhelming, but I’m thankful for every single person that prayed for me and reached out.”
“On a long road,” he added. “Keep praying for me!”
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In an Instagram post on Sunday, January 8, Hamlin cheered on his teammates as they faced the New England Patriots. “It’s game day [and] there’s nothing I want more than to be running out that tunnel with my brothers,” he wrote. “God using me in a different way today! Tell someone you love them today! #prayfor3.”
He also posted a photo of himself in his hospital bed, wearing a “Love for Damar” jersey and holding up a heart sign.
The Bills dedicated Sunday’s game to Hamlin, with the team’s Twitter account tweeting a photo of the 24-year-old’s uniform hanging in the locker room. “Today is for 3,” the team wrote, captioning the pic. The night before, the team tweeted a video of No. 3 patches being sewn onto the Bills’ uniforms.
Bills quarterback arrived at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, NY, on Sunday wearing a No. 3 sweatshirt and a “Love for Damar” T-shirt. “That’s my quarterback,” Hamlin tweeted, posting a video of Allen in his sweatshirt.
In a statement on Sunday, the Bills said, “Per the physicians at UC Medical Center, Damar is making continued progress in his recovery yet remains in critical condition. He continues to breathe on his own and his neurological function is excellent.”
At a press conference on Thursday, January 5, Dr. William Knight IV of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine — one of the physician treating Hamlin — seemed optimistic that the athlete would make a full recovery. “The best [outcome] is getting him to the way he was at [8p ET] on Monday evening … completely neurologically intact, strong, good lung function, no cardiac dysfunction with his heart,” the doctor said, per CBS Sports. “The best outcome would be back to who he was before this all happened.”
