ORCHARD PARK, New York – Doctors treating Damar Hamlin said Bills’ safety was back in Buffalo on Monday, an uplifting sign of the remarkable progress he’s made a week later suffer cardiac arrest and need resuscitation on the field during a game in Cincinnati.
Hamlin was released from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in the morning and flown to Buffalo, where Dr. William Knight said he was “fine”. He will continue his recovery at a Buffalo hospital.
Doctors said Hamlin has been walking, eating regularly and undergoing therapy since Friday. They said he was on a normal or even accelerated path in his recovery from cardiac arrest, which is considered a life-threatening event. Normal recovery from something like this can be measured from weeks to months, they said.
“We remain excited about his recovery,” said Dr. Timothy Pritts.
Hamlin’s return comes a day after he cheered on the Bills from his hospital bed during their regular 35-23 win over the New England Patriots. The game proved to be a cathartic outpouring of support for the Bills and Hamlin.
The Bills wore No. 3 Hamlin patches on their jerseys and honored their teammate by raising three fingers in the closing minutes, while tight end Dawson Knox celebrated his touchdown by forming his hands in the shape of a heart.
Hamlin responded with a heartfelt message to Knox on his Twitter account.
Fans joined in, many holding up red hearts and No. 3 signs.
Hamlin, 24, has made significant progress in his recovery since spending his first two days at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center under sedation and breathing on a ventilator.
He was woken up on Wednesday night and was finally able to grab people’s hands. On Friday, Hamlin was able to breathe on his own and even addressed the team via video conference, during which he told the Bills, “I love you guys.”
Doctors’ latest update came on Saturday when they described Hamlin’s neurological function as ‘excellent’ although he remained listed in critical condition.
Later that day, Hamlin tweeted, “Bringing love into the world comes back three times as much… grateful to everyone who reached out and prayed. This will strengthen me on the road to recovery, keep praying for me!”
The NFL will support Hamlin during all Week 18 games by including a pregame support moment, painting Hamlin’s #3 at the 30-yard line, and lettering “Love for Damar 3” on pregame jerseys.
Hamlin’s heart stopped Monday night after making what appeared to be a routine tackle in the first quarter against the Bengals. The game was initially suspended before being officially canceled later in the week.
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