Damar Hamlin returns to Cincinnati to teach the CPR and AED skills that saved his life

This story has been edited to clarify how AEDs will be distributed at the July 22 event as well as the relationship between the Matthew Mangine Jr. "One Shot" Foundation and Chasing M's Foundation for the CPR and AED training.

Buffalo Bill's safety Damar Hamlin will return this month to the city where he collapsed during a Monday Night Football game and was saved.

That return is driving home the message of one Northern Kentucky family.

In January, Hamlin crumpled to the turf inside Cincinnati's riverfront stadium, a shock to his heart less than a minute later saved his life. It could have happened in any one of 32 NFL cities.

But it happened in Cincinnati.

It happened just a few miles north of Erlanger, Kentucky, where in June 2020, Matthew Mangine Jr. collapsed during high school soccer conditioning. No one ran to get an AED. He died at age 16.

Kim and Matt Mangine, Matthew's parents, spent the last two years building the Matthew Mangine Jr. "One Shot" Foundation (MMJF), which provides training on life-saving skills like CPR and using an AED. It also donates AEDs to schools and youth leagues.

Now, Hamlin's coming back to teach the skills that saved his life. The Mangine's foundation will be there to support.

Hamlin's Chasing M's Foundation will provide CPR and AED training as part of his CPR Tour. That tour stops in Cincinnati on July 22.

“The incredible care I received in Cincinnati was an important part of my journey since experiencing cardiac arrest in January,” Hamlin said in a release put out by his foundation. “Today, I’m honored to announce that I’m bringing my CPR tour to Cincinnati and humbled by the chance to give back to the people of this community. Working with the American Heart Association, my CPR tour will offer Hands-Only CPR at no cost. Cincinnati - come join us and learn how to save lives.”

Just a few miles north of where he collapsed, Hamlin will provide training through the American Heart Association from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Grand Hall inside the University of Cincinnati's Tangeman University Center. Registration for the 30-minute training will open within the next week.

"It means everything to us," Mangine Sr. said. "Damar is the reason why this has gained national attention. Our story was only local and Damar made it a national calling for people to be trained and prepared for emergencies."

The MMJF has trained more than 1,500 people so far − including many high school athletes − on a training they call Take 10.

"It's called Take 10 because it only takes 10 minutes to train somebody in both hands-only CPR and how to use an AED," Mangine said.

The training was brought to them by the University of Cincinnati where Matthew Jr.'s grandfather, Bob, works as head athletic trainer for the men's basketball team and the senior associate athletic director of sports medicine.

The Chasing M's Foundation will also be giving away 50 AEDs at the completion of the training, which will be handed out by Hamlin. Organizations will be pre-selected based on need to receive the AEDs and notified ahead of time by the foundation.

The donations come during a time when a bill mandating AEDs in high schools sits in the Ohio Senate while the General Assembly is on summer break.

It also comes just three weeks after a new Kentucky law went into effect that requires high schools to do simulated drills for their venue-specific emergency action plans and sudden cardiac arrest drills.

That portion of the law is because of Matthew Mangine Jr.'s collapse.

"We went two years with our message being heard but not as received as it’s been since January," Mangine Sr. said. "I can’t even explain the elation that Kim and I now have that people are listening and being prepared for these events."

Stephanie Kuzydym is an enterprise sports reporter, with a focus on the health and safety of athletes. She can be reached at skuzydym@courier-journal.com. Follow her for updates on Twitter at @stephkuzy.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Damar Hamlin to lead CPR clinic in Cincinnati