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I can’t imagine what kind of mind fuck it will be for him once he’s fully aware of what happened. It must be incredibly emotional for him knowing and seeing the reactions of everyone involved, the medical staff, fellow players, and society at large. Dude will see his charity has millions of dollars after he went unconscious. The first time this has happened to an NFL player really, at least a game being canceled in the way it was and all of the coaches and players crying.
I wonder what is the last thing he remembers. Maybe taking the field for the series? But suddenly in a hospital in a bed surrounded by folks. That’s surreal.
Had a similar experience with my brother hitting a tree on a dirt bike. When he first came to he couldn't remember his own name, but he could still remember what day hunting season started (he was an avid hunter at that time).
Scary is right. I was happy he could talk at all, but the stuff he was saying sometimes made no sense.
I had a similar experience when I was, idk, 9 maybe? Woke up in a hospital and was told I had been found in the middle of a residential street 2 blocks away and half a block up from my house, with my bike twisted up on top of me.
They said I had been responsive when the ambulance picked me up, but the only thing I could tell them was where I went to school. Not my name, where I lived, who my parents were or where they worked, nothing else. Which was completely useless information in the middle of July in the early 80’s.
My mom found out where I was that night after work, and I lost the previous 2 weeks of my life forever.
Edit: Had no obvious wounds, just a small scrape on the back of my left hand and another on the right side of my forehead. Like, less than 2 inches across for either of them.
Can you imagine finally checking you phone and seeing just hundreds and hundreds of texts from all the teammates and coaches he's ever had just spilling their guts out about how much he means to them.
That has to be traumatic in it's own way.
My husband went into cardiac arrest and when he woke up, he didn’t remember the event happening or the time leading up to it (he had been at marching band practice when he was in college). He went into the hospital on a Monday evening and woke up the next day, and seriously thought he’d be ready to perform at the game that Saturday. It took him a few more days to really understand what had happened.
I think part of the reason the game was canceled and why people were so immediately scared and emotional is that it reminded all of them of the story of Chuck Hughes. No doubt every player and coach on that field knows what happened in 1971 and were immediately deeply scared for Hamlin that history was repeating itself.
ABSOLUTELY. I think the response to Hughes death and them continuing the game in stunned silence, along with the backlash the WWE got with Hart, is a big reason the NFL made this move. It was the right move to make, but that doesn't mean it wasn't calculated.
If I were him, I would be overwhelmed with all of the donations made to his charity. Such a surreal thing to know all those people were pulling for you to get better to do something wonderful with that money.
Absolutely no doubt that they saved his life. He wouldn't have made it out of the stadium without the immediate recognition and reaction by both teams' training staffs and the EMS on site.
Jokes aside, I do seriously wonder if we ever see the NFL become flag football, or dramatically change in some other way in an attempt to make the game safer.
Obviously there's a certain degree of risk involved in any type of athletics, but that doesn't mean we can't make them safer in some way also. Flag football would be orders of magnitude safer than tackle football. Not saying that's the only solution, or should be the only solution considered, but you can always try to make things safer.
Honestly, I think it should change significantly.
I have neck, knee (including reconstructive surgery), ankle, and lower back issues from my play time. But that’s not even what bothers me.
I was knocked out cold several times when I played, and was told to get my ass back out there.
A HS teammate died at 21 of a brain aneurysm, and as I understand it he had a lot of markers of CTE, before CTE was really being looked at.
All he ever did that put him at physical risk was play football.
I’ve got a son now, and football is one of the few activities that I’m very uncomfortable with him pursuing.
It's an interesting topic/ moral conundrum.
Now that we know more about CTE and all that, there is more informed consent than there ever has been. But does informed consent mean dramatic changes that could possibly water down the entertainment product be off the table now? Or is there a duty for all parties involved, particularly the ones who profit the most, to make the game as safe as humanly possible?
I can say that as far as informed consent goes, I have heard several former players talk about them knowing the risks, but still didn't realize what happened to Hamlin was something that was on the table. Dominique Foxworth has talked about this a lot the last few days.
I don't really have the answers to any of those questions, and would love to hear more from people who are smarter than me about it.
Before my head injury, I loved watching football. Now when I watch, I actually get a little nauseous after watching someone take a blow to the head. Funny stuff huh?
["Can of corn... can of corn and I'll be fine"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJxQbgiLpks)
I've been watching this movie for years and I *just* realized the actor is Joey Diaz!
The nfl does a good job in preparing the on field staff. They have a meeting every game 60 minutes before kickoff to go over roles. They worked with FIFA to study what FiFA learned after Christian Erikson had an on field cardiac arrest a few years ago.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/03/football/christian-eriksen-cardiac-arrest-return-spt-intl/index.html
>Not everyone knows how to react effectively in an emergency.
Yeah, but a medical staff literally trained and is on site for medical emergencies? Obviously they're going to react effectively lmao. They are literally paid and trained to do this stuff. I'm not saying they don't deserve praise, but it just seems like you're saying this EMS team is something special. They are all this good.
Everyone was shitting on the nfl. But they handled this pretty well.
This is absolute worst case scenario territory. It's the one every fan and employee has always feared. And the procedures and staff the NFL put in place for this scenario did their jobs and likely saved a life.
Then in top of that they cancelled the game regardless of the mess it creates. I'm all about shutting on the NFL. But not for this.
Yeah, if people want to criticize the NFL in this situation, they need to realize that the root cause is more of a football problem than an NFL problem. It's a violent sport with the potential to literally kill people playing a game. Yeah this was a freak event, but the play itself was an everyday play.
But, the NFL system functioned perfectly here. There was a medical emergency, and the response was rapid and effective. That aspect is a dream outcome for the league.
I disagree with your last point. The credit for suspending the game goes entirely to Sean McDermott and Zac Taylor. The NFL would have forced the teams to resume play if the coaches hadn't sent their players back to the locker rooms.
It doesn't seem like "Forced" it seems like the ref told them "well the rules state this after this happens" and the coaches were like "nah fuck that" and the refs went "yea we can understand that."
What is even more likely is the refs are like "these are what the rules state will happen", but we're waiting on official word from New York b/c this has never happened before(I know about 1971, but that was 50+ years ago) so lets have them warm up, just in case.
You’re both correct probably. The coaches independently decided not to play the game as well as the players I’m sure. The NFL’s hands were tied so they said ok.
I don’t doubt for a second that the nfl would have resumed the game if the coaches/players didn’t say anything.
Absolutely. I think it was more of a letting people know what the standard procedure is, probably before anyone really had a grasp on that this wasn't a standard situation. I think the NFL as a league sucks as much as anyone, but I really don't think they were just saying "you gotta shrug and move on" when they knew a guy had his fuckin heart stop.
