Love and prayers for Damar Hamlin; gratitude to first responders

Damar Hamlin is receiving an outpouring of love and prayers from across the nation after the Buffalo Bills safety suffered cardiac arrest on the field Monday night during a televised game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Hamlin is in the ICU of the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, listed in critical condition.

Hamlin’s family released a statement on Tuesday, expressing gratitude to first responders and asking fans to continue to pray.

Here is the family’s statement:

“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 across 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. We feel so blessed to be part of the Buffalo Bills organization and to have their support. We also want to thank Coach (Zac) Taylor and the Bengals for everything they’ve done.

“Your generosity and compassion mean the world to us.

“Please keep Damar in your prayers. We will release updated as soon as we have them.”

Hamlin’s uncle, Dorrian Glenn, told CNN: “His heart went out, so they had to resuscitate him twice. They resuscitated him on the field before they brought him to the hospital, and then they resuscitated him a second time after they got him to the hospital.”

In the first quarter, Hamlin was on a collision course with Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins who was racing downfield after a catch. The hit took both men down hard. Hamlin stood up after taking the brunt of the blow from Higgins, then collapsed.

Medical personnel rushed onto the field and performed CPR for 10 minutes on Hamlin as his teammates kneeled in a circular wall around him.

Hamlin was placed in an ambulance on the field and taken to University of Cincinnati Medical Center, which is about 2 miles from the Bengals’ home field.

“He’s still sedated right now,” Glenn told CNN. “They just want him to have a better chance of recovering better, so they feel that if he is sedated his body can heal a lot faster because if he was woke he could possibly cause other complications. So, they have him sedated right now, and it’s just heart breaking seeing him like that.”

Thanks to Mark Heim and Mark Inabinett for their Damar Hamlin coverage

More on Damar Hamlin

· NFL DID NOT SEEK TO RESUME GAME, LEAGUE OFFICIAL SAYS

· FANS HOLD VIGIL OUTSIDE HOSPITAL FOR BILLS SAFETY

· WHO IS DAMAR HAMLIN?

· STRICKEN PLAYER’S CHARITY RAISES $1 MILLION

· NFL COMMISSIONER ISSUES STATEMENT ON MONDAY NIGHT GAME

· NFL PLAYERS REACT TO DEFENSIVE BACK’S FRIGHTENING SITUATION

· BUFFALO’S DAMAR HAMLIN GIVEN CPR AFTER COLLAPSE, MNF GAME POSTPONED

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JD Crowe is the cartoonist for Alabama Media Group and AL.com. He won the RFK Human Rights Award for Editorial Cartoons in 2020. In 2018, he was awarded the Rex Babin Memorial Award for local and state cartoons by the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists. Follow JD on Facebook, Twitter @Crowejam and Instagram @JDCrowepix.