Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty
Damar Hamlinmade a trip to Capitol Hill to advocate for an important cause.
Almost three months after the Buffalo Bills safetysuffered cardiac arrestduring his team’s Jan. 2 football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the 25-year-old athlete joined Senate Majority LeaderChuck Schumerand Congressman Brian Higgins in Washington on Wednesday to support the Access to AEDs Act.
During the conference, Hamlin recounted his experience with cardiac arrest; at the time, medical staffers immediately rushed to the field to tend to him, performing CPR and administering oxygen before taking him to the hospital in an ambulance during the first quarter of the game.
“Thankfully, the medical team with the Buffalo Bills was prepared, and they saved my life,” Hamlin said Wednesday.
“Sudden cardiac arrest happens to more than 7,000 kids under the age of 18 every year in our country,” he continued. “The majority of the kids impacted are student athletes. Research shows that one in every 300 youth has an undetected heart condition that puts them at risk.”
According to theAmerican Heart Association, CPR can improve the chances of survival until emergency medical assistance arrives. Over 356,000 cardiac arrests occur outside a hospital in the United States annually. It is often fatal if proper steps aren’t taken immediately.
Added Hamlin on Wednesday, “For schools that have AEDs, the survival rate for the children from sudden cardiac arrest is seven times higher. The Access to AEDs Act will help ensure that schools are just as prepared and trained to respond in a time of crisis as those on the sideline of an NFL game.”
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In aFebruary interviewwithGood Morning America’sMichael Strahan, Hamlin explained that he is currently working with the American Heart Association to educate others about heart health.
“Right now, I’m teaming up with theAmerican Heart Association,” he said. “We’re trying to get 3 million people to apply and learn CPR, and that’s something I feel is important because it reallydid save my life that night.”
source: people.com