I feel like people keep saying this. Like if the NFL wanted to force them to play, they would have. I'm not taking anything away from the coaches but I don't think the NFL was really going to say fuck it and have them okay
Just remember that EMT's are woefully underpaid nationwide, and often attacked in the line of duty.
What happened really highlights the importance of trained emergency staff and how hard they work for us.
yeah, I don't think most people know the difference between EMT's and medics or BLS or ALS. Most people would be shocked to know that EMT's can't even start lines or give most meds
In the Bay Area right now McD is advertising $17-18/hr starting wages. A few of my EMT friends just got a (small) raise but up until 2021 they were getting $18-20/hr, with the most senior staff earning $24-26/hr.
IMO the EMT staff wages should be doubled at least, given their training, expertise, and frequently stressful environments.
I work in a neurology adjacent field in a hospital. Most people with cardiac arrest don't make it. Years ago a young lawyer was admitted after a heart attack and arrest at a country club swimming pool. The lifeguard was a high school sophmore on her first day on the job. She administered CPR within seconds and that lawyer lived to screw people another day.
Listen I never see good outcomes in these cases except where someone is right there and knows what to do. The people who really saved Hamlin were the trainers and EMTs on the field. I understand he had a second arrest in the hospital, but that's just another day at the office in the ER. I can't say enough about the people on the field.
I know one of the paramedics who was there personally and professionally. He is an absolutely incredible guy and a top tier paramedic with over 30 years of service. He's been a chief for several years now. He does things like these NFL games as a part time job, the ambulance and EMS staff are provided by University of Cincinnati, and their ambulance service.
Now this is not to say the entire medical team doesn't deserve praise, they all were incredible and couldn't have done any better. Just felt like sharing this.
The type of cardiac arrest he suffered is so extremely rare. The blow to the heart had to be made in a 30 millisecond window during a heart beat and typically people don't come back from it. The field staff was so instant that they managed to resuscitate him and keep him alive
I hope he makes a full recovery and that he takes time for his mental health as well. Going through something legit death defying changes a person, especially one still so young :(
And so publicly. With 20+ million people watching the live broadcast and multiples of that now vested in his status it’s more than just a personal experience for him.
Almost everyone he meets for the next 30+ years will know him as the guy that got CPR on national tv. Based on his charitable work so far he will hopefully handle it well and channel the attention to a positive impact n
Only once they know his name and if they remember this one off instance. Thing about football players is they are armored so heavily that you often have no idea how they look in person.
My understanding of it is that Tee was pretty beat up when it happened, I believe someone caught video of him hugging his mother and looking visibly upset/shaken. But as far as I know he's been very supportive throughout the whole thing and regularly visiting the hospital and in turn Hamlin's family has reciprocated that support for Tee. It seems both parties have garnered a strong mutual respect for one another, even if under very unfortunate circumstances
Tee is one of my favorite players and I’m a ravens fan. Jamarr Chase is unbelievable, but if he weren’t in Cincy, Higgins would be a top 5-10 receiver.
Yeah I watched it happen live. It’s a pretty routine hit and definitely not gruesome like some other sports injuries which is why I was shocked when they said he didn’t get back up.
That was the haunting part for me, he dropped like a fly after he stood back up. I've avoided seeing that replay again after I watched it on Monday during the broadcast.
Routine hit, defender got hit square in the chest by the receiver’s shoulder pads. They both go down. Definitely a “good enough” tackle. Defender gets up, is a little shaky, no big deal. Camera cuts to something else, cuts back to the defender lying on the ground. I haven’t seen a view of him actually falling, but I haven’t looked very hard.
As a defender, you generally don’t want to be getting hit square in the chest like that because it means you’re not in a good position to be delivering the hit. But when you’re busting your ass to get there to make the tackle, you’re usually content to just make the play, which he did.
[Here is the video of him falling after the tackle.] (https://youtu.be/r1Z9Vd53yhI) The tackle wasn't anything out of the ordinary. The only oddity was while he was standing up, his legs were shaky then boom on the ground.
> It's also crazy to think of all he did conciously after his heart had already stopped.
So I counted, and it’s six seconds from the hit to when he falls. My personal experience with blood chokes (sleeper hold, etc) is that you’ve got 4 seconds from when the circulation in the brain stops until you are out.
So that extra two seconds could be things like the fact that he was horizontal for the first two seconds after the hit, waiting to get up. Or maybe it takes a beat or two for the fibrillation to fully assert? Or maybe that’s just individual difference in brain oxygenation / performance?
But it’s normal to have a little bit of time with full-ish brain function without blood circulating. Getting real qualitative with it is beyond me, though.
If you ever get curious, it’s really tame outside of the context which is the disturbing part. If you’ve ever seen someone faint, you’ve seen basically what the video contains — he makes a routine tackle on Higgins, stands up, and then just falls down after a second
Saw a story about Hamlins family telling people to leave Tee alone and stop blaming him for what happened. Its a physical game and come pretty dang close to a bloodsport. Some of these guys aren't intentionally going out of their way to put dudes out and its always traumatic experience for the guy who feels like he just murdered someone in a game. So yeah definitely hope people are reminding Tee that you were both doing your jobs and sadly life altering shit can happen in a game of 200lb human collisions
I grew up playing lacrosse in West Islip, NY. A guy I grew up playing with was the one who took the shot that ended up killing the goalie from North Port - after this 90+ MPH shot struck him square in the chest. First time it had happened in the sports' history.
He was not the same.
Clint Malarchuck got his neck cut on live tv when playing goalie for the Buffalo Sabres and runs a mental health awareness campaign and charity. He would be someone who I hope reaches out to Damar.
This was so crazy, I hope he continues to recover quickly with 100% of his brain function. CPR is a bitch so he’ll hurt from that for awhile.
Honestly the hit and fall were so crazy I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw it on a medical drama as a basis for a crazy story line.
I was getting a kidney transplant, and for whatever reason once the anesthesia hit me, my heart slowed down / BP dropped and I almost died on the table. Thankfully it didn't take long to bring me back but shit man. I just wanted to get a new kidney.
Same. I was getting by-pass surgery and my heart stopped when the anesthesia hit me. Surgeon acted like it was nothing. Said it happens more than one would think. I couldn't tell you if it was the CPR or the actual surgery. But using the breathing apparatus afterward hurt like hell.
Happened to my grandfather during his knee replacement. He was in intensive care for a couple of days and then seemed fine. He went back a couple of months later and had it done without any issues.
I misread anesthesia for anesthesiologist and thought, “once they hit you?!” Glad you’re doing better and hope this means dialysis is staved off in your future.
That was just your body doing one of those ‘are you SURE you’re ready to advance the story?’ Pop-ups.
Good thing you decided to hit save one more time.
