Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is on the right track to recovery and the doctors are impressed by seeing his improvement.
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is on the mend three days after being sent to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in serious condition, according to physicians. After a tackle in Monday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and required CPR and resuscitation before being brought by ambulance to the hospital’s critical care unit. Despite the fact that he is still “critically ill,” Hamlin is awake and moving his hands and legs, as well as speaking with medical workers.
Hamlin is still being treated by the hospital’s intensive care unit, neurocritical care teams, trauma surgery experts, and cardiologists. Previously sedated, Hamlin has awakened and reacted to directions while interacting with physicians via writing. He hasn’t spoken since he still needs help breathing, but he has replied and asked questions since waking up, including asking a bedside nurse if Buffalo won Monday’s game versus the Bengals.
Speaking about Hamlin, the Doctor said, “We had significant concern about him after the injury, but he is making substantial progress, As of (Thursday) morning, he is beginning to awaken, and it appears that his neurologic function is intact.”
Dr. William Knight IV added, “significant progress he needs to make, but this marks a really good turning point in his ongoing care. … It’s been a long and difficult road for the past few days. He has been very sick (but) has made a fairly remarkable improvement.”
The hospital team is still striving to enhance Hamlin’s capacity to breathe on his own, which must be accomplished before the ventilator can be removed. It’s too early to say if Hamlin will play football again, according to the doctors, but the ultimate aim is for the former Pittsburgh standout to recuperate enough to return home.
The physicians also complimented the NFL and club medical workers for the quick and successful response to Hamlin on the field during Monday’s game, admitting that the scenario could have played out very differently if swift action had not been taken.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott and quarterback Josh Allen talked publicly for the first time since safety Damar Hamlin collapsed during Monday’s game on Thursday. The pair expressed relief and hope after learning early Thursday that Hamlin, who has been hospitalized at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center since Monday, had made significant progress in his health.
Sean McDermott said, “This press conference is about Damar Hamlin, whom we love, It’s about his parents, Mario and Nina, and their extended family. We continue to pray for them during this time, and Damar is and remains our No. 1 concern. … The amount of faith, hope and love that we saw on display over the last three days has been nothing short of amazing.”
Josh Allen was extremely delighted after seeing Hamlin’s progress. He said, “I don’t typically like using emotion to answer questions, but the scene just replays over and over in your head, It’s hard to answer that question and actually describe how I felt, how my teammates felt in that moment.”
He added, “It’s something we’ll never forget, but know that Damar is doing OK. Lot of things and stuff that he has to process and continue to go through to get back to himself. Again, we heard that news this morning, and there’s nothing that could’ve been told to us to bring our day down. We’re extremely happy for him and his family…”
As a direct consequence of people all over the world continuing to pray for Damar Hamlin, he is making significant progress toward a full and speedy recovery. The game that was scheduled to take place between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Buffalo Bills has been declared a no-contest.
It has had a significant impact on the standings for the American Football Conference playoffs. None of it is as important as Hamlin’s health, though, and everyone is relieved to hear that he is making progress in that regard.
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