UC Health To Hold CPR Training Ahead Of Buffalo Bills' Damar Hamlin's Return

UC Health helped Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin make a miraculous recovery in January, and is now helping his mission ahead of his return to Cincinnati on Sunday.

Sunday marks a special occasion for Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin as he makes his return to Paycor Stadium, home of the Cincinnati Bengals, after going into cardiac arrest on the field there in January.

Ahead of Hamlin's grand return, UC Health, the hospital that helped Hamlin get back to health, is honoring their most famous patient in a thoughtful way. Before Sunday night's game, the hospital system will host a tailgate party offering CPR training that only takes 10 minutes as part of UC Health's "Take 10" initiative. Health workers will also provide training on how to treat gunshot wounds as part of the hospital's "Stop the Bleed" initiative.

Caroline Curran of 3CDC, the company that manages the square where the event will be held, said the goal is to provide potentially life-saving training, as well as drum up excitement for the game.

Damar Hamlin

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"This is about life saving techniques to stop bleeds, all of which is incredibly critical for anyone to know in these moments of crisis or when you need to step in and make a difference,” Curran told WKRC. “So, it's pretty incredible that they're offering this totally free during the event."

Reportedly, "most" of the staff that worked with Hamlin in January will be at Paycor Stadium on Sunday night, with the few that won't be there making an appearance at the pre-game event.

“Now we're in a place where we can be just incredibly grateful and incredibly proud of the UC Health team that sprung into action to give Damar care on the field and then later at UC Medical Center,” Curran said. “So, this event is both exciting as always as we gear up for a home Bengals game, but really meaningful to celebrate the team that helped save Damar's life."

Additionally, Cincinnati mayor Aftab Pureval will declare Sunday "CPR and AED (Automatic External Defibrillator) Day" in the city when the event begins at around 4 p.m. ET.

Hamlin made a miraculous recovery after his injury in January and was cleared to return to football activities in April. The third-year safety out of Pittsburgh made the Bills' final roster, and even though he's only appeared in one game while playing entirely on special teams, the fact that he returned at all is enough to make him a heavy favorite for Comeback Player of the Year.