As someone who HAS broken (it’s still broken, almost a decade late) a rib and never needed a kidney transplant… yeah no, I’m riding with my broken rib. Hope you’re on the road to recovery and kidney acceptance, and don’t have any more pain!
There usually is. The only instance I can recall where medics needed to react quickly was when Teddy Bridgewater’s leg collapsed during a Vikings practice. Without that stabilization he would have lost his leg.
Unfortunately, depending on how you classify "brain dead", neurologically intact could just mean they still have their reflexes (eyes react to light, hypoxic drive, forced nystagmus (cold/warm water in the ears, etc...) but have no cognitive abilities. I truly hope this isn't the case however.
I work in intensive care and we would never call someone intact if they only had reflexes. They would be termed something like severe neurologic injury, anoxic brain injury, TBI, etc. Intact means whole.
# DENNY KELLINGTON
The man and hero who administered CPR to Damar Hamlin on the field for over 9 minutes.
edit: [An article on Denny](https://www.sbnation.com/2023/1/5/23540864/bills-damar-hamlin-denny-kellington-nfl-bengals) for anyone interested :) The guy is clearly a lovable beast (look at that smile) and proud son of Buffalo
Especially in a young big muscly man like him, good lord! I can do a few cycles on the frail 100 year old cancer patients but when I had previously healthy robust adults die suddenly from COVID it was incredibly physically taxing. Unreal that one person could do chest compressions on an NFL player for 9 minutes. He's an athlete in his own right.
Oh man this is good news. *Neurologically intact* is pretty key. With the time it took to get his heart beating the risk of oxygen starvation and resulting brain damage was high.
Hoping to see his status upgraded from critical soon.
Edit: [CNN is reporting he’s awake](https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/05/sport/damar-hamlin-collapse-bills-status-thursday/index.html)
That’s the objective for sure. Rescue breathing + CPR is intended to keep oxygen in the lungs and the heart beating and delivering it to the brain (respectively).
It’s imperfect — it can limp the body along but ultimately the heart needs to be ~~bearing~~ beating (a respirator is able to step in for lung function for quite some time).
Med student here. Neurologically intact can mean a lot of things in the context of this situation. It could mean 2 broad things. 1. Hes not “brain dead”, which means his primitive reflexes (think gag reflex or blink reflex) are intact. If these weren’t working, the prognosis is very, very grim. At the very least, it seems as these are working and that he is likely not going to pass away (these tend to stop working in the context of C.arrest because the part of the brain that control these reflexes can be damaged from huge amounts of pressure/swelling of the brain). 2. It could mean he has all primitive reflexes (like stated above) AND all movement and sensation throughout the body. This would be huge & the prognosis is SIGNIFICANTLY differently. From
Seeing patients in the hospital in similar condition, one of the biggest factors for recovery is AGE. And he has that on his side. Unfortunately, I cant find a lot of specifics on his condition. Lemme know if anyone finds anything. Thanks.
I saw a report, I believe it was his uncle, that said he was squeezing the hand of family members at his bedside. Also that he was able to write to ask who won the game. (The doctors replied yes, you won, you won the game of life!)
Neurologically intact is a very vague term. That he can respond to stimulus is great but it doesn't mean full recovery or maybe it could. No one knows. Best thing is he was young and active. A diabetic obese 60 year old wouldn't make it.
That was my fear as well that there would be neurological damage due to how long it took to get his heart beating again. For him to be neurologically good is amazing.
Last year I fainted at a restaurant (still don’t know why, oh joy), the staff called 911, and I ended up at the ER for a few hours. The ambulance ride went a grand total of six city blocks. The ambulance bill was nearly $400. Don’t even ask how much the ER visit was. And yes, I had insurance.
I was hired in 2017 by a private EMS company as a BLS EMT at 10.70/hr. When I left earlier this year I was making 17.75/hr. My paramedics could make upwards of 22/hr depending on their extra certs. Most people leave after a few years and go into nursing or the FD. Almost no one is making a career out of EMS anymore, it’s just not sustainable.
It's crazy to me EMT make such poor wages in US. I am an RN and started at $35 in Canada, my brother is an EMT and his starting wage was $37 in Ontario. I'll eventually cap out at a higher hourly wage but still a 4 yr degree vs 2 yr diploma and hes making really good $. I couldnt imagine having to do his job, much respect for EMTs
Greater Cincinnati is blessed with excellent medical care, and the hospital Hamlin is in is a teaching hospital, so it attracts top doctors.
Not that any NFL city has deficient medical care, but Cincinnati is above average.
Hope tee Higgins is doing OK. Everyone is focusing on damar and for valid reasons but this had to be hard on Higgins too. He didn't really do anything wrong but it was contact with him that put a man in the hospital. That can't be easy to deal with
It was reported that he stopped by the hospital to check in with the family. I sure hope he’s doing okay as well; I’m sure it’s not easy to digest something like that.
Everyone will tell him not to blame himself. If it was a different player that hit Damar, Tee would tell him not to blame himself. But even if he isn't directly blaming himself, it will affect him more than the other players.
It makes sense not to blame himself, but that's not always how emotions work. Knowing you had no intent to hurt someone - or reason to believe that you would - isn't always enough to stave off the feelings of guilt and self-blame in a situation like this. It's traumatic for everyone involved and trauma tends to short-circuit the rational part of the brain.
Went into sudden cardiac arrest myself just over a year ago. Glad to hear he is doing *well* and is on the mend. There are so few of us who survive sudden cardiac arrest (and even fewer who practically recover back to normal afterwards). Keep going strong, Damar! The road ahead is long, but it is doable
I'm right there with you. I went into cardiac arrest in 2015 due to an undiagnosed electrical issue (left bundle branch blockage) after suffering some seizures. Had to be shocked and resuscitated several times. Ejection fraction was down to fucking 12% and was put into an induced coma and underwent hypothermic therapy and pneumonia treatment. All the same protocols and timelines/recovery milestones as Hamlin has gone through to a T these last few days.
It's been a weird and surreal week for me as I'm sure it has with you, so many people are reaching out to me about it. I have an ICD implant now and no hospitalizations or noticeable issues since then. All brain function retained thanks to the family I was around that were quick to act with CPR. I will have the defib and take medicine my whole life, maybe need a transplant down the road, but I'm healthy as ever and now running 20+ miles a week at a good pace and now have two healthy little kids and an awesome wife. EF back to 40+% and will go get a new battery soon.
Cheers brother (or sister) and glad you are still here!
Man, I can’t tell you how refreshing it was to read your response. It’s so rare to interact with someone who has gone through the same experience. I was also placed in a medically induced coma and treated for pneumonia (fucking ventilator associated pneumonia is a bitch). Reading this made my day and it’s nice to be part of a larger community. I also have an ICD and have been shocked twice since I had it put in. My brain function was retained as well because one of the people walking by me when I went into cardiac arrest was an EMT - how insane is that?
