Buffalo Bills Damar Hamlin Raising Funds For First Responders

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is continuing his recovery at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center after suffering from cardiac arrest during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals last week. 

Now, Hamlin has announced his plans to raise funds to benefit the first responders and hospital that has aided him in his recovery. Hamlin took to Twitter to announce the sale of T-shirts in which the proceeds will be given to first responders and the UC Trauma Center. 

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“We all won. I want to give back an ounce of the love y’all showed me. Proceeds of this shirt will go to first-responders and the UC Trauma Center. Go get yours!”

Hamlin included a link to the website in which fans can choose from three different T-shirt options, all of which feature Hamlin’s hands in the shape of a heart and “Did We Win?” in big print. 

The T-shirt also features a hospital tag ID bracelet on Hamlin’s right wrist. The question “Did We Win” is what Hamlin asked his team of medical professionals after waking up last week following his cardiac arrest last Monday. 

Every NFL team honored Hamlin in this past weekend’s final slate of regular season games. Players, coaches, and team personnel were sporting T-shirts that had “Love You Damar” printed on them along with his jersey number, 3. 

Teams also painted the 30-yard line in red within their hosting stadiums. 

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During the first quarter of last week’s Monday Night Football contest, Hamlin, 24, suffered cardiac arrest after completing his tackle of Tee Higgins, the Bengals wide receiver. After standing up following the tackle, Hamlin almost immediately collapsed. 

Hamlin had to be resuscitated by medical officials on the field following his collapse. Afterwards he was transported to UC Medical Center and was listed as being in critical condition for days following the cardiac arrest. 

Medical officials stated last Thursday that Hamlin was awake and “had made substantial improvement. As he recovered, he continued to show his support for his team during the season finale of regular games against division rival New England Patriots. 

Hamlin continuously tweeted from his hospital bed during the game up until the Bills defeated the Patriots 35-23. 

Following his charity announcement, fans raised more than $8.5 million for the Chasing M’s Foundation Community Toy Drive, surpassing their initial goal of raising $2,500.