By Mallory Mattingly
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s notoriety skyrocketed after his heart stopped beating on the field during a MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL game in 2023.
Although he’s recovered and come back stronger than before, the athlete doesn’t want to be known for that terrible night.
“That wasn’t something I wanted on my bingo card,” Hamlin told the New York Times. “But that’s why I worked so hard to come back. To be known as an athlete, for playing the game. And for so many other things.”
As “God’s frontline soldier,” Hamlin was faced with a decision after he recovered from his accident.
Should he return to the NFL?
Related: Damar Hamlin Back to Practice: ‘Faith is Stronger Than Any Fear’
“Was it worth risking my life after just getting it back?” he shared. “I was appreciative just to be able to breathe again, just to be with my family, just to be human again. In a perfect world, that’s all I would have done for a year, just to recover. But the NFL doesn’t wait for no one. Me taking a year off would have given someone an opportunity to take my spot.”
Dr. Barry Maron, a cardiologist at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington, Massachusetts, did not treat Hamlin but has done extensive research on his condition — commotio cordis.
He confirmed that “there is no evidence that survivors face increased risks. But he also knows the mental hurdles can be just as daunting.”
“It is remarkable that he is back out there playing,” Dr. Maron explained. “It says a lot about him.”
“Hamlin went back gingerly at first, playing in five games the next season before starting all 14 he played in last year,” the NY Times said. “At first, even the most mundane aspects of football triggered harrowing thoughts. It could be an innocuous word uttered in a team meeting, a certain drill or a video of a random play. People don’t know the magnitude of it.”
Since his accident on the field, Hamlin has turned “his story into one of the most impactful athlete-led causes in all of sports,” Boardroom shared on Instagram.
“Through his Chasing M’s CPR Tour, Hamlin has trained more than 13,000 people in hands-only CPR, donated $880,000+ worth of AEDs to schools and youth sports programs, and even gone to Capitol Hill to help pass the HEARTS Act — federal legislation requiring CPR training and AED access in schools. His work with the American Heart Association has inspired over 3 million people to learn CPR online,” the post explained.
“From Paris to Tokyo to Houston, the tour has gone global — with stops at NFL events, celebrity weekends, and community drives,” the post continued. “His foundation funds the Heroes Scholarship in Buffalo and Cincinnati, invests in mentorship and youth programs, and has given out thousands of toys through his annual Toy Drive. In total, Chasing M’s has invested more than $500,000 into programs that feed, inspire, and protect kids.”
Hamlin could have understandably hung up his cleats, but instead he decided to let God define him and lead him into greater things.
Read Next: Damar Hamlin Has Unfinished Business: ‘Twenty-One Months Ago, I Was Dead’
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