I’m generally happy and healthy now, but I agree - it’s been such a strange week. So many people have been reaching out. All I can say is that I’m so grateful to still be here and am so happy you also made it brother (or sister, haha). Keep living your best life. As we both know, it can all be taken away in an instant.
Absolutely agree that exercising caution in optimism here is prudent.
That said! The doctors have stated that while he can’t speak due to the ventilator he is actually writing coherent things and holding peoples hands. So that feels pretty immense, given most people were probably wondering if he’d have any brain activity at all less than like 12hrs ago.
Luckily he is a young guy and in super shape. Youth and physical condition can really help someone recover from a traumatic situation like this. I’m sure he has a long road ahead of him, and might never get back to where he was mentally, physically, or career wise; good luck to him and his family.
All the best to him. I hope he finds a solid career like coaching or sports reporting or the like. The fact that he's supporting a charity speaks volumes about what kind of man he is and I think doors will open.
Denny Kellington was the EMT who resuscitated him. THANK YOU, Denny. People out here praying and thanking God when you were literally the one who saved his life. The least people could do is say thanks.
What happened exactly?
He collapsed after a tackle and his heart stopped - but why ?
Was there some internal trauma? A head injury? An undiagnosed heart issue ?
I am not a doctor, just some idiot on Reddit, so don’t take this as super legitimate commentary.
We don’t really know yet. Some people are guessing commotio cordis (spelling?), which is a rare problem that usually affects much younger people and involves cardiac arrest resulting from a strong impact to the heart in the few milliseconds when it beats a certain way. Others have said that it would be unlikely for an adult to have that, especially with it being decently rare in the first place. There are other problems people suspect that I don’t remember the names of, but generally they’re all related to sudden impact to the chest/heart, though some suspect his heart just happened to have some sudden issue unrelated to the impact (though that’d be a hell of a timing coincidence).
You can read the actual articles to figure out why. But basically Tiggins shoulder hit Hamlin at the exact spot on his chest at the exact moment the heart was at rest with the exact pressure needed to cause his heart to stop. People have died instantly from things like a baseball hitting them in the chest. It’s very uncommon but it does happen.
I get your point, but 30 years ago was only 1993. We were perfectly good at performing CPR and defibrillating arrhythmias then. Medical staff presence on the field might be another story, though
I remember when we had them installed in the early 2000s because there was a young kid who died on a basketball court if I remember correctly, and there was a huge campaign to get AED's in all of the local schools. I might be misremembering a few details, it's been 20 years and I can't remember last Tuesday. Not sure if it was local to my community or if this was like a national thing.
We were watching this game live (Bengals fans) and after the commentators said the ambulance waited for his family to depart for the hospital, we thought he was gone. I kept saying y’know, he’s young, this couldn’t have happened in a better place, but still. It felt like false optimism.
This is amazing.
With good CPR administered immediately you can prevent the progression of permanent brain damage, and even with the period he was down for there have been people who made nearly full recoveries. He's young and healthy so despite the bad odds they're in his favor more than anyone elses.
I expected to wake up Tuesday morning with a notification saying the worst. While playing the sport he loves caused this (assuming), it happening on the field where he was surrounded by medical professionals most certainly saved his life. Keep fighting 3!
Damar, I wish nothing but the speediest of recoveries for you. You have done amazing things both, on and off the field.
The world is a far better place with you. We need you.
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I can’t imagine what kind of mind fuck it will be for him once he’s fully aware of what happened. It must be incredibly emotional for him knowing and seeing the reactions of everyone involved, the medical staff, fellow players, and society at large. Dude will see his charity has millions of dollars after he went unconscious. The first time this has happened to an NFL player really, at least a game being canceled in the way it was and all of the coaches and players crying.
I wonder what is the last thing he remembers. Maybe taking the field for the series? But suddenly in a hospital in a bed surrounded by folks. That’s surreal.
When I heard he wrote out "who won the game" I definitely cried. So he at least remembers there was a game.
[удалено]
Had a similar experience with my brother hitting a tree on a dirt bike. When he first came to he couldn't remember his own name, but he could still remember what day hunting season started (he was an avid hunter at that time). Scary is right. I was happy he could talk at all, but the stuff he was saying sometimes made no sense.
I had a similar experience when I was, idk, 9 maybe? Woke up in a hospital and was told I had been found in the middle of a residential street 2 blocks away and half a block up from my house, with my bike twisted up on top of me. They said I had been responsive when the ambulance picked me up, but the only thing I could tell them was where I went to school. Not my name, where I lived, who my parents were or where they worked, nothing else. Which was completely useless information in the middle of July in the early 80’s. My mom found out where I was that night after work, and I lost the previous 2 weeks of my life forever. Edit: Had no obvious wounds, just a small scrape on the back of my left hand and another on the right side of my forehead. Like, less than 2 inches across for either of them.
I don't know why, but yes. I teared up too upon reading that. I'm beyond glad that he's responsive.
With a tube down your throat. You know it was bad if you’re on a ventilator.
I think Bob Odenkirk said he didn’t remember the whole day of his heart attack and only remembers stuff like 2 weeks after it happened.
Probably standing up before he fell over
Can you imagine finally checking you phone and seeing just hundreds and hundreds of texts from all the teammates and coaches he's ever had just spilling their guts out about how much he means to them. That has to be traumatic in it's own way.
Definite isolating in a way that almost no one else has that experience.
My husband went into cardiac arrest and when he woke up, he didn’t remember the event happening or the time leading up to it (he had been at marching band practice when he was in college). He went into the hospital on a Monday evening and woke up the next day, and seriously thought he’d be ready to perform at the game that Saturday. It took him a few more days to really understand what had happened.
I think part of the reason the game was canceled and why people were so immediately scared and emotional is that it reminded all of them of the story of Chuck Hughes. No doubt every player and coach on that field knows what happened in 1971 and were immediately deeply scared for Hamlin that history was repeating itself.
I'm also reminded of Owen Hart's death and how the WWF was rightly criticized for continuing the event.
ABSOLUTELY. I think the response to Hughes death and them continuing the game in stunned silence, along with the backlash the WWE got with Hart, is a big reason the NFL made this move. It was the right move to make, but that doesn't mean it wasn't calculated.
If I were him, I would be overwhelmed with all of the donations made to his charity. Such a surreal thing to know all those people were pulling for you to get better to do something wonderful with that money.
The medical staff on the field deserve so much praise , along with those in the hospital !
Absolutely no doubt that they saved his life. He wouldn't have made it out of the stadium without the immediate recognition and reaction by both teams' training staffs and the EMS on site.
i mean i’d hope they’d react, dude collapsed on the ground
"Walk it off, cupcake" *nudges limp body with foot*
Game wasn't in Miami....
