Folks, it’s been a day filled with heavy hearts across the National Football league after Damar Hamlin collapsed during the Buffalo Bills vs Cincinnati Bengals matchup last evening. Damar Hamlin, 24, is still in critical condition after going into cardiac arrest last night.
It goes without saying that everyone here at 366 Sports has been praying for Damar Hamlin. Prayer is powerful. Seeing people from all walks of life come together to support Damar Hamlin is beautiful. Absolutely nobody who put on the football game last night was expecting this unthinkable tragedy to happen.
Situations like this one shine a light on the importance of early CPR/AED response in a medical crisis. In the United States each year, it’s estimated that there are between 100 and 150 cardiac related sports deaths. The best way to prevent those deaths from happening is to administer CPR.
The reality of the situation is that the NFL is better equipped to handle a situation like this than say a youth sports league or high school sports league. There may not be EMT’s onsite for every single game that your child, grandchild, or nice/nephew plays in. This is why we all play an important role in recognizing and rectifying cardiac events like the medical team did with Damar Hamlin last night.
I firmly believe that every adult on the planet should know how to perform CPR and use an AED machine. I wish they would make a basic first aid class a requirement for students in schools. CPR is incredibly easy to learn. As a result, you could save somebody’s life just by knowing this basic skill.
The American Red Cross offers classes that you can take. Additionally, many of them are online or in a hybrid model depending on your location. You can find a class near you here.
Again, the odds of a sudden cardiac event happening at a sporting event are incredibly low. With that being said, it is incredibly necessary to have the basic skills needed to help out in a worst case scenario.
Damar Hamlin has the support of the entire NFL community. This terrible tragedy will not break the NFL or its players, it will only make them come together more. Lastly, I sincerely hope this event shows all of us that we have an incredibly important role to play when it comes to potentially saving somebody’s life in a sudden cardiac event.
We will continue to pray for Damar Hamlin. We encourage you to do so as well.