24-year-old Damar Hamlin of Pennsylvania went into cardiac arrest during the January 2nd, 2023, Monday night NFL (National Football League) game. Hamlin, who plays safety for the Buffalo Bills, tackled Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins. Almost immediately after, Hamlin collapsed, falling on his back.

After the medics reached Hamlin, they couldn’t find a pulse, so they started CPR on him right away. After his heartbeat became stable, he was transported by ambulance to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. He was reportedly in the intensive care unit (ICU), sedated with a breathing tube to assist with his breathing.

While Hamlin was in the hospital, he received a lot of love and donations. He had a GoFundMe to help with a toy drive. But after his injury, people donated money to his charity to help with his medical bills. The GoFundMe campaign has raised approximately $8 million.

The game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals was canceled after Damar’s injury. The league announced that they might resume the game at a later date.

Tee Higgins expressed his emotions regarding Damar Hamlin’s injuries by tweeting, “My prayers and thoughts go out to @HamlinIsland and the Hamlin Family. I’m praying that you pull through, bro. Love ???” (Tee Higgins⁵)

Hamlin’s first question after waking up was, “Did we win?” The doctor’s response to that was, “The answer is yes, Damar, you won.”

Nine days after his cardiac arrest occurred on the field, Hamlin was released from the Buffalo hospital. Damar conveyed his love and support to his fans by tweeting how grateful he is. Alongside that, he made shirts that read “Did we win?” and he has said to donate all of the proceeds to first responders and the ICU trauma center.

Hamlin was seen this past Sunday, January 22, at the Buffalo Bills game in Cincinnati, where he held up a heart sign with his hands to all of his fans and supporters.