Bills safety Damar Hamlin posted a detailed “thank you” message on Instagram Saturday where he listed group by group who has helped him since his cardiac arrest earlier this month during a Monday Night Football game against the Bengals.
“While I’m so thankful to everybody, I know that it isn’t enough just to be thankful,” Hamlin said in the video. “This is just the beginning of the impact that I wanted to have on the world, and with God’s guidance I will continue to do wonderful and great things.”
Though the 24-year-old has posted on social media over the last few weeks, this is the first time Hamlin has spoken publicly since his injury. He collapsed after making what appeared to be a routine tackle, was administered CPR and transported to a local hospital in Cincinnati, where he stayed for several days.
Hamlin recently returned to Highmark Stadium for Buffalo’s divisional round home game against Cincinnati, which ended as a Bengals’ victory.
“Now that my brothers have closed out a strong winning season, and I continue to make so much progress recovering, I think it’s finally a good time to share a few things,” Hamlin said at the beginning of the video. He addressed why he waited to say anything publicly—it was “just a lot to process within my own self, mentally, physically, even spiritually.”
He went on to say, “What happened to me on Monday Night Football was a direct example of God using me as a vessel to share my passion and my love directly from my heart with the entire world. And I’m able to give it back to kids and communities all across the world who need it the most. And that’s always been my dream, that’s always been what I’ve stood for and I will continue to stand for.”
Hamlin thank several groups, including the Bills medical, athletic and training staff, University of Cincinnati Medical Center and the Buffalo General Hospital staff, his family and friends, the franchise as well as Bills fans, the entire NFL and those who penned letters, to name a few. He touched on the outpour of support through the “Chasing M’s Foundation” charity, which saw millions of donations come in wake of his injury.
