Damar Hamlin visited Capitol Hill to promote an important cause on Wednesday … urging lawmakers to feature more AEDs in schools throughout the country — less than three months after he suffered cardiac arrest and nearly died during a Monday Night Football game.
The Buffalo Bills safety encouraged politicians to support The Access to AEDs Act, a bill that promotes student access to defibrillation in elementary and secondary schools … which has become a focus for Hamlin after he collapsed on the field in January.
“Sudden cardiac arrest happens to more than 7,000 kids under the age of 18 every year in our country,” Hamlin said. “The majority of the kids impacted are student athletes. Research shows that 1 in every 300 youth has an undetected heart condition that puts them at risk.”
“For schools that have AEDs, the survival rate for the children from sudden cardiac arrest is seven times higher. The Access to AEDs Act will help ensure that schools are just as prepared and trained to respond in a time of crisis as those on the sideline of an NFL game.”
Of course, Hamlin has become a leading voice in AED and CPR awareness in the months following his medical emergency … and even started his own “3 For Heart” campaign.
Hamlin spent some time with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who paid homage to the player by wearing a custom #3 Bills jersey … which included a special signed message from Damar himself, which read, “Thank you for the love and support.”
Schumer stressed the importance of the bill — which he pledged to get passed this year — providing people with the necessary equipment and training to save lives … and believes Damar’s incident should be enough impetus to get other politicians on board.
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