Damar Hamlin is awake, but the Buffalo Bills Safety remains hospitalized at University of Cincinnati Medical Center in critical condition after suffering cardiac arrest during Monday night's game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The team released a statement Thursday morning saying Hamlin is making “remarkable improvement” and has “demonstrated that he appears to be neurologically intact” while his lungs continue to heal. Hamlin remains "critically ill," but according to NFL Network’s Ian Rappaport, Hamlin had opened his eyes Wednesday night and was holding and gripping the hands of people close to him.
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) January 5, 2023
Kaleida Health Internal Medicine Chief of Service Dr. George Matthews said these are positive early signs.
“The fact that it is possible to restore the heart rhythm to normal and reestablish circulation decreases the likelihood of impairment to the brain or other vital organs. So that's the key point," he said. "If it can be identified quickly enough and treated quickly enough. The individuals have a good potential for recovery.”
Matthews said the quick thinking of Bills and Bengals trainers on the field saved Hamlin's life.
"The aspect that was particularly to be commended is that the trainers, the physicians were able to undertake CPR and in effect, restore adequate blood flow in a very short period of time," he said. "The consequences of not having that is damage to the vital organs, in particular, the heart itself, as well as the brain.”
Hamlin’s Chasing M’s Foundation has raised over $7 million in donations since the incident.
The Bills are practicing Thursday and will hold a press conference in the afternoon with head coach Sean McDermott a few of the players.