Damar Hamlin: Buffalo Bills safety discharged from hospital in Cincinnati after suffering cardiac arrest on field

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin has been discharged from hospital in Cincinnati a week on from suffering a cardiac arrest on the field against the Bengals.

"Headed home to Buffalo today with a lot of love on my heart," Hamlin tweeted. "Watching the world come together around me on Sunday was truly an amazing feeling. 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!

"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!"

The 24-year-old collapsed in the first quarter of the Bills-Cincinnati Bengals clash on January 2 following a tackle on wide receiver Tee Higgins and required CPR along with other treatment for 10 minutes before being transported to University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he was intubated and declared in critical condition.

Hamlin was reported to have shown significant improvement on Thursday having opened his eyes and been able to grip the hands of loved ones.

He has since been seen communicating with team-mates over FaceTime and tweeted regularly from his hospital bed during Buffalo's win over the New England Patriots on Sunday.

A week out from a night that brought the NFL to a standstill, Hamlin has been cleared to head back to Buffalo.

Doctors said Hamlin has been walking since having a breathing tube removed on Friday, eating regular food and undergoing therapy. They said he was on a normal or even accelerated trajectory in his recovery and that normal recovery can be measured from weeks to months.

"We continue to be ecstatic about his recovery," Dr. Timothy Pritts said.

Bills coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane briefly saw Hamlin after he landed in Buffalo.

"We're happy to have him back," McDermott told reporters on a conference call. "He's a little bit tired, but it was good to get to see him in person for the first time in a while."

Dr. William Knight of the University of Cincinnati Medical Center said: "I travelled with him to the airport this morning with our UC Health air care and local care crew, including team-mates that were with us on the field when Damar Hamlin collapsed.

"He landed safely and, as standard with anybody who has gone through what he's gone through this past week and certainly after flying on a plane, he's going to be observed and monitored to ensure that there's no impact on the flight of his condition or on his lungs.

"Dr. [Timothy] Pritts and I have spoken extensively with his air team in Buffalo, and I can confirm that he's doing well and this is the beginning of the next stage of his recovery. Since our last update to you, Damar Hamlin has met a number of key milestones on his journey to recovery."

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.

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NFL organisations and fans united across the week to pay tribute to Hamlin, whose charity GoFundMe page surpassed $8m in donations having originally been launched in 2020 with a target of $2,500.

Players and coaches honoured Hamlin by sporting his No 3 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. Pritts said. "But he was fine. It was just appropriate reaction to very exciting play."

Elsewhere Indianapolis Colts safety Rodney Thomas II, a former high school team-mate to Hamlin, marked his interception against the Houston Texans by placing the ball at the top of the number three printed on the field.