Buffalo Bills confirm Damar Hamlin has made 'remarkable improvement' as he recovers from cardiac arrest
Joe Harker
Featured Image Credit: Newscom / ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy Stock Photo
The Buffalo Bills have given an update on the condition of Damar Hamlin after he collapsed on the field as he suffered a cardiac arrest.
Hamlin's collapse came in the middle of a game against the Cincinnati Bengals after he was involved in what initially looked like a routine tackle.
The 24-year-old got up and everything seemed normal at first, but then Hamlin fell to the ground and the emergency services had to be called over to save his life.
Hamlin received CPR on the pitch as his family watched on, with them later saying he needed to be resuscitated once on the pitch and again when they arrived in the hospital.
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His family paid tribute to the first responders and medical staff who were keeping Damar alive, and thanked everyone who had sent them support during the incredibly distressing time.
They said the 'generosity and compassion' they had been shown 'means the world to us'.
Now the Buffalo Bills have offered an update on Hamlin's condition as he continues to recover from his cardiac arrest in hospital.
They said: "Per the physicians caring for Damar Hamlin at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Damar has shown remarkable improvement over the past 24 hours.
"While still critically ill, he has demonstrated that he appears to be neurologically intact. His lungs continue to heal and he is making steady progress."
"We are grateful for the love and support he has received."
This hopeful message follows a previous one from the Buffalo Bills where they said yesterday (4 January) that Hamlin had been showing 'signs of improvement'.
Hamlin's collapse was a terrifying moment for everyone involved, with teammate Dion Dawkins appreciating that the game was called off and they didn't have to keep playing after Hamlin had been in a life-threatening condition.
People have met Damar's cardiac arrest with a wave of love and support, donating over $3 million to his GoFundMe aiming to raise money for a toy drive charity.
A number of famous faces have put their money towards the fundraiser, but the staggering level of generosity shown by ordinary people is incredible.
Doctors have suggested that Hamlin could have suffered from a very rare injury which only affects one person in 264 million.
They have speculated that the player took a blow to his chest at precisely the wrong moment, dealing a blow to the heart's electrical cycle which would have disrupted the flow of blood around his body.
The name of this injury is 'commotio cordis', and the Buffalo Bills player may just have been very unlucky.