Damar Hamlin spreads positive message on outlook following scary injury

Damar Hamlin is playing football again, which is such uplifting news to all NFL fans. But his near death on a field in Cincinnati is inspiring him to do so much more.

The Bills safety is helping teach the techniques that saved his life back on Jan. 2. He’s using his Chasing M’s foundation to spread the word on CPR. Literally. He’s in the midst of a CPR tour. At each stop, his foundation hands out automated external defibrillators (AED) to youth sports organizations. And everyone who attends the events learns how to do CPR.

So Damar Hamlin is now more than just an NFL player headed into this third season. He also is a conduit for a superpower.

“I just want to be able to … take a nation of bystanders and turn them into lifesavers and give them a true superpower,” Hamlin said this week in an interview with the Associated Press. “To be able to save a life is a true superpower. Instead of people standing by not knowing what to do, I’m just trying to create more people who do know what to do. This weekend specifically, people in my community.”

He added “My (fame) came about a different way. But we’re here and we’re getting the job done.”

His next tour stop is in Pittsburgh, with the first event set for July 7. That’s when he’ll host a camp for kids ages 5 to 12. Plus, his foundation will help support an annual high school football all-star game.

It also coincides with Damar Hamlin Day in the city. Pittsburgh is where he grew up. Then in college, it’s where he created Chasing M’s. He was in school at Pitt and wanted to give back to the kids who grew up like he did in his old neighborhood. He started out doing toy drives, with Hamlin delivering the gifts. But the foundation became something more on Jan. 2, when fans watched as he collapsed early in a game against the Bengals. Fans across the country wanted to help as the young safety battled for his life. Some anonymous someone discovered a link to a small foundation fundraiser and posted it on social media. Within a day, the fund topped $1 million and continued to grow.

Damar Hamlin figured you could only hand out so many toys. Why not use the money on a broader scale and help kids stay safe playing the sports they love. The hit Hamlin sustained against the Bengals led to commotio cordis. The blow to his chest caused a sudden arrhythmia. Commotio cordis literally means agitation of the heart. But the athletic trainers for the Bills immediately started CPR. Plus, they had access to a defibrillator, which restarted his heart.

“I wake up every day and think about how I can impact the world in a positive way,” Damar Hamlin said. “That’s what I care about if you take away everything else.”