Bills Safety Damar Hamlin Showing 'Remarkable Improvement'

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Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s health continues to progress on the positive side three days after he suffered a cardiac arrest in their game vs. the Cincinnati Bengals.

In a statement by the Bills on Thursday (January 5), the team highlighted that while Hamlin remains critically ill, he’s making steady progress.

“Per the physicians caring for Damar Hamlin at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Damar has shown remarkable improvement over the past 24 hours,” the statement reads. “While still critically ill, he has demonstrated that he appears to be neurologically intact. His lungs continue to heal and he is making steady progress.

We are grateful for the love and support we have received.”

Although Hamlin was unable to speak, he was able to move his hands and feet and was able to communicate with doctors and family by writing things down. One of the first questions he asked doctors was who won between the Bills and Bengals on Monday. Dr. Timothy Pritts responded, “The answer is yes, Damar, you won the game of life.”

Hamlin’s teammate, Kaiir Elam, tweeted Hamlin was awake and improving.

“Our boy is doing better, awake and showing more signs of improvement,” he wrote. “Thank you God. Keep the prayers coming please. All love 3!”

Hamlin collapsed following a tackle on a kickoff return during Monday Night Football. Medical officials had to perform CPR on the 24-year-old, who was unresponsive for a brief moment. The game was ultimately suspended between the Bengals and Bills with no makeup date announced.

In the days that followed the Pittsburgh native’s collapse, numerous sports journalists and former NFL players offered sympathy and prayer for him, from ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky praying for Hamlin during a segment on NFL Live to Ryan Clark effusing concern for Hamlin’s well-being while also reminding viewers how he nearly died playing football in Denver due to sickle cell anemia.

Fans worldwide have poured in with donations for his children’s toy drive, reaching more than $7M over the past three days. Initially created in 2020, the toy drive was established to aid children with Christmas gifts.

“This fundraiser was initially established to support a toy drive for Damar’s community, sponsored by the Chasing M’s Foundation,” reads a statement on the site. “However, it has received renewed support in light of Damar’s current battle and we can’t thank all of you enough. Your generosity and compassion mean the world to us.

As representatives of Damar, the team at Jaster Athletes posted the fundraiser updates and will work with the Hamlin family, The Chasing M’s Foundation, and the GoFundMe team to ensure the safe delivery of funds.

Damar created The Chasing M’s Foundation to use as a vehicle to bring lasting impact to his community. The foundation supports toy drives, back-to-school drives, kids camps, and more. We’re hopeful about Damar’s future involvement in disbursing the incredibly generous contributions.

This is the only current fund that is being used by the Hamlin Family. We appreciate your understanding as we give them the time and space they need to focus on Damar’s health first.

Again, thank you for your thoughts, prayers and support during this time.”

Damar Hamlin Showing ‘Remarkable Improvement’ Following Cardiac Arrest Episode was originally published on blackamericaweb.com