Bills safety Damar Hamlin said he returned to Buffalo on Monday 鈥渨ith a lot of love on my heart鈥� to continue his recovery in a hospital there, a week after going into cardiac arrest and having to be resuscitated on the field during a game in Cincinnati.
Hamlin was discharged from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in the morning and flown to western New York. He was listed in stable condition at Buffalo General Medical Center/Gates Vascular Institute.
鈥淚 can confirm that he is doing well. And this is the beginning of the next stage of his recovery,鈥� said Dr. William Knight, one of his doctors in Cincinnati.
Doctors said Hamlin has been walking since having a breathing tube removed on Friday, eating regular food and undergoing therapy. They said he was on a normal or even accelerated trajectory in his recovery from cardiac arrest, which is considered a life-threatening event, and that normal recovery can be measured from weeks to months.
鈥淲e continue to be ecstatic about his recovery,鈥� Dr. Timothy Pritts said.
Hamlin鈥檚 return comes a day after he cheered on the Bills from his hospital bed during their regular season-ending 35-23 win over the New England Patriots. The game proved to be a cathartic outpouring of support for the Bills and Hamlin.
鈥淗eaded home to Buffalo today with a lot of love on my heart,鈥� Hamlin said in a tweet. 鈥淲atching the world come together around me on Sunday was truly an amazing feeling.鈥�
Hamlin was so excited watching teammate Nyheim Hines return the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown that 鈥渉e jumped up and down, got out of his chair, set every alarm off in the ICU in the process,鈥� Pritts said with a laugh. 鈥淏ut he was fine. It was just appropriate reaction to very exciting play.鈥�
Pritts said it was still premature to comment on the potential cause of Hamlin鈥檚 cardiac arrest and that more testing would be done.
鈥淭he goal of the transfer 鈥�. is to get him closer to home for further evaluation, recovery and eventually discharge and rehabilitation,鈥� Buffalo General Medical Center/Gates Vascular Institute said in a news release.
The Bills wore No. 3 Hamlin patches on their jerseys Sunday and honored their teammate by raising three fingers in the closing minutes, while tight end Dawson Knox celebrated his touchdown by forming his hands into the shape of a heart. Fans joined in, with many holding up red heart and No. 3 signs.
鈥淭he same love you all have shown me is the same love that I plan to put back into the world n more,鈥� Hamlin tweeted Monday.
Bills coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane briefly saw Hamlin after he landed in Buffalo.
鈥淲e鈥檙e happy to have him back.鈥� McDermott told reporters on a conference call. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a little bit tired, but it was good to get to see him in person for the first time in a while.鈥�
The 24-year-old from the Pittsburgh area has made significant progress in his recovery since spending his first two days at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center under sedation and breathing through a ventilator.
He was awakened on Wednesday night and was eventually able to grip people鈥檚 hands. By Friday, Hamlin was able to breathe on his own and even addressed the team by videoconference, telling the Bills, 鈥淟ove you boys.鈥�
The last update from doctors came on Saturday, when they described Hamlin鈥檚 neurological function as 鈥渆xcellent,鈥� though he remained listed in critical condition.
Pritts said doctors were able to upgrade his condition from critical on Monday, clearing the way for the flight home.
鈥淲e want to ensure that each organ system is stable to improving and that he needs a minimal amount of assistance such that he does not need intensive nursing,鈥� Pritts said. 鈥淲e have some awesome rock star nurses who鈥檝e been with him from the beginning, but he no longer needs that level of nursing care and no longer needs intensive respiratory therapy from our respiratory care practitioners and is able to then move to a setting where he would have less intensive care.鈥�
A doctor accompanied Hamlin to the airport.
Doctors declined to speculate about whether Hamlin would be able to attend a game in person. By beating New England, the Bills (13-3) clinched home-field advantage through the first two rounds of the playoffs.
鈥淩ight now it鈥檚 just a young man recovering from a very serious illness, and we think that he will recover well from this,鈥� Pritts said. 鈥淗e has a great positive attitude.鈥�
Hamlin鈥檚 heart stopped on Monday night after making what appeared to be a routine tackle in the first quarter against the Bengals. The game was initially suspended before officially being canceled later in the week.
News of Hamlin鈥檚 discharge from the hospital in Cincinnati was greeted with enthusiasm.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 unbelievable,鈥� Bengals coach Zac Taylor said.
鈥淚 mean, just think about it 鈥� that was one week, not even a week ago. There鈥檚 no one in this room that would have expected he鈥檇 be in Buffalo,鈥� he added. 鈥淕od is great. He works miracles. This is certainly a miracle, there鈥檚 no question. 鈥� And just an amazing moment for Damar.鈥�
鈥擩ohn Wawrow and Carolyn Thompson, The Associated Press
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