There are times when you look around the country and world, and see all the pain and suffering and dysfunction, and you want to crawl back into your bed and never leave. Then comes something like what happened at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center on Thursday afternoon. You hear it. You see it. You feel warmth deep in your bones, and for once, when you cry, it’s about joy.
To be clear, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is still fighting for his life after the horrific incident against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday when he went into cardiac arrest on the field. But what we’ve seen is that Hamlin is far from fighting alone. He has much of a nation fighting alongside him. Hamlin’s story has emerged as both one of the most tragic and now, perhaps, we hope, one of the most inspirational we’ve seen.
A SCARY REMINDER:Tragic moment with Damar Hamlin reminds us NFL players are human
EMERGENCY RESPONSE, EXPLAINED:Damar Hamlin was treated with AED and CPR after cardiac arrest
STICKING TOGETHER:Nothing has prepared the Bills, NFL for trauma that lingers
There are a million people alongside him in the hospital, holding his hand. There are millions more huddling with his teammates. It’s almost as if Hamlin and the Bills are under an umbrella of protection from all of us. We will fight to not let anything happen to him.
Doctors say he is improving dramatically and some believe that’s because of God. Or prayers. Others, like me, believe it is about energy. Hamlin’s story has pierced every media silo and bubble, and every good person in the country has taken a break from doom scrolling, or reading about floods, or gun violence, or the warming planet, and, for now, for right now, are pulling for Hamlin.
When we think of Hamlin, for most of us, politics is put to the side. National networks are breaking away at times from the buffoonery in Washington to give Hamlin updates. People who maybe can’t even afford to are contributing to the GoFundMe that Hamlin set up to provide toys for children in his community. It has raised over $7 million.
Weirdos and anti-vaxxers enter the chat, for sure, but they are clearly the ignorant extreme. Mostly, Hamlin has made us all stop and appreciate life, appreciate love, appreciate doctors after so many extremists during and after the pandemic assailed them. Appreciate the bravery of NFL players after some blasted them as anti-American during the protest movement following the murder of George Floyd. Appreciate science, data, medicine, and humanity. When is the last time you just sat back and wished another person well? I bet you have with Hamlin.
The moment at the medical center was something that actually caused me to lose it. I’m sure others did as well. Doctors said Hamlin is responsive neurologically and physically, and at one point, Hamlin asked them a question.
“Did we win?” Hamlin said.
“Yes,” doctors told him, “you won the game of life.”
Former U.S. surgeon general:Want to honor Damar Hamlin? Learn CPR. It made all the difference for him.
Hamlin still has the breathing tube in place so he can’t speak, but he’s capable of writing his thoughts on a sheet of paper attached to a clipboard. He’s also holding a lot of people’s hands.
“When we talk about neurologically intact, it’s a very gross term of big motor movements and following commands,” Dr. William Knight said. “When we talk about the finer things that make us human — cognition, emotion, speech, language, etc. — we’re looking forward to learning more about that soon.”
Dr. Timothy Pritts said Hamlin asking about the game is a wonderful sign.
“It’s not only that the lights are on,” Pritts added. “We know he’s home.”
Maybe that’s the overall operative word: home. It can mean so many things, but with Hamlin, it means specifically two. We want him to go home and be okay.
The support Hamlin is receiving also shows human potential and how we can, at times, put so much of what scares us aside, and put our hearts into something that moves us. In many ways, Hamlin is already home with a lot of us.
The next time something terrifies you or seems impossible, think back to this moment, and how so many, with so many differences, from all parts of the country, and with different political affiliations and religious beliefs, came together to support a football player.
Because he’s human and because we’re remembering we are, too.
