After Sudden Cardiac Arrest, Damar Hamlin Says 'It Takes a Superhero' to Step Up and Save Someone's Life (Exclusive)
Nearly two years after his sudden cardiac arrest in the middle of a Bills vs. Bengals game, Damar Hamlin wants everyone to know that they, too, can be a "superhero" to someone else, just like his athletic trainers were to him.
The Buffalo Bills safety has partnered with Zoll Medical—a company that produces medical devices and software solutions like Automated External Defibrillators (or AEDs)—to prove that "anyone can help" save someone else's life with the right equipment, training, and confidence.
With time being of the essence when it comes to rendering aid during a cardiac arrest, Hamlin has pushed through the "very traumatizing" memories to ensure "others will have the same [outcome]" he did when fast-acting bystanders provided him with life-saving care.
"It takes a superhero, but anyone can be a superhero in the moment," he exclusively told Parade, emphasizing that all it takes to be one is having an AED nearby and knowing how to use it. "Superheroes run around town all day saving people's lives. And that's what someone can be in this moment if they step up and wanna take on that role."
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While he learned more about the device that helped restart his heart, he couldn't help but "relate it to a superhero—someone who would want to step in and use an AED and perform hands-on CPR."
"[It's] the only thing I could really relate it to," he added.
Now, Hamlin is hitting the street. literally and proverbially, to educate others. He recently spent time in New York City training passersby of all ages how to operate an AED and dispelling the myth that they're complicated to operate.
Most AEDs simply need to be turned on and will then audibly detail "instructions on how to administer CPR and a shock." In some cases, they even offer "real-time feedback to make sure that you're doing good compressions on your CPR."
Luckily, an AED was easily accessible when Hamlin collapsed due to a rare condition called commotio cordis—when the heart stops pumping due to a direct impact at just the wrong time—mid-game on Jan. 2, 2024. Team staff were well-trained in how to use it, but the same can't always be said for someone who experiences a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).
According to Zoll, despite SCA being the leading cause of death in young athletes, 30 states don't require an AED to be present in schools.
The company also reports that bystanders save approximately 1,700 lives using AEDs out of over 100,000 cardiac arrests happening in public every year. However, less than 50 percent of individuals polled felt comfortable performing CPR or using an AED in an emergency, or would even know how to find one.
To learn more about AED and CPR training and equip yourself with the tools you need to be someone else's superhero, visit anyonecanhelp.com.