NEWS ANNOUNCEMENTS

Damar Hamlin has been released from UC Medical Center; Transferred to a Buffalo hospital

Jan 09, 2023 at 03:19 PM

Maddy Glab

Team Reporter

Damar Hamlin (3). Buffalo Bills travel to South Florida, September 24, 2022.

Just a week after Damar Hamlin experienced a cardiac arrest episode during the Bills-Bengals game, University of Cincinnati Health physicians announced Hamlin has been released from the hospital and transported to a local hospital in Buffalo.

"Dr. Pritts and I are thrilled and proud on behalf of UC to report to you that Damar Hamlin has been released and returned to Buffalo," UC Health physician Dr. William Knight said. "I traveled with him to the airport this morning with our UC Health air care and mobile care crew, including teammates who were with us on the field when Damar Hamlin collapsed. He landed safely and as standard as anybody who has gone through what he's gone through this past week, and certainly after flying on a plane, he is going to be observed and monitored to ensure that there is no impact on the flight of his condition or on his lungs."

An amazing update. ❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/Do1P1nKQWI
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) January 9, 2023

The UC Health physicians last updated us on Thursday and said since then Hamlin has made a number of improvements like having his breathing tube removed on Friday morning.

"Since then he has been extubated and has gone through a weaning of his oxygen," Dr. Knight said. "He has been up with physical therapy and occupational therapy, walking the unit, tolerating a regular diet, meeting with his family and many members of the care team that wanted to see how he was doing all to get him to this point that he could be safely returned to Buffalo."

These key milestones that Hamlin has met has allowed him to move from critical condition to fair or good, which is the reason why he was able to move out of the ICU and return to Buffalo.

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Headed home to Buffalo today with a lot of love on my heart. 🫶🏾

Watching the world come together around me on Sunday was truly an amazing feeling.

The same love you all have shown me is the same love that I plan to put back into the world n more.

Bigger than football! 🫶🏾
— 𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐦𝐥𝐢𝐧 (@HamlinIsland) January 9, 2023

The physicians said it's still too early to discuss Hamlin's future in football, but they are thrilled with where he's at today.

"He appears to be neurologically completely intact, and there's no reason to believe that he won't continue his path to recovery," UC Health physician Dr. Timothy Pritts said.

Grateful for the awesome care I received at UCMC. Happy to be back in Buffalo. The docs and nurses at Buffalo General have already made me feel at home! 🏩🫶🏾.
— 𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐦𝐥𝐢𝐧 (@HamlinIsland) January 9, 2023

Doctors said Hamlin was elated to watch the Bills game on Sunday afternoon with his family.

"He was beyond excited and feels very supported by the outpouring of love from across the league, especially from the Buffalo area," Dr. Pritts said. "We've learned this week that the Bills Mafia is a very real thing, and we all feel the love from you all in Western New York."

When Nyheim Hines returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, Hamlin might have been the most excited person out of anyone watching.

"When the opening kickoff was run back, he jumped up and down, got out of his chair and set I think every alarm off in the ICU in the process," Dr. Pritts said with a laugh. "But he was fine. It was just an appropriate reaction to a very exciting play."

#Bills DC Leslie Frazier says it makes you feel real good to know Damar Hamlin is back in Buffalo and continues to improve every day
— Maddy Glab (@MadGlab) January 9, 2023

When Hamlin first woke up, he asked doctors, "Who won?" Hamlin now has an answer of his own.

"He had originally asked who had won and now his answer to that is that we all won," Dr. Pritts shared. "He's won as a patient. And hopefully everybody will go out and get trained in CPR so that you too can save a life some day."

The doctors said many have reached out asking how they can help. Their answer is to encourage everyone to get trained in CPR, support public access to defibrillators and thank the people at your local medical centers.