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United State president Joe Biden is now among the millions of Americans rooting for Damar Hamlin.
President Biden said he spoke with the family of the Buffalo Bills safety, who suffered cardiac arrest during the team’s January 2 game against the Cincinnati Bengals and remained hospitalized in critical condition as of Wednesday, January 4. Hamlin’s struggle has attracted worldwide attention and an outpouring of support from athletes and public figures.
Joe Biden Called Damar Hamlin’s Parents
As Bloomberg reporter Jennifer Jacobs reported on Twitter, President Biden told reporters on January 4 that he made time to call Hamlin’s parents.
“Biden spoke with injured @BuffaloBills football player Damar Hamlin’s mother and father,” the White House correspondent shared, adding, “Biden called Damar Hamlin’s mom and dad on the phone in his presidential vehicle as he traveled between stops in Kentucky and Ohio today, I’m told.”
Hamlin collapsed with 5:58 remaining in the first quarter of his team’s Monday Night Football game against the Bengals after taking a hard hit to the chest while tackling wide receiver Tee Higgins. He collapsed to the turf and remained motionless while medical personnel performed CPR for nearly 10 minutes and administered an automated external defibrillator.
Hamlin was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, and the Bills later confirmed on Twitter that he had “suffered a cardiac arrest.”
“Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest following a hit in our game versus the Bengals. His heartbeat was restored on the field and he was transferred to the UC Medical Center for further testing and treatment. He is currently sedated and listed in critical condition,” the team statement read.
There has been an outpouring of support for Hamlin and his family from around the world, including teams across the NFL that have illuminated stadiums with blue lights for the Bills and shared messages for Hamlin.
Many athletes have reached out as well, including many NFL players, coaches and team owners who have donated to Hamlin’s community toy drive, organized on GoFundMe, which has raised more than $6.5 million from over 200,000 donors in the hours following the on-field incident.
Damar Hamlin Showing ‘Signs of Improvement’
Friends and family members had given some positive updates on Hamlin’s condition, and the Bills shared on their official Twitter account at 1:30 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday that he had shown “signs of improvement” but still had a long way to go.
“Damar remains in the ICU in critical condition with signs of improvement noted yesterday and overnight,” the team shared on Wednesday afternoon. “He is expected to remain under intensive care as his health care team continues to monitor and treat him.”
Jordon Rooney, a friend and business partner of Hamlin, said that he remained sedated but there were positive signs overnight on Wednesday.
“We all remain optimistic,” Rooney told The Associated Press.
Rooney also said in an interview on Good Morning America that he has been in the hospital with the family, who were remaining optimistic but also asking for privacy.
“This is a human being, his family is going through a lot right now,” Rooney said. “It’s best for everyone to remember that this is a person and his family is trying to work through everything.”
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