Damar Hamlin kicks off #3forHeart CPR challenge with American Heart Association
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Americans held their collective breaths when Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the playing field in Cincinnati during a Monday night football game in early January. People prayed he would be OK.
CPR on the field that night saved his life.
Now out of the hospital and back at home, Hamlin is partnering with the American Heart Association to increase awareness about CPR and issue a challenge.
Nobody knows better than Hamlin that CPR can mean the difference between life and death. It's a lesson he now wants more people to know.
The entire country watched as crews resuscitated Hamlin after his sudden cardiac arrest.
CPR could easily save your life or the life of someone you love. That's why number three says he's partnering with American Heart Association kicking off the Damar Hamlin 3 for Heart challenge.
The number one challenge is to watch this short video to learn hands-only CPR.
Two, donate to the AHA to fund CPR awareness and education and three, challenge three friends to do the same.
"Knowing CPR is an important life skill and it's foundational to our mission to make sure that everybody can join us in being part of the nation of lifesavers," Nancy Brown said.
More than 350,000 cardiac arrests happen outside hospitals each year fewer than 10% of those people survive.
"If you have not taken a detailed CPR course, which of course we encourage, you can learn hands-only CPR, which really is focused on pressing hard and fast on the chest to the tune of any song that's 110 beats per minute," Brown said. "We always say to this tune of the Bee Gee song, 'Stayin' Alive.'"
Hamlin says he's paying it forward, doing what he can to make a difference.