Damar Hamlin Surprises Teen Returning to Sports After Heart Surgery
By Movieguide® Contributor
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin made a surprise visit to a teen athlete who is returning to track after undergoing heart surgery.
“I knew the road that it takes to be able to go through something very tough, very challenging, and be able to shift your mind and not let that determine what you want to do with you life or who you want to become,” Hamlin said.
Though Zeke, the young athlete, can no longer play football due to his heart condition, he is continuing in athletics through track.
“Having to shift his gears to band and track and other passions that he had, and to be excelling in those passions, it’s inspiring to me,” Hamlin said about Zeke.
Since suffering cardiac arrest and being resuscitated on the field in January of 2023, Hamlin has become an advocate for heart health. He has also supported other athletes suffering from heart conditions, encouraging them to keep up the good work.
After months of recovery, Hamlin was able to return to the NFL last season, something he was unsure he would ever achieve.
“I learned a lot about myself, about who I was, about what I stood for, about just trying to get back to myself,” Hamlin told PEOPLE. “It was one of my hardest hurdles, but I was doing it while being around all of these great men, all these great people who stand for a lot of good things, who checked on me, who pushed me, and who motivated me.”
“It wasn’t about anything else but just us, and one thing I love about football is just the comradery and the brotherhood that you build behind the scenes in the locker room,” he continued. “That was the most beautiful thing to me, my brothers just making sure I was okay at every second checking on me, but also pushing me to be better.”
Movieguide® previously reported:
On Tuesday, the bills announced that he was cleared to resume all activities related to football.
After the announcement, Hamlin spoke to the media and stated that he wants to be an encouragement to others. He wants to show others that it is possible to overcome such a terrifying accident and power forward amid fear.
“I just want to show people that fear is a choice, that you can keep going in something without having the answers and without knowing what’s at the end of the tunnel,” Hamlin said. “You might feel anxious. You might feel any type of way, but you just keep putting that right foot in front of the left one and you keep going. I want to stand for that.”
Hamlin spoke to FOX Sports’ Michael Strahan and expressed that Hamlin gave his future to God and that he just felt grateful to still be breathing.
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