The Root; Published By: Noah A. McGee
When Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest during a Monday Night Football game, the whole country watched in shock as everyone, including players on the field, wondered if the Buffalo Bills’ safety would ever wake up again.
Thankfully he did, and now he’s using his influence to help others who may go through the same experience.
On Wednesday, Hamlin attended an event on Capitol Hill to speak to lawmakers about the importance of having automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in schools to assist with young student-athletes who may have undetected heart conditions.
While on Capitol Hill, Hamlin said, “Sudden cardiac arrest happens to more than 7,000 kids under the age of 18 every year in our country – 7,000 kids every year. The majority of the kids impacted are student-athletes, and research shows that 1 in every 300 youth has an undetected heart condition that puts them at risk. For schools that have AEDs, the survival rate for the children from sudden cardiac arrest is seven times higher.”
According to CNN, the 25-year-old safety was joined by Reps. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., and Bill Posey, R-Fla to discuss the Access to AEDs Act, a bill that would provide schools with the money to buy AEDs, improve CPR training and establish response plans in case of a cardiac emergency. Read more
