First Interview
“I owe Denny my life, literally,” Hamlin said, referring to assistant athletic trainer Denny Kellington who ran to his aid during the near-death incident
Damar Hamlin is lucky to be alive. Weeks after surviving cardiac arrest on the field, the Buffalo Bills safety is sitting down for an interview with Michael Straham on Monday’s Good Morning America. On Friday, GMA released the first clip of the sit-down conversation.
“I owe Denny my life, literally,” Hamlin said in the clip, referring to assistant athletic trainer Denny Kellington who ran to his aid during the near-death incident. “He loves to say he was just doing his job, which is true. That night, he was literally the savior of my life, administering CPR on me.”
“If it wasn’t for someone showing up that day with a clear mind and whatever is going on in their personal life, and putting it aside and be present in the moment to do their job correctly,” he added. “That’s something I’m truly thankful for, and I don’t take it for granted.”
The sit-down interview will air the day after the Super Bowl. The new clip also arrives a day after Hamlin received an award for his charitable contributions at the NFL Honors, where he was introduced by Sheryl Lee Ralph.
“Every day I’m amazed that my experiences could encourage so many others across the country and even across the world — encourage to pray, encourage to spread love, and encourage to keep fighting no matter the circumstances,” he said at the awards show.
The interview comes about a month after Hamlin was hospitalized following a tackle that caused him to suffer cardiac arrest during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 2. At the time, Hamlin was seen stumbling after a tackle before collapsing on the field. After one of the trainers administered CPR, he was taken off the field in a stretcher and transported to a hospital.
The Buffalo Bills safety was released from the hospital one week after the on-field collision and has been on the road to recovery in the weeks since. “When you put real love out into the world it comes back to you 3x’s as much,” he said in a statement prior to his release. “The Love has been overwhelming, but I’m thankful for every single person that prayed for me and reached out. We brung the world back together behind this. If you know me you know this only gone make me stronger. On a long road keep praying for me!”