Damar Hamlin: CPR saved my life in Cincinnati. I'm helping every American learn it
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Ten months ago, we were complete strangers. Today, we are honored to call each other true friends.
Relationships like ours are swiftly formed in life’s unpredictable game. Cardiac events can strike anyone, anywhere, at any moment.
Fortunately for me, Damar, when I experienced a cardiac arrest on the football field, I immediately received lifesaving CPR from an athletic trainer before being rushed to the hospital. Every day since then − in reality, often several times a day − I recognize and appreciate that I was one of the lucky few.
That’s because 90% of the 350,000 people who suffer a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital each year will not survive − only 1 in 10 people will. Yet if performed immediately, CPR can double or triple a person’s chance of survival.
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Most bystanders observing a cardiac arrest either don’t know or are uncomfortable performing CPR. In fact, 7 in 10 people nationwide report feeling powerless to act in a cardiac emergency.
As friends and teammates in the fight against heart disease, we are uniting the strength of our two organizations, Chasing M’s and the American Heart Association, to cultivate a Nation of Lifesavers™.
You can learn CPR in 60 seconds. It could save a life
Creating a Nation of Lifesavers also includes efforts to drive policy change at the federal, state and community levels. This includes passage of the federal Access to AEDs Act, which would create a grant program for K-12 schools to provide CPR and AED training, purchase AEDs and create cardiac emergency response plans that establish specific steps to reduce death from cardiac arrest in school settings. In addition, the Association and the NFL are working closely with other major sports leagues in the Smart Heart Sports Coalition, which is advocating for states to adopt evidence-based public policies that will prevent fatal outcomes from sudden cardiac arrest among high school students.
How can you help others? Learn CPR: CPR training, AEDs help us all win the game of life
CPR is a lifesaving skill that most people can learn and perform. With the spirit of #3, we invite you to Be Ready to act by:
Learning Hand-Only CPR in just 60 seconds.
Advocating for policies that will increase survival from cardiac arrest by texting "CPR" to 46839.
Sharing that you are a part of the #NationofLIfesavers on your social media.
Our goal is to turn bystanders into lifesavers, so that in the time of cardiac emergency, everyone, everywhere is prepared and empowered to become a vital link in the chain of survival and provide CPR.
Consider this, you could be the difference between life and death for someone experiencing a cardiac event.
Damar Hamlin is a professional football player in the National Football League (NFL), national ambassador for the American Heart Association’s Nation of Lifesavers™ and founder of the Chasing M’s Foundation. Nancy Brown is the chief executive officer of the American Heart Association.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Damar Hamlin: CPR saved my life. We want every American to learn it
