On Monday, January 2nd, 2023, Damar Hamlin and the Buffalo Bills took on the Cincinnati Bengals in a key AFC matchup. The cap for Week 17 began without a hitch as the Bengals took an early lead.
Late in the first quarter, the unthinkable happened. Tee Higgins caught a pass from Joe Burrow and turned upfield, putting his shoulder into Hamlin's chest. The two fell forward to end the play.
Hamlin and Higgins both got up and for a second, all was normal. That second quickly evaporated, though, and Hamlin stumbled to the turf. He collapsed on the field and medical staff began rushing onto the field.
What transpired then was something rarely seen on a football field, nor any pitch, diamond, court or the like.
Damar Hamlin is resuscitated
After he fell to the ground, medical staff had to bring Damar Hamlin back to life. The second-year safety required several minutes of CPR to get his heart started back. All the while, the Bills and Bengals gathered in shock at what they had just seen.
Eventually, the medical staff got Hamlin back and put him on a stretcher and took him off the field in an ambulance. He was rushed to the nearby hospital and still in critical condition.
Later that evening, at about 10 pm EST, the NFL postponed the game. They weren't sure what to do and days later decided to cancel it outright. Despite the major playoff implications, the NFL couldn't make those players go back out on that field.
It was confirmed the next day that the safety had suffered a cardiac arrest on the field, but had his heartbeat restored there.
The Bills safety remained in the ICU overnight and his condition remained critical.
The first good news
On Wednesday, January 4th, the first sign of good news came. Doctors refrained from giving any specifics, but an ESPN reporter was able to confirm that positive progress had been made overnight.
It was then that it was revealed that Damar Hamlin had been resuscitated twice on the field. Two separate times, the medical staff had to step in to ensure he kept breathing.
The Bills would later announce that Hamlin was making more progress throughout the day.
He's doing better
On Thursday, January 5th, teammate Kaiir Elam told the world that Hamlin was "doing better."
The team would later announce that their safety had made significant improvements over the past 24 hours, but that he was not out of the woods yet. They announced that he appeared to be "neurologically intact."
An NFL reporter said that day that Damar Hamlin had been able to open his eyes and grip the hands of his friends and family- the best sign of improvement yet.
That day was also the first time Hamlin, though not verbally, was able to communicate. The safety asked doctors via pen and paper, "Did we win?"
Breathing tube removed
What could have been and what almost was an unthinkable tragedy was quickly turning into one of the most inspiring stories. The entire world had united around this player who was miraculously recovering before their very eyes.
On Friday, January 6, the medical staff removed the breathing tube, allowing the safety to finally breath entirely on his own. It was at this time that he also was finally able to talk to people, communicating with the team and his family.
At this point, Damar Hamlin was in good spirits. He had and still has a long way to go, but he was finally looking good and told his teammates, "Love you boys."
Though he was still in the hospital, he watched his Bills take on the New England Patriots on January 8th. It had been three (Hamlin's jersey number) years and three months to the day since the Bills had run back a kickoff for a touchdown.
On the opening kick, Nyheim Hines ran it back for a score, inspiring all watching- including Hamlin from his hospital room.
Moving home
After a very long week, Damar Hamlin was finally able to leave the hospital in Cincinnati. He was transferred back home to Buffalo, though he remained under care in a hospital there.
He would continue to undergo testing and receive care in Buffalo, but continues to make an impressive recovery. On Wednesday, nine days after being admitted, the star safety was finally discharged to continue his rehab from home.
Jamie Nadler, the physician who was in charge of Hamlin's care, said:
"We are confident that Damar can be safely discharged to continue his rehabilitation at home and with the Bills."
On January 14, Hamlin reappeared in the Bills' locker room prior to their emotional playoff victory over the Miami Dolphins.
On February 12, he was seen and honored on the field ahead of the Super Bowl. This was his first major appearance in public since his cardiac arrest more than a month prior.
It has been a long, strenuous and often unclear journey for Hamlin. It was recently reported that the safety would eventually be able to play football again if he wanted. Not long ago, that seemed entirely trivial and totally out of the question.