NFL star is still fighting for his life
Fans collect millions for injured Hamlin
NFL defenseman Damar Hamlin’s horrific accident has shocked the sports world. The footballer is still in critical condition. Meanwhile, fans collect millions. And an ex-NHL star gives hope.
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In shock: The Buffalo Bills players around star quarterback Josh Allen (2nd from right) are visibly marked by their teammate’s accident.
Emmanuel GisiHead of the sports report team
NFL player Damar Hamlin (24) continues to fight for his life. “He’s doing better than yesterday,” Dorrian Glenn, the uncle of the Buffalo Bills defense attorney, told ESPN on Tuesday. His nephew had to be resuscitated twice – once in the field, once in the hospital in Cincinnati. “He’s still there, he’s fighting.”
It was a brutal scene on Tuesday night. In the first quarter of the Bills’ NFL game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Hamlin crashed into opponent Tee Higgins on a routine tackle. The consequences: devastating. He fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes and lay there motionless. cardiac arrest! The rescue workers worked flat out to get him back, while colleagues in the field soon realized how bad things were for him. The TV pictures showed players from both teams in tears. 16 minutes into the drama, Hamlin was taken away and the game was postponed.
Collection campaign scratches the 6 million mark
48 hours after his serious accident, Hamlin remains in critical condition. Good news comes from his player agent Ron Butler: his client’s oxygen levels have improved, he said on Tuesday.
That gives hope. Meanwhile, fans and sports stars are trying to help where they can. Most importantly, they’re showing their support for the 24-year-old, who is in his second NFL season. A fundraiser Hamlin set up has been through the roof since late Monday night. The original donation goal of $2,500, with which he wanted to organize toys for needy children, was literally pulverized – on Wednesday afternoon Swiss time the collection scratched the $6 million mark.
“We want to express our sincere gratitude as a family,” says Hamlin’s uncle Glenn. “We appreciate the prayers and support we are receiving from around the world. It helps our family a lot and I know it will mean a lot to Damar when he sees it.”
Chris Pronger also once suffered a cardiac arrest
Yet it is not so far. Hamlin hasn’t woken up yet. The story of NHL legend Chris Pronger (48) gives hope. As captain of the St. Louis Blues in the 1998 playoffs, he experienced something similar: a slapshot hit him in the chest and caused a commotio cordis, a heart concussion that led to cardiac arrest. According to experts, it is still too early to assess whether Hamlin suffered exactly the same fate, apparently it is likely. Pronger recovered and continued playing for 13 years. In 2007 he won the Stanley Cup with Anaheim.
“I’m praying that he turns out as good as mine,” Pronger tweeted on Tuesday. “I’m thinking of Damar and praying for him, his family and teammates at this incredibly horrible time.”