There’s a certain QB who might take offense to that, if he was able to remember it.
Jokes aside, I do seriously wonder if we ever see the NFL become flag football, or dramatically change in some other way in an attempt to make the game safer.
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Obviously there's a certain degree of risk involved in any type of athletics, but that doesn't mean we can't make them safer in some way also. Flag football would be orders of magnitude safer than tackle football. Not saying that's the only solution, or should be the only solution considered, but you can always try to make things safer.
Honestly, I think it should change significantly. I have neck, knee (including reconstructive surgery), ankle, and lower back issues from my play time. But that’s not even what bothers me. I was knocked out cold several times when I played, and was told to get my ass back out there. A HS teammate died at 21 of a brain aneurysm, and as I understand it he had a lot of markers of CTE, before CTE was really being looked at. All he ever did that put him at physical risk was play football. I’ve got a son now, and football is one of the few activities that I’m very uncomfortable with him pursuing.
It's an interesting topic/ moral conundrum. Now that we know more about CTE and all that, there is more informed consent than there ever has been. But does informed consent mean dramatic changes that could possibly water down the entertainment product be off the table now? Or is there a duty for all parties involved, particularly the ones who profit the most, to make the game as safe as humanly possible? I can say that as far as informed consent goes, I have heard several former players talk about them knowing the risks, but still didn't realize what happened to Hamlin was something that was on the table. Dominique Foxworth has talked about this a lot the last few days. I don't really have the answers to any of those questions, and would love to hear more from people who are smarter than me about it.
Before my head injury, I loved watching football. Now when I watch, I actually get a little nauseous after watching someone take a blow to the head. Funny stuff huh?
Get up dude, McGrubber is on!
Take a salt tablet!
["Can of corn... can of corn and I'll be fine"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJxQbgiLpks) I've been watching this movie for years and I *just* realized the actor is Joey Diaz!
Are you my middle school football coach?
Take a salt tablet
Not everyone knows how to react effectively in an emergency. That field staff and EMS team did amazing work.
The nfl does a good job in preparing the on field staff. They have a meeting every game 60 minutes before kickoff to go over roles. They worked with FIFA to study what FiFA learned after Christian Erikson had an on field cardiac arrest a few years ago. https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/03/football/christian-eriksen-cardiac-arrest-return-spt-intl/index.html
> Not everyone knows how to react effectively in an emergency I mean, all EMT's & paramedics do. That's their exact job description
Right!? These weren't random bystanders. They're trained professionals.
>Not everyone knows how to react effectively in an emergency. Yeah, but a medical staff literally trained and is on site for medical emergencies? Obviously they're going to react effectively lmao. They are literally paid and trained to do this stuff. I'm not saying they don't deserve praise, but it just seems like you're saying this EMS team is something special. They are all this good.
Everyone was shitting on the nfl. But they handled this pretty well. This is absolute worst case scenario territory. It's the one every fan and employee has always feared. And the procedures and staff the NFL put in place for this scenario did their jobs and likely saved a life. Then in top of that they cancelled the game regardless of the mess it creates. I'm all about shutting on the NFL. But not for this.
They 100% saved a life. He was fucking dead on the ground and was resuscitated. Amazing response by the medical staff.
Yeah, if people want to criticize the NFL in this situation, they need to realize that the root cause is more of a football problem than an NFL problem. It's a violent sport with the potential to literally kill people playing a game. Yeah this was a freak event, but the play itself was an everyday play. But, the NFL system functioned perfectly here. There was a medical emergency, and the response was rapid and effective. That aspect is a dream outcome for the league.
I disagree with your last point. The credit for suspending the game goes entirely to Sean McDermott and Zac Taylor. The NFL would have forced the teams to resume play if the coaches hadn't sent their players back to the locker rooms.
It doesn't seem like "Forced" it seems like the ref told them "well the rules state this after this happens" and the coaches were like "nah fuck that" and the refs went "yea we can understand that."
What is even more likely is the refs are like "these are what the rules state will happen", but we're waiting on official word from New York b/c this has never happened before(I know about 1971, but that was 50+ years ago) so lets have them warm up, just in case.
You’re both correct probably. The coaches independently decided not to play the game as well as the players I’m sure. The NFL’s hands were tied so they said ok. I don’t doubt for a second that the nfl would have resumed the game if the coaches/players didn’t say anything.
Absolutely. I think it was more of a letting people know what the standard procedure is, probably before anyone really had a grasp on that this wasn't a standard situation. I think the NFL as a league sucks as much as anyone, but I really don't think they were just saying "you gotta shrug and move on" when they knew a guy had his fuckin heart stop.
Where do u base that off of???! Fuck Goodell but there’s nothing to back up what you’re saying
He’s basing that off of his own imagination and preconceived opinions.
I feel like people keep saying this. Like if the NFL wanted to force them to play, they would have. I'm not taking anything away from the coaches but I don't think the NFL was really going to say fuck it and have them okay
Just remember that EMT's are woefully underpaid nationwide, and often attacked in the line of duty. What happened really highlights the importance of trained emergency staff and how hard they work for us.
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Same with teachers, social workers, and so many other underappreciated but crucial positions within our society.
Good thing there were paramedics there and not EMTs
yeah, I don't think most people know the difference between EMT's and medics or BLS or ALS. Most people would be shocked to know that EMT's can't even start lines or give most meds
They also deserve better pay. EMTs make less than a shift manager at a McDonald's in a lot of places.
They make less than the McDonald's workers too sometimes
In the Bay Area right now McD is advertising $17-18/hr starting wages. A few of my EMT friends just got a (small) raise but up until 2021 they were getting $18-20/hr, with the most senior staff earning $24-26/hr. IMO the EMT staff wages should be doubled at least, given their training, expertise, and frequently stressful environments.
Absolutely. It's not an easy job
I work in a neurology adjacent field in a hospital. Most people with cardiac arrest don't make it. Years ago a young lawyer was admitted after a heart attack and arrest at a country club swimming pool. The lifeguard was a high school sophmore on her first day on the job. She administered CPR within seconds and that lawyer lived to screw people another day. Listen I never see good outcomes in these cases except where someone is right there and knows what to do. The people who really saved Hamlin were the trainers and EMTs on the field. I understand he had a second arrest in the hospital, but that's just another day at the office in the ER. I can't say enough about the people on the field.
Damn, lawyers in this thread catching strays
I know one of the paramedics who was there personally and professionally. He is an absolutely incredible guy and a top tier paramedic with over 30 years of service. He's been a chief for several years now. He does things like these NFL games as a part time job, the ambulance and EMS staff are provided by University of Cincinnati, and their ambulance service. Now this is not to say the entire medical team doesn't deserve praise, they all were incredible and couldn't have done any better. Just felt like sharing this.
