Defying the odds, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is no longer on a ventilator and has been released from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center hospital.
Just a week ago, Hamlin received emergency CPR care on the field from the NFL medical team. His heart reportedly stopped twice after a tackle during a Monday night game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Medical personnel restarted Hamlin’s heart and administered CPR for more than nine minutes before transferring the safety to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center (UCMC).
Initially, Hamlin was unresponsive, and his neurological functions were in question. Unable to breathe, doctors placed Hamlin on a ventilator.
UCMC’s Dr. William A. Knight told reporters that he escorted Hamlin from the hospital to the airport on Monday morning. He noted that Damar was “doing well” and at the “beginning of the next stage of his recovery.”
Knight added: “We shared last time that we were with you that our ultimate goal was to get Damar back home to his amazing family and broader Buffalo family. Well, Dr. [Timothy] Pritts and I are thrilled and proud on behalf of UC to report to you that Damar Hamlin has been released and returned back to Buffalo.”
Medical Officials reported: “He landed safely and is as standard as anybody who has gone through what he’s gone through this last week and certainly after flying on a plane. He is going to be observed and monitored to ensure that there is no impact on the flight of his condition or on his lungs.”
Because of Hamlin’s significant improvement, he was transferred to the care of a local hospital — Buffalo General Medical Center. Knight noted that in recent days, Hamlin had met “key milestones” in his recovery, including showing strong neurological activity and being taken off a ventilator.
Knight elaborated: “He has been up with physical therapy and occupational therapy, walking the unit, tolerating a regular diet, meeting with his family and many members of the care team that wanted to see how he was doing – all to get him to this point where he could be safely returned to Buffalo.”
Fox News reported that “Hamlin will continue to undergo testing to determine the cause of his injury and to treat any pathology that may be found.”
Hamlin posted his gratitude for the care he has received and for the outpouring of prayers and support.
“Grateful for the awesome care I received at UCMC. Happy to be back in Buffalo. The docs and nurses at Buffalo General have already made me feel at home!”
Hamlin was honored with posters, banners and tributes in games across the nation as NFL play resumed over the weekend. Buffalo Bills running back Nyheim Hines honored Hamlin by scoring a touchdown off a 96-yard kickoff return in a matchup against their perennial rivals the New England Patriots.
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