NFL’s Damar Hamlin Honors First Anniversary of Cardiac Arrest
Damar Hamlin shared the touching way he's commemorating his on-field cardiac arrest.
The Buffalo Bills safety, who collapsed during a Monday night football game in January 2022, marked the first anniversary of the health scare by reflecting on his recovery journey over the last year.
"God's Child," Damar captioned the Jan. 2 post. "1 year later."
In the carousel of photos and videos, the 25-year-old shared a photo standing by a mural of himself in Buffalo that showed him in a Bills uniform with his hands making the shape of a heart—which he often did in pics amid his recovery. He also included snaps in the hospital and a wholesome video FaceTiming his teammates.
And alongside his heartwarming post, the Pennsylvania native revealed the new ink he got in time for the anniversary—hands making a heart with an electrocardiogram in the center.
Since the near-fatal incident, Damar—who was in critical condition after being tackled by Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins and hospitalized for over a week—has spoken about and reflected on how that moment ultimately changed his outlook on and off the field.
"It's just kind of givin' me a perspective to appreciate life a little bit more and appreciate the small things, the things that are free in life—family, time, peace, happiness, any small things," he told E! News in an exclusive interview published Nov. 5. "It's kind of made me more of a positive person to just have more of a positive outlook on life because life is precious and nothing's promised for us."
But the incident didn't keep him off the field for too long.
Damar played his first game since the accident in August, a preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts. He went on to compete in his first regular season game two months later when the Bills were up against the Miami Dolphins.
"It's what I love to do," he admitted. "It's what I do, honestly. I tell myself all the time, 20 years into it, there's nothing that I do better. That's just a way to just keep myself confident. I've been doing this my entire life."
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