Damar Hamlin discharged from Buffalo hospital to continue cardiac arrest rehabilitation at home
Damar Hamlin has been discharged from hospital nine days after suffering a cardiac arrest during the Buffalo Bills game against the Cincinnati Bengals; He will continue his rehabilitation at home and with the Bills; Hamlin had been moved from a Cincinnati hospital to Buffalo on Monday
Wednesday 11 January 2023 17:36, UK
Damar Hamlin has been discharged from hospital to continue his recovery from a cardiac arrest at home, the Buffalo Bills have announced.
Hamlin collapsed on the pitch during the Bills' match against the Cincinnati Bengals on January 2.
In a statement, the Buffalo Bills said: "Damar Hamlin has been discharged from Buffalo General Medical Center/Gates Vascular Institute, a Kaleida Health facility in Buffalo, NY.
"Hamlin was admitted on Monday and went through a comprehensive medical evaluation as well as a series of cardiac, neurological and vascular testing on Tuesday."
Jamie Nadler MD, critical care physician and chief quality officer at Kaleida Health, and the care team lead for Hamlin said: "We have completed a series of tests and evaluations, and in consultation with the team physicians, we are confident that Damar can be safely discharged to continue his rehabilitation at home and with the Bills."
The 24-year-old collapsed in the first quarter of the Bills-Bengals clash following a tackle on wide receiver Tee Higgins and required treatment, including CPR, for 10 minutes, before being taken to University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he was intubated and declared in critical condition.
He showed significant signs of improvement on January 5, having opened his eyes and able to grip the hands of loved ones.
Hamlin has since been communicating with team-mates over FaceTime and posting on social media from his hospital bed.
On Monday, he was moved from the University of Cincinnati hospital to the Buffalo Medical Centre, and was cleared to return home on Wednesday.
Damar Hamlin timeline of events:
- Monday January 2: Damar Hamlin suffers cardiac arrest during the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals after a tackle on Tee Higgins before undergoing CPR and being transported to University of Cincinnati Hospital.
- Tuesday January 3: The Buffalo Bills release a statement saying Hamlin remains in the intensive care unit and in critical condition, while the NFL confirms the Bills-Bengals game will not be resumed later in the week and that the Week 18 schedule remains unchanged.
- Wednesday January 4: Damar Hamlin is reported to be showing "signs of improvement" but remains in intensive care.
- Thursday January 5: The Buffalo Bills state that Hamlin has shown "remarkable improvement" over the last 24 hours, while doctors at the medical centre add that he has awoken and is "neurologically intact", adding that he asked in writing whether the Bills had won Monday's game against the Bengals upon opening his eyes.
- Friday January 6: Hamlin's breathing tube is removed as he FaceTimes Bills team-mates and tells them he "loves them"; NFL owners hold special meeting to approve resolution to AFC playoff plan after cancellation of Bills-Bengals game.
- Saturday January 7: Hamlin tweets for the first time since suffering cardiac arrest, thanking "everyone who has reached out and prayed".
- Sunday January 8: Hamlin tweets from his hospital bed while watching the Bills' victory over the New England Patriots.
- Monday January 9: Hamlin is discharged from hospital in Cincinnati and cleared to return to Buffalo to continue his treatment.
- Wednesday January 11: Hamlin discharged from Buffalo hospital and will continue rehab at home.
Doctors said Hamlin has been walking since having a breathing tube removed on January 6, eating regular food and undergoing therapy. They added he was on a normal or even accelerated trajectory in his recovery, and that normal recovery can be measured from weeks to months.
NFL organisations and fans united across the week to pay tribute to Hamlin, whose charity GoFundMe page neared $9m (£7.42m) in donations, having originally been launched in 2020 with a target of $2,500 (£2,062).
Players and coaches honoured Hamlin by sporting his number three on their clothes in Week 18, Orchard Park producing emotional scenes as the Bills expressed their support for him ahead of their victory over the New England Patriots, which fittingly began with Nyheim Hines running 96 yards for a kickoff return touchdown on the opening play of the game.
Hamlin was so excited watching team-mate Hines' touchdown that "he jumped up and down, got out of his chair, set every alarm off in the ICU in the process," Dr Timothy Pritts said. "But he was fine. It was just appropriate reaction to very exciting play."
After being released from the hospital in Cincinnati, Hamlin thanked everyone for their support.
"Headed home to Buffalo today with a lot of love on my heart. Watching the world come together around me on Sunday was truly an amazing feeling," he tweeted.
"The same love you all have shown me is the same love that I plan to put back into the world n more. Bigger than football!"
Hamlin added: "Grateful for the awesome care I received at UCMC. Happy to be back in Buffalo. The docs and nurses at Buffalo General have already made me feel at home!"
