WATCH: Damar Hamlin gets emotional, talks aftermath of cardiac arrest in first one-on-one interview
Damar Hamlin is still trying to process his emotions, but he is grateful to be here. It’s been a little more than a month since the Bills safety suffered cardiac arrest in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals, collapsing on the field and later fighting for his life in a hospital.
He won that battle, and is now ready to tell his story. Damar Hamlin sat down with Michael Strahan ahead of Super Bowl LVII for his first one-on-one interview since the incident, expressing honestly where he is at mentally.
“It’s something I’m still trying to work through,” he said. “‘Why did it happen to me?'”
Hamlin remained in critical condition in the couple of days after the collapse, and the hope of everyone around the league was just that he would wake up. Three days later on Jan. 5, a report came that he had opened his eyes for the first time.
Damar Hamlin revealed in the interview that his first concern upon waking up was whether Buffalo won the game. He didn’t even realize that the situation had caused the NFL to cancel the contest.
“Just hearing family members,” he said. “My mom and dad. Friends that were there. The first thing I said when I woke up was, ‘Did we win?’ I’m competitive. That competitive nature in me was still just thinking about the game like, ‘Did we win?'”
That prompted a heartwarming response from Hamlin’s family and friends, putting the reality of the situation in perspective.
“(They told me) yes. I won the game of life,” he said.
As is often the case, a lot of positive can come from negative situations. Hamlin believes that is true for him. The most biggest example of this is the GoFundMe that Damar Hamlin had started before the incident to raise money for a toy drive. As many around the world pulled for him to make it through, donations for that fundraiser surpassed $8 million.
“I couldn’t even believe it,” Hamlin said. “It just showed the unity of our league and the entire world. I really feel like the whole situation showed that we can all come together. It was just a surreal moment.”
Damar Hamlin also revealed in the interview that he is not giving up on playing football again. He told Straham that he would like to get back on the field, but he also realizes there are a lot of steps he must take to get to the point. No matter what happens though, he realizes how fortunate he is to be here.
“Eventually (I’d like to play again), ” Hamlin said. “That’s always the goal. Like I said, as a competitor, I’m trying to do things just to keep advancing my situation. But I’m allowing that to be in God’s hands. I’m just thankful he gave me a second chance.”
Hamlin realizes that the journey back will be tough, not just physically but emotionally as well. But he also believes everything happens for a reason. As he begins that journey, he hopes to use the newfound attention on himself to have a positive impact on others.
“Just processing my emotions,” he said. “I’m a person who — I kind of like my privacy in a way. But this situation just kind of brought me to the light of the world, which is a good thing in a way. I really feel like I stand for so much good and I want to be an example for communities around the world. There’s a reason behind everything.”