After suffering a cardiac arrest mid-game on Monday, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin remains sedated on a ventilator as doctors work toward getting him to breathe on his own, according to an update from the player’s uncle.
After suffering a cardiac arrest mid-game on Monday, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin remains sedated on a ventilator as doctors work toward getting him to breathe on his own, according to an update from the player’s uncle.
The 24-year-old player was still in critical condition as of Tuesday night, his uncle Dorrian Glenn told CNN, after his collapse on the field the night before halted the Bills game against the Cincinnati Bengals and stunned a packed stadium that had just moments before been rippling with the excitement of Hamlin’s tackle of a Bengals wide receiver.
In just seconds, medical personnel were rushing onto the field to administer CPR and resuscitate Hamlin in front of his teammates, many of whom fell to their knees, sent up a prayer or were openly weeping and embracing one another.
Hamlin would be resuscitated twice that night – once on the field and again when he was hurried into the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he was still being treated Tuesday night, his uncle said.
FOLLOW LIVE UPDATES
“I’m not a crier, but I’ve never cried so hard in my life. Just to know, like, my nephew basically died on the field and they brought him back to life,” Glenn said.
Hamlin is on a ventilator to relieve some of the strain on his lungs, which have been damaged, according to Glenn. The doctors told Glenn his nephew has also been “flipped over on his stomach” in the hospital to help with the blood on his lungs, he said, adding, “It seems like he’s trending upwards in a positive way.”
The game was suspended with nearly six minutes left in the first quarter and was later officially postponed. The NFL said Tuesday that the game will not be resumed this week and no decision has been made on whether to continue it at a later date.
On-field injuries are not uncommon in the league, which often resumes play even after severe cases, but several current and former players have said Hamlin’s cardiac arrest felt especially disturbing as medical personnel fought to save his life while fans and players looked on.
Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins said he realized the gravity of his teammate’s condition when Hamlin continued to stay on the ground as more and more medical staff were called over.
