‘You won the game of life,’ doctor tells Damar Hamlin, who’s making ‘substantial improvement’

Doctors at University of Cincinnati Medical Center gave an update on Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin at a news conference Thursday afternoon.

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“There has been substantial improvement in the last 24 hours,” said Doctor Timothy Pritts. “He is beginning to awaken and his neurological function is intact. He is moving his hands and feet.”

Doctors say he suffered cardiac arrest on the field and needed both CPR and defibrillation by team doctors Monday at Paycor Stadium.

Hamlin remains in critical condition and in intensive care at the UC Medical Center. He continues to receive care from UC’s trauma and neurological teams, doctors said.

He remains on a ventilator and breathing tube and also cannot speak but is communicating in writing, according to doctors.

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“We are in the situation where we wanted him to wake up as his body was healing,” Doctor Knight said. “He was able to wake up and follow commands. He asked, ‘Who won the game?’”

“Yes, Damar, you won the game of life,” Doctor Pritts said.

Hamlin remains intubated and doctors say he’s not just awake but that, “the lights are on.”

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Doctor Knight also praised the medical staff of both Bills and Bengals for their work Monday night.

“They handled what is a textbook definition of what sports teams should do,” he said.

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While Knight said Hamlin has made a “fairly remarkable recovery,” he also said the team of doctors and nurses working with him are focusing on his current state and not the future.

“We are focusing on what’s going on right now,” they said. “We want to get him to where was at 8 p.m. Monday evening. The best outcome is where he was before it happened.

Hamlin’s family remains with him bedside, along with members of the Bills organization.

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The next steps are to get him stronger to go home as soon as possible, doctors said.

“He has a little ways to go from the ventilator,” said Doctor Knight. “It’s too early to project in the future.”

News Center 7 will continue to provide updates.