ORCHARD PARK, NY - AUGUST 13: Damar Hamlin #31 of the Buffalo Bills on the sideline during a preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts at Highmark Stadium on August 13, 2022 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
Damar Hamlin has his family, friends, Buffalo Bills teammates, the NFL, and fans across the nation standing behind him. It’s evident in their support–at the hospital, outside of it, online, and in his name.
A GoFundMe Damar initiated to support his annual toy drive has surpassed $6 million in donations since the athlete first collapsed on Monday night.
Last night, fans held a candlelight vigil for Hamlin outside of the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he remains sedated, in critical condition, and reportedly on a ventilator to give his “damaged lungs” some relief.
The 24-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest moments after tackling a Cincinnati Bengals player during a game in Ohio. Medical professionals worked on him for nine minutes, including administering CPR. The Buffalo Bills revealed medics resuscitated Hamlin on the field before an ambulance transported him to UC Medical Center.
On Wednesday, there was little change in Hamlin’s condition. However, a representative for Hamlin’s family, Jordan Rooney, told CNN the player’s uncle Dorrian Glenn previously misspoke when he claimed Damar was resuscitated twice.
“There’s a lot of medical jargon, a lot of things being said, so Damar’s only been resuscitated once,” Rooney said. He added, “His uncle’s incredibly supportive of his, of his nephew…I think that you know, he just wanted to do his part to share some good news and I think just misspoke.”
Rooney added that there’s a lot going on for the family and that it’s hard for anyone “who isn’t in the medical community” to keep up with updates.
According to CNN, the hospital is refusing to release any information on Damar or provide interviews with people treating the athlete.
Hamlin and his personal team previously organized a GoFundMe fundraiser in December 2020 to support his first annual toy drive. Sponsored by Hamlin’s Chasing M’s Foundation, the toy drive is in year three.
Following Damar’s cardiac arrest, his GoFundMe received renewed financial support. At the time of publication, folks had raised over $6.3 million. His team provided an update about the fundraiser, thanking people for their “generosity and compassion.” The additional funds will be used to support the foundation and its goals set forth by Hamlin.
Here’s a partial read of the latest update:
“As representatives of Damar, the team at Jaster Athletes posted the fundraiser updates and will work with the Hamlin family, The Chasing M’s Foundation, and the GoFundMe team to ensure the safe delivery of funds. Damar created The Chasing M’s Foundation to use as a vehicle to bring lasting impact to his community. The foundation supports toy drives, back-to-school drives, kid camps, and more. We’re hopeful about Dmar’s future involvement in disbursing the incredibly generous contributions.”
Damar’s collapse brought a necessary halt to the lively atmosphere in the stadium on Monday night. Within an hour of the cardiac arrest, the NFL postponed the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati faceoff.
His teammates took to their knees on the field in prayer, embraces, and tears. Their support and concerns spilled over to social media with tweets and posts coming in from teammates, fans, other NFL players, and sports athletes.
