Damar Hamlin reached out to fans Saturday night for the first time since his terrifying on-field collapse.
“Putting love into the world comes back 3xs as much… thankful for everyone who has reached out and prayed. This will make me stronger on the road to recovery, keep praying for me!” the Bills’ safety posted on Twitter.
In a longer Instagram message, Hamlin wrote, “The Love has been overwhelming, but I’m thankful for every single person that prayed for me and reached out. We [brung] the world back together behind this. If you know me, you know this only [gone] make me stronger. On a long road, keep praying for me!”
Damar is feeling all the love. 🥺#LoveForDamar | #ForDamar pic.twitter.com/qYEfaQOrD2
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) January 7, 2023
This is the first time Hamlin has communicated with fans since he was taken from the field by ambulance Monday night. On Thursday, doctors revealed that the NFL player was not only awake but responsive asking through writing who had won the game between Cincinnati and Buffalo.
“Yes, you won. You’ve won the game of life,” doctors told him at the time.
Initially, doctors were concerned that Hamlin would have neurological damage because of how long it took to restore his heartbeat after he collapsed on the field. Hamlin was given CPR for almost ten minutes before his heartbeat was restored and then had to be resuscitated again once he reached the hospital, CBS News reported.
“The biggest concern when the heart stops is that your brain doesn’t get enough oxygen. Brain activity stops very, very shortly after someone goes into cardiac arrest, within a couple of minutes,”” NBC News correspondent Dr. Natalie Azar explained in a Jan 3. segment on TODAY.
“We had significant concern about him after the injury and after the event that happened on the field, but he is making substantial progress. As of this morning, he is beginning to awaken, and it appears that his neurological condition in function is intact,”Dr. Timothy Pritts, division chief of general surgery at University of Cincinnati Health, said in a press conference on Jan 5 per the outlet. (RELATED: Damar Hamlin Now Breathing On His Own, Continues To ‘Progress Remarkably’)
Hamlin not only reached out to his many fans, but FaceTimed his team as well, reportedly saying to his fellow Bills’ “Love you boys,” the official account for the Buffalo Bills stated.
Hamlin has made remarkable progress and continues to improve – but doctors say he still remains in critical condition, CNN reported.