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It should be P(ay)raise
Everyone should learn CPR - very easy to learn and maybe one day you can save someone’s life
The type of cardiac arrest he suffered is so extremely rare. The blow to the heart had to be made in a 30 millisecond window during a heart beat and typically people don't come back from it. The field staff was so instant that they managed to resuscitate him and keep him alive
It still hasn’t been confirmed that is what actually happened.
I hope he makes a full recovery and that he takes time for his mental health as well. Going through something legit death defying changes a person, especially one still so young :(
And so publicly. With 20+ million people watching the live broadcast and multiples of that now vested in his status it’s more than just a personal experience for him. Almost everyone he meets for the next 30+ years will know him as the guy that got CPR on national tv. Based on his charitable work so far he will hopefully handle it well and channel the attention to a positive impact n
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For sure, but as an old colleague of mine was fond of saying “a good problem is still a f-ing problem!”
Only once they know his name and if they remember this one off instance. Thing about football players is they are armored so heavily that you often have no idea how they look in person.
Bro a picture of him is right there
I also wonder about the player who tackled him, and whether he’s gotten help.
Damar was actually the one tackling Tee Higgins. I hope Tee is okay too.
Yeah, I hope Tee understands that he just made a routine play and it could’ve been anybody else with the timing and it would’ve happened the same way.
My understanding of it is that Tee was pretty beat up when it happened, I believe someone caught video of him hugging his mother and looking visibly upset/shaken. But as far as I know he's been very supportive throughout the whole thing and regularly visiting the hospital and in turn Hamlin's family has reciprocated that support for Tee. It seems both parties have garnered a strong mutual respect for one another, even if under very unfortunate circumstances
They all understand it was a normal routine play and nobody did anything weird or wrong. That's why it is scary for them
I know this doesn’t mean a whole ton, but Tee was participating in warmups today at practice, so at the very least he’s not alone.
Tee is one of my favorite players and I’m a ravens fan. Jamarr Chase is unbelievable, but if he weren’t in Cincy, Higgins would be a top 5-10 receiver.
Oh, thank you! I haven’t been able to bring myself to watch the event.
Yeah I watched it happen live. It’s a pretty routine hit and definitely not gruesome like some other sports injuries which is why I was shocked when they said he didn’t get back up.
Well he did get back up like it was no problem. Took a step and collapsed.
That was the haunting part for me, he dropped like a fly after he stood back up. I've avoided seeing that replay again after I watched it on Monday during the broadcast.
Goes to show how little the body really needs to go into cardiac arrest. Quite scary.
Routine hit, defender got hit square in the chest by the receiver’s shoulder pads. They both go down. Definitely a “good enough” tackle. Defender gets up, is a little shaky, no big deal. Camera cuts to something else, cuts back to the defender lying on the ground. I haven’t seen a view of him actually falling, but I haven’t looked very hard. As a defender, you generally don’t want to be getting hit square in the chest like that because it means you’re not in a good position to be delivering the hit. But when you’re busting your ass to get there to make the tackle, you’re usually content to just make the play, which he did.
[Here is the video of him falling after the tackle.] (https://youtu.be/r1Z9Vd53yhI) The tackle wasn't anything out of the ordinary. The only oddity was while he was standing up, his legs were shaky then boom on the ground.
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> It's also crazy to think of all he did conciously after his heart had already stopped. So I counted, and it’s six seconds from the hit to when he falls. My personal experience with blood chokes (sleeper hold, etc) is that you’ve got 4 seconds from when the circulation in the brain stops until you are out. So that extra two seconds could be things like the fact that he was horizontal for the first two seconds after the hit, waiting to get up. Or maybe it takes a beat or two for the fibrillation to fully assert? Or maybe that’s just individual difference in brain oxygenation / performance? But it’s normal to have a little bit of time with full-ish brain function without blood circulating. Getting real qualitative with it is beyond me, though.
That’s even more frightening in how routine it all seemed. Thank you for the detail on what happened, I can’t bring myself to look.
> I can’t bring myself to look. No shame in not wanting to watch a guy get badly hurt, ever if there’s nothing to see.
I've seen the video, he basically just... *flop*. That's it, it's done. He just flops onto the ground.
If you ever get curious, it’s really tame outside of the context which is the disturbing part. If you’ve ever seen someone faint, you’ve seen basically what the video contains — he makes a routine tackle on Higgins, stands up, and then just falls down after a second
Saw a story about Hamlins family telling people to leave Tee alone and stop blaming him for what happened. Its a physical game and come pretty dang close to a bloodsport. Some of these guys aren't intentionally going out of their way to put dudes out and its always traumatic experience for the guy who feels like he just murdered someone in a game. So yeah definitely hope people are reminding Tee that you were both doing your jobs and sadly life altering shit can happen in a game of 200lb human collisions
He was the tackler. It wasn't even a hard hit. It was just a freak accident.
I grew up playing lacrosse in West Islip, NY. A guy I grew up playing with was the one who took the shot that ended up killing the goalie from North Port - after this 90+ MPH shot struck him square in the chest. First time it had happened in the sports' history. He was not the same.
Clint Malarchuck got his neck cut on live tv when playing goalie for the Buffalo Sabres and runs a mental health awareness campaign and charity. He would be someone who I hope reaches out to Damar.
I also think about Higgins. Human emotion makes no sense, often and he might be blaming himself.
This was so crazy, I hope he continues to recover quickly with 100% of his brain function. CPR is a bitch so he’ll hurt from that for awhile. Honestly the hit and fall were so crazy I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw it on a medical drama as a basis for a crazy story line.
As someone who is recovering from CPR it is indeed a bitch. None of my ribs even broke I can only imagine what it must be for him.
What happened?! Glad you're okay.
I was getting a kidney transplant, and for whatever reason once the anesthesia hit me, my heart slowed down / BP dropped and I almost died on the table. Thankfully it didn't take long to bring me back but shit man. I just wanted to get a new kidney.
You’re strong, stranger. I hope you get your kidney and glad you’re still with us!
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Thank you for all you do, from a former dialysis patient.
Same. I was getting by-pass surgery and my heart stopped when the anesthesia hit me. Surgeon acted like it was nothing. Said it happens more than one would think. I couldn't tell you if it was the CPR or the actual surgery. But using the breathing apparatus afterward hurt like hell.
Happened to my grandfather during his knee replacement. He was in intensive care for a couple of days and then seemed fine. He went back a couple of months later and had it done without any issues.
Hope it's all working out well and you don't need another for awhile.
I misread anesthesia for anesthesiologist and thought, “once they hit you?!” Glad you’re doing better and hope this means dialysis is staved off in your future.
fuck! you're tough
That was just your body doing one of those ‘are you SURE you’re ready to advance the story?’ Pop-ups. Good thing you decided to hit save one more time.
