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Damar Hamlin Issues First Message from Hospital Bed

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin posted a photo of himself on social media Sunday that shows him sitting up in his hospital bed and rooting on his teammates less than a week after his cardiac arrest and on-field collapse.

“GAMETIME!!!” Hamlin wrote in the post. The image showed him with his hands together in a heart sign and wearing a number 3 hat and a “Love for Damar” shirt.

It was one of a number of posts Sunday from Hamlin, who tweeted more than a dozen times reacting to the Bills win over the New England Patriots and other news around the NFL.

The posts come six days after Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest and suddenly collapsed after making a tackle in the first quarter of Monday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Medical trainers and doctors did CPR on Hamlin on the field and rushed him to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in front of visibly distressed players and a stunned stadium.

Despite that scary medical emergency, on Sunday morning Hamlin expressed his desire to be out on the field for the Bills’ game against the Patriots.

“It’s GameDay & There’s Nothing I Want More Than To Be Running Out That Tunnel With My Brothers,” he wrote alongside a video of himself from earlier in the season. “God Using Me In A Different Way Today! Tell Someone You Love Them Today!” He added the hashtag #Prayfor3, his jersey number.

Across the league – and particularly in Buffalo – players, coaches and fans expressed their support for Hamlin with T-shirts, signs and jersey patches featuring his name and his number 3. Several of his Bills teammates took the field at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, NY, waving flags with Hamlin’s name and jersey number.

Hamlin live-tweets the Bills win

The Bills gave Hamlin something to smile about immediately once the game began.

Bills returner Nyhiem Hines took the opening kickoff for a 96-yard touchdown, a storybook start that sent the crowd into euphoria and spurred Hamlin to tweet, “OMFG!!!!!!!!!!!!!” and “Free Hines.” It was the first kick return touchdown for the Bills since October 2019 – three years and three months ago, conspicuously Hamlin’s jersey number.

“I can’t remember a play that touched me like that, I don’t think in my life,” quarterback Josh Allen said after the game. “It was just spiritual. I was going around to my teammates and saying, ‘God’s real.’ You can’t draw that one up (or) write that one up any better.

“I was just told … it’s been three years and three months since the last kickoff return (touchdown),” he said through tears. “So it’s pretty cool.”

Hines added a second kick return touchdown in the 3rd quarter, and Hamlin followed up with a tweet saying, “HINES FREE” and open lock emojis.

In the first half, Bills tight end Dawson Knox scored a touchdown, went up to a camera and made a heart gesture with his hands. Hamlin then tweeted, “I love you too @Dawson_Knox.”

The Bills ultimately won the game 35-22, denying the rival Patriots a spot in the playoffs. Afterward, Hamlin tweeted a link to an online sale of shirts with the hands-as-heart gesture and the phrase “Did we win?” a reference to Hamlin’s first question after waking at the hospital.

“We all won,” Hamlin tweeted. “I want to give back an ounce of the love y’all showed me. Proceeds of this shirt will go to first-responders and the UC Trauma Center. Go get yours!”

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