ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Bills safety Damar Hamlin said he returned to Buffalo on Monday “with a lot of love in his heart” to continue his recovery at a hospital there, a week after suffering 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 flew to western New York. He was listed in stable condition at Buffalo General Medical Center/Gates Vascular Institute.
“I can confirm that he is doing well. And this is the beginning of the next stage of his recovery,” said Dr. William Knight, one of his doctors in Cincinnati.
Doctors said Hamlin was walking after his breathing tube was removed Friday, eating normal 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 a normal recovery could be measured in weeks to months.
“We continue to be ecstatic about his recovery,” said Dr. Timothy Pritts.
Hamlin’s return comes a day after he cheered on the Bills from his hospital bed during their 35-23 regular-season win over the New England Patriots. The game proved to be a cathartic outpouring of support for Bills and Hamlin.
“I came home to Buffalo today with a lot of love in my heart,” Hamlin said in a tweet. “Watching the world come together around me on Sunday was a really amazing feeling.”
Hamlin was so excited watching teammate Nyheim Hines return the kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown that “he jumped up and down, got out of his chair, set off every alarm in the intensive care unit in the process,” Pritts said with a laugh. “But he was fine. It was just an appropriate reaction to a very exciting game.”
Pritts said it was too early to comment on the potential cause of Hamlin’s cardiac arrest and that more tests would be done.
“The purpose of the transfer … is to bring him closer to home for further evaluation, recovery and eventual discharge and rehabilitation,” Buffalo General Medical Center/Gates Vascular Institute said in a news release.
The Bills wore Hamlin’s No. 3 patches on their jerseys Sunday and honored their teammate by raising three fingers in the final minutes, while tight end Dawson Knox celebrated his touchdown by forming his hands into a heart shape. Fans joined in, many holding red hearts and number 3 signs.
“The same love you all have shown me is the same love I plan to give back to the world more,” Hamlin tweeted Monday.
Bills coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane saw Hamlin briefly after he landed in Buffalo.
“We’re happy to have him back.” McDermott told reporters on a conference call. “He’s a little tired, but it was good to see him in person for the first time in a while.”
The 24-year-old Pittsburgh-area man 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 woken up on Wednesday night and eventually managed to grab people’s hands. By Friday, Hamlin was able to breathe on his own and even addressed the team via video conference, telling the Bills, “I love you guys.”
The latest update from doctors came Saturday, when they described Hamlin’s neurological function as “excellent,” though he remained listed in critical condition.
Pritts said doctors were able to upgrade his condition from critical Monday, clearing the way for a flight home.
“We want to make sure that every organ system is stable to improve and that he needs the minimum amount of assistance so that he doesn’t need intensive nursing,” Pritts said. “We have some great rock star nurses who have been with him from the beginning, but he no longer needs that level of nursing care and he no longer needs intensive respiratory therapy from our respiratory care specialists and then he can to move to an environment where he will have less intensive care.
A doctor accompanied Hamlin to the airport.
Doctors declined to speculate on whether Hamlin would be able to attend a game in person. By beating New England, the Bills (13-3) earned home-field advantage through the first two rounds of the playoffs. Buffalo prepares to host division rival Miami in a wild-card playoff game on Sunday.
“Right now, this is just a young man recovering from a very serious illness, and we think he’s going to make a good recovery from it,” Pritts said. “He has a great positive attitude.”
Hamlin’s heart stopped Monday night after making what appeared to be a routine first-quarter entry against the Bengals. The game was initially suspended before being officially canceled later in the week.
The news of Hamlin’s discharge from the hospital in Cincinnati was met with enthusiasm.
“It’s unbelievable,” Bengals coach Zach Taylor said.
“I mean, just think about it — that was a week, not even a week ago. There’s nobody in this room that expected it to be in Buffalo,” he added. “God is great. He works miracles. It’s certainly a miracle, no question about it… And just an amazing moment for Damar. “
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AP sports writer Mitch Stacey in Cincinnati contributed to this report.
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