As originally aired on the Rochester Press Box
You remember Lazarus. Gospel according to John, Chapter 11. Lazarus was raised from the dead by Jesus in what is considered his last major miracle. We’d like to believe Lazarus went on to accomplish great things, but we just don’t know.
Some 2000 years later, on a football field in Cincinnati, Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest. He was clinically dead. He had no pulse. Hamlin was brought back to life by quick response of the medical staff on the team’s sideline, primarily assistant trainer Denny Kellington, who performed lifesaving CPR.
We all remember. The two football teams took it upon themselves to cancel the game. Fans left the stadium in complete silence. Some in tears. Many of us expected to wake the next morning to find that Hamlin had died. Except he didn’t. As he began his long recovery, his first communication, in writing because he couldn’t speak through his breathing tube, was to ask his trauma surgeon, “Did we win?” The reply, “Yes Damar. You won the game of life.”
There are those who consider that a miracle. Four days later he was breathing on his own. Three days after that he was discharged from the hospital. He set up a charitable foundation with millions of dollars raised by Western New York football fans in his support.
Hamlin continued his football career in 2023 as a part time player on special teams. This year he became a starting safety. He led the team in tackles in week two. And last Monday night, Hamlin snagged his first career interception. The Buffalo crowd went wild. As the team celebrated Hamlin’s moment on the sideline, play by play man Chris Fowler stated, “Can you imagine a first career interception feeling any sweeter than this.”
We may not fully buy into Lazarus. Some of the details are a little fuzzy. But Damar Hamlin? On live national television. That we understand.
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