As the Buffalo Bills’ safety Damar Hamlin fights for his life after suffering a cardiac arrest Monday night, his words from the recent past have shed a prophetic light on his spiritual life. Hamlin spoke of prayer and how we never know what a day can bring.
The 24-year-old safety collapsed right after making a tackle in the Bills’ game against Cincinnati. Medics performed CPR on the field before Hamlin was rushed to a local hospital. His heart had stopped beating, but was re-started, and he’s now in a University of Cincinnati Medical Center room and breathing with the aid of a ventilator.
A couple months back, Hamlin appeared on the “One Bills Live” show hosted by Chris Brown and Steve Tasker, where he made some comments that turned out to be all the more profound:
I can't even describe it but I cherish it every second that I can, every second of every day and our prayer that we do every Wednesday.
Outside, he [Dane Jackson] was next to me, so I just grabbed his hand and held a little bit harder as you never know when the last day could be that, you get to experience something like this so, you know, I'm cherishing every moment I can.
Hamlin also talked in that interview about how he’s not shy about the physicality of football. His cardiac arrest Monday happened right after he tackled Bengals’ receiver Tee Higgins. He quickly bounced up, then fell backwards to the ground as his heart stopped beating. Hamlin is now on the receiving end of prayers.
Hamlin’s family issued a statement saying, "On behalf of our family, we want to express our sincere gratitude for the love and support shown to Damar during this challenging time. We are deeply moved by the prayers, kind words, and donations from fans around the country.
"We also want to acknowledge the dedicated first responders and healthcare professionals at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center who have provided exceptional care to Damar."
The Hamlin interview is posted on the Newsweek site.
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Watch as ESPN's Dan Orlovsky stops all commentary on NFL Live to offer a prayer for Damar Hamlin live on-air. pic.twitter.com/ZMUzNjDaKi
— MRCTV (@mrctv) January 4, 2023