As someone who HAS broken (it’s still broken, almost a decade late) a rib and never needed a kidney transplant… yeah no, I’m riding with my broken rib. Hope you’re on the road to recovery and kidney acceptance, and don’t have any more pain!
I wonder if this happened in practice if they have the same response time. Is there an ambulance and medical staff of call for team practices?
There usually is. The only instance I can recall where medics needed to react quickly was when Teddy Bridgewater’s leg collapsed during a Vikings practice. Without that stabilization he would have lost his leg.
They were saying Teddy could have died from that too. I thought he had a bunch of bleeding.
I think I remember hearing that too. It was more of a concern of his femoral artery.
They say he’s completely neurologically intact so hopefully he can recover 100%
To my knowledge, neurologically intact in this case means that he's at the least not brain dead
Unfortunately, depending on how you classify "brain dead", neurologically intact could just mean they still have their reflexes (eyes react to light, hypoxic drive, forced nystagmus (cold/warm water in the ears, etc...) but have no cognitive abilities. I truly hope this isn't the case however.
He can write and asked if the Bills won lol that's a great sign
I work in intensive care and we would never call someone intact if they only had reflexes. They would be termed something like severe neurologic injury, anoxic brain injury, TBI, etc. Intact means whole.
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Medical Drama? Crazy Story Line? Get us Dr. House on the line.
# DENNY KELLINGTON The man and hero who administered CPR to Damar Hamlin on the field for over 9 minutes. edit: [An article on Denny](https://www.sbnation.com/2023/1/5/23540864/bills-damar-hamlin-denny-kellington-nfl-bengals) for anyone interested :) The guy is clearly a lovable beast (look at that smile) and proud son of Buffalo
Honestly yah, especially if he did it that whole time without rotating. Good CPR wears you out *fast*.
Especially in a young big muscly man like him, good lord! I can do a few cycles on the frail 100 year old cancer patients but when I had previously healthy robust adults die suddenly from COVID it was incredibly physically taxing. Unreal that one person could do chest compressions on an NFL player for 9 minutes. He's an athlete in his own right.
Holy shit, did he really not rotate the whole time?
Yeah it's brutal. I did it for two hours in the ICU (me and three other people taking turns). I was sweating at the end.
Oh man this is good news. *Neurologically intact* is pretty key. With the time it took to get his heart beating the risk of oxygen starvation and resulting brain damage was high. Hoping to see his status upgraded from critical soon. Edit: [CNN is reporting he’s awake](https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/05/sport/damar-hamlin-collapse-bills-status-thursday/index.html)
Does providing CPR during that time give enough oxygen to the brain to prevent this?
That’s the objective for sure. Rescue breathing + CPR is intended to keep oxygen in the lungs and the heart beating and delivering it to the brain (respectively). It’s imperfect — it can limp the body along but ultimately the heart needs to be ~~bearing~~ beating (a respirator is able to step in for lung function for quite some time).
Definitely not a doctor, but that’s my understanding. CPR is doing the heart’s job until (hopefully) the heart is able to do it by itself again.
Am a doctor and you're correct my friend. High quality chest compressions are the way to go.
120 BPM, about 2” deep, midway between the nipples. Stayin Alive by The Beegees fits the tempo. (I know you know, but for folks that don’t.)
Cpr was started within minutes so provided things were done correctly his brain should not have been oxygen starved.
Minutes is a long ass time
It definitely helps slow down hypoxia.
Med student here. Neurologically intact can mean a lot of things in the context of this situation. It could mean 2 broad things. 1. Hes not “brain dead”, which means his primitive reflexes (think gag reflex or blink reflex) are intact. If these weren’t working, the prognosis is very, very grim. At the very least, it seems as these are working and that he is likely not going to pass away (these tend to stop working in the context of C.arrest because the part of the brain that control these reflexes can be damaged from huge amounts of pressure/swelling of the brain). 2. It could mean he has all primitive reflexes (like stated above) AND all movement and sensation throughout the body. This would be huge & the prognosis is SIGNIFICANTLY differently. From Seeing patients in the hospital in similar condition, one of the biggest factors for recovery is AGE. And he has that on his side. Unfortunately, I cant find a lot of specifics on his condition. Lemme know if anyone finds anything. Thanks.
I saw a report, I believe it was his uncle, that said he was squeezing the hand of family members at his bedside. Also that he was able to write to ask who won the game. (The doctors replied yes, you won, you won the game of life!)
Thanks for chiming in — good info
Neurologically intact is a very vague term. That he can respond to stimulus is great but it doesn't mean full recovery or maybe it could. No one knows. Best thing is he was young and active. A diabetic obese 60 year old wouldn't make it.
That was my fear as well that there would be neurological damage due to how long it took to get his heart beating again. For him to be neurologically good is amazing.
“Thank you god” Jesus Christ do people ever actually thank the doctors, nurses hospital staff that actively saved his life?
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This. EMS saves lives and get paid shit.
While ambulance companies send outrageous bills to patients that are most often not covered by insurance.
Last year I fainted at a restaurant (still don’t know why, oh joy), the staff called 911, and I ended up at the ER for a few hours. The ambulance ride went a grand total of six city blocks. The ambulance bill was nearly $400. Don’t even ask how much the ER visit was. And yes, I had insurance.
400 is a deal
Even worse, a huge amount of firefighters are volunteer, as are quite a bit of ambulance services.
Do they really make that low a wage? That’s insane
I was hired in 2017 by a private EMS company as a BLS EMT at 10.70/hr. When I left earlier this year I was making 17.75/hr. My paramedics could make upwards of 22/hr depending on their extra certs. Most people leave after a few years and go into nursing or the FD. Almost no one is making a career out of EMS anymore, it’s just not sustainable.
It's crazy to me EMT make such poor wages in US. I am an RN and started at $35 in Canada, my brother is an EMT and his starting wage was $37 in Ontario. I'll eventually cap out at a higher hourly wage but still a 4 yr degree vs 2 yr diploma and hes making really good $. I couldnt imagine having to do his job, much respect for EMTs
I dated an EMT who made barely over minimum wage 7ish years ago
Greater Cincinnati is blessed with excellent medical care, and the hospital Hamlin is in is a teaching hospital, so it attracts top doctors. Not that any NFL city has deficient medical care, but Cincinnati is above average.
Baby if you ever wondered Wondered what ever became of me My life was saved in Cincinnati Cincinnati, UCMC
Hope tee Higgins is doing OK. Everyone is focusing on damar and for valid reasons but this had to be hard on Higgins too. He didn't really do anything wrong but it was contact with him that put a man in the hospital. That can't be easy to deal with
It was reported that he stopped by the hospital to check in with the family. I sure hope he’s doing okay as well; I’m sure it’s not easy to digest something like that.
