Damar Hamlin is not shy about showing his feelings.
More than six months after he suffered a heart attack on the field during a Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the professional athlete is preparing for his miraculous return to the NFL. Before that, however, he wore his emotions on his sleeve as he presented the Buffalo Bills coaching staff who saved his life with a fitting award on Wednesday night.
Damar Hamlin’s Tribute to Buffalo Bills Medical Team Warms Many Hearts
For anyone who has followed Hamlin’s extraordinary journey from his technical death on the field to his speedy recovery, it is clear that he would not have survived without the quick-acting paramedics and Bills coaches.
So it came as no surprise when the rescue group was chosen to receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the 2023 ESPYS ceremony on Wednesday, July 12, from the 25-year-old.
Per PEOPLE, before the Buffalo Bills safety presented the award to the first responder, he was heard telling his story in the clip. In his words:
“I didn’t wake up that morning in January thinking that I was going to need someone to save my life that day, and I doubt that the staff thought that they needed to do what they did either. What I took from what happened to me six and a half months ago is that any one of us at any given moment is capable of doing something extraordinary, in saving lives and living a life in service to others.”
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He stated that it was “a blessing” and a “responsibility” to live a life of service, which was the “very reason” people could hear his voice at that time. “Anyone can be a hero. This is mine,” he ends the clip before the camera pans to him crying on stage.
The crowd’s show of emotion roused the audience, who immediately stood up and applauded until he managed to pull himself away. Hamlin finally introduced the training staff and cried again as he handed them the award.
Accepting the trophy, which is an annual recognition given to individuals who serve others in honor of the late Tillman, Bills head athletic trainer Nate Breske said:
“I am humbled and honored to speak tonight, representing the Buffalo Bills athletic training staff… By God’s grace and divine intervention, we have the best outcome we could have prayed for.”
Clips showing emotional moments between Hamlin and the staff were shared in a tweets by Barstool Sports that has since received thousands of likes and retweets, with several people citing it with their take.
Prior to this event, the training staff and sportsmen were honored by the NFL in February, with Sheryl Lee Ralph and Bills legend Jim Kelly introducing them on stage.
When she took the microphone for her acceptance speech, the Central Catholic alum expressed her gratitude to “God for being here” and acknowledged that she still has a long road to recovery.
Damar Hamlin was honored to present the Pat Tillman Award for Service to the Bills coaching staff at the ESPYs tonight.
Extraordinary.
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) July 13, 2023
He is, however, extremely grateful to the medical team that revived him through defibrillation and CPR when he collapsed and to the NFL for honoring them with the 2023 NFLPA Alan Page Community Award.
George Halas Award Winner Takes Recovery ‘One Day at a Time’ According to His Head Coach
In May, The Blast observed that Hamlin’s recovery had progressed significantly as he was seen doing individual drills and stretching at the Bills Organized Activities (OTA) while his teammates did their sessions on the field.
Knowing that the sighting would cause the expected reaction online, Bills head coach Sean McDermott had to make an explanation during a media briefing the same day.
“We will just continue to take it one day at a time and support Damar in every way possible,” he said. The briefing, which also saw McDermott state that Hamlin was “in the building working” and not training with the rest of his team, was shared via Twitter with the text:
“We went live with Coach McDermott as he met with the media before practice at One Bills Drive. #GoBills | #BillsDrive.”
The live update was liked by hundreds of Bills fans, receiving a variety of comments, with this netizen tweeting, “Need him. The Dolphins’ best chance to win the division is McDermott making the decision.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
