Bills players took to the field with flags in support of Damar Hamlin on Sunday. Jeffrey T Barnes (AP)
Damar Hamlin continues to make a miraculous recovery. The 24-year-old Buffalo Bills player left the Cincinnati hospital just a week after suffering a cardiac arrest during an NFL game. Doctors at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center reported Monday that Hamlin has exited the intensive care unit and has been transferred to Buffalo, New York, where he will continue his treatment at a local center.
“I’m on my way home today with a lot of love in my heart,” the player said on Twitter. This Sunday, Hamlin uploaded a picture to social media showing him sitting awake on the hospital stretcher. From there followed the Bills’ victory, who made the final game of the regular season a tribute in his honor. The game started with Buffalo hitting a kickoff in the opening seconds of the game against the New England Patriots. The game, which will be played at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, was described as one of the most emotional the NFL has ever seen. The stadium was padded with the number three on the player’s shirt and his photo. The rest of the NFL teams repeated the gesture, and there were messages of support on every field. “To see the world come together for me that Sunday was incredible,” said Hamlin. The Bills’ path now leads into the playoffs, where they meet the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. Hamlin’s path also continues.
Hamlin hovered between life and death on Tuesday after being resuscitated twice by emergency services teams. One of them on the Cincinnati Bengals field and another in the ambulance that took him to the hospital where he was discharged this Monday. Then the still unconscious Bills defender breathed with the help of a machine. As the week progressed, he reduced his reliance on the mechanical ventilator. He regained consciousness on Thursday. He could move his hand and wrote a question to the doctors. “Did we win?” he asked. Hamlin was unaware at the time that Monday’s clash with a Bengals forward had left the entire NFL in suspense and dismay among fans of America’s favorite sport.
Since then, the speed of his recovery has amazed medical staff. On Friday, already on his feet, Hamlin completed the first lap on the UCI ground, helped by his relatives who have been by his side since his collapse in the game. “It’s on course for a trajectory between normal and accelerated. We are euphoric about his recovery,” said William Knight, one of his doctors, on Monday.
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