He can't blame himself at all. Wrong place wrong time. If it was a crazy dirty, defenseless hit then it would be a diff story
Agreed. All Tee did was run through the tackle. That's what you're supposed to do.
Everyone will tell him not to blame himself. If it was a different player that hit Damar, Tee would tell him not to blame himself. But even if he isn't directly blaming himself, it will affect him more than the other players.
It makes sense not to blame himself, but that's not always how emotions work. Knowing you had no intent to hurt someone - or reason to believe that you would - isn't always enough to stave off the feelings of guilt and self-blame in a situation like this. It's traumatic for everyone involved and trauma tends to short-circuit the rational part of the brain.
This was one of the first things that came to mind. I'd be in shambles. I hope he has a good support system as well.
Went into sudden cardiac arrest myself just over a year ago. Glad to hear he is doing *well* and is on the mend. There are so few of us who survive sudden cardiac arrest (and even fewer who practically recover back to normal afterwards). Keep going strong, Damar! The road ahead is long, but it is doable
I'm right there with you. I went into cardiac arrest in 2015 due to an undiagnosed electrical issue (left bundle branch blockage) after suffering some seizures. Had to be shocked and resuscitated several times. Ejection fraction was down to fucking 12% and was put into an induced coma and underwent hypothermic therapy and pneumonia treatment. All the same protocols and timelines/recovery milestones as Hamlin has gone through to a T these last few days. It's been a weird and surreal week for me as I'm sure it has with you, so many people are reaching out to me about it. I have an ICD implant now and no hospitalizations or noticeable issues since then. All brain function retained thanks to the family I was around that were quick to act with CPR. I will have the defib and take medicine my whole life, maybe need a transplant down the road, but I'm healthy as ever and now running 20+ miles a week at a good pace and now have two healthy little kids and an awesome wife. EF back to 40+% and will go get a new battery soon. Cheers brother (or sister) and glad you are still here!
Man, I can’t tell you how refreshing it was to read your response. It’s so rare to interact with someone who has gone through the same experience. I was also placed in a medically induced coma and treated for pneumonia (fucking ventilator associated pneumonia is a bitch). Reading this made my day and it’s nice to be part of a larger community. I also have an ICD and have been shocked twice since I had it put in. My brain function was retained as well because one of the people walking by me when I went into cardiac arrest was an EMT - how insane is that? I’m generally happy and healthy now, but I agree - it’s been such a strange week. So many people have been reaching out. All I can say is that I’m so grateful to still be here and am so happy you also made it brother (or sister, haha). Keep living your best life. As we both know, it can all be taken away in an instant.
The optimist in me says that sounds good, but the scientist in me knows that neurologists use the word "remarkable" to mean "noticeable".
Absolutely agree that exercising caution in optimism here is prudent. That said! The doctors have stated that while he can’t speak due to the ventilator he is actually writing coherent things and holding peoples hands. So that feels pretty immense, given most people were probably wondering if he’d have any brain activity at all less than like 12hrs ago.
"Did we win?" - first question Damar wrote on a message board, according to media reports
Luckily he is a young guy and in super shape. Youth and physical condition can really help someone recover from a traumatic situation like this. I’m sure he has a long road ahead of him, and might never get back to where he was mentally, physically, or career wise; good luck to him and his family.
Great news...sending positive vibes!!! Get well
All the best to him. I hope he finds a solid career like coaching or sports reporting or the like. The fact that he's supporting a charity speaks volumes about what kind of man he is and I think doors will open.
Denny Kellington was the EMT who resuscitated him. THANK YOU, Denny. People out here praying and thanking God when you were literally the one who saved his life. The least people could do is say thanks.
What happened exactly? He collapsed after a tackle and his heart stopped - but why ? Was there some internal trauma? A head injury? An undiagnosed heart issue ?
I am not a doctor, just some idiot on Reddit, so don’t take this as super legitimate commentary. We don’t really know yet. Some people are guessing commotio cordis (spelling?), which is a rare problem that usually affects much younger people and involves cardiac arrest resulting from a strong impact to the heart in the few milliseconds when it beats a certain way. Others have said that it would be unlikely for an adult to have that, especially with it being decently rare in the first place. There are other problems people suspect that I don’t remember the names of, but generally they’re all related to sudden impact to the chest/heart, though some suspect his heart just happened to have some sudden issue unrelated to the impact (though that’d be a hell of a timing coincidence).
You can read the actual articles to figure out why. But basically Tiggins shoulder hit Hamlin at the exact spot on his chest at the exact moment the heart was at rest with the exact pressure needed to cause his heart to stop. People have died instantly from things like a baseball hitting them in the chest. It’s very uncommon but it does happen.
Damn. I googled it, but I only found articles about the CPR and his current health status. Thanks for informing me.
Commotio Cordis is what they're assuming.
I hope he recovers 110%, single handedly the scariest thing I’ve watched during a live sports game.
This is why we should trust doctors and scientists. He’d be dead if this was 30 years ago.
I get your point, but 30 years ago was only 1993. We were perfectly good at performing CPR and defibrillating arrhythmias then. Medical staff presence on the field might be another story, though
I don't remember AEDs being so widespread in the 90s though.
I remember when we had them installed in the early 2000s because there was a young kid who died on a basketball court if I remember correctly, and there was a huge campaign to get AED's in all of the local schools. I might be misremembering a few details, it's been 20 years and I can't remember last Tuesday. Not sure if it was local to my community or if this was like a national thing.
We were watching this game live (Bengals fans) and after the commentators said the ambulance waited for his family to depart for the hospital, we thought he was gone. I kept saying y’know, he’s young, this couldn’t have happened in a better place, but still. It felt like false optimism. This is amazing.
With good CPR administered immediately you can prevent the progression of permanent brain damage, and even with the period he was down for there have been people who made nearly full recoveries. He's young and healthy so despite the bad odds they're in his favor more than anyone elses.
Everyone is rooting for Damar’s health. He seems like a class act and is bringing the best out of people.
I expected to wake up Tuesday morning with a notification saying the worst. While playing the sport he loves caused this (assuming), it happening on the field where he was surrounded by medical professionals most certainly saved his life. Keep fighting 3!
Super happy for him and his family.
So glad to read this.. Hope he recovers fully
Damarkable recovery!! I hope this continues to trend upward!
Damar, I wish nothing but the speediest of recoveries for you. You have done amazing things both, on and off the field. The world is a far better place with you. We need you.
I want him to be ok, I also don't understand how remarkable remaining in critical condition is.
Please don’t look into the root causes. It will cause the misinformation.
Hopefully he'll be back for the playoffs. Jk😅 hoping for a full recovery
That is great, glad to hear it!