Everyone remembers the petrifying moment.
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a near-fatal cardiac arrest following a routine tackle in a “Monday Night Football” game against the Cincinnati Bengals in January 2023.
Paycor Stadium fell silent — and viewers at home watched in shock — as Hamlin received emergency CPR and defibrillation on the field to restore his heartbeat.
He made his miraculous regular-season return nine months later — and when he hits the turf later this year, he’ll have a whole new set of tools to strengthen his game.
“I told myself, in 2026, I’m giving myself the love that I give the world first,” Hamlin, 28, told The Post.
“You can’t fill others’ cups until you fill yours — you know, have people that you can talk to, that you can empty your cup into.”
Pulse-pounding turning point
The Bengals game was such a life-changing moment for Hamlin.
After his collapse, he spent two days in a medically induced coma, on a ventilator, and several more days recuperating in the hospital.
Hamlin was diagnosed with commotio cordis, an extremely rare condition where a sudden, blunt blow to his chest disrupted his heart’s rhythm.
In an instant, he got a crash course on the heart.
He refocused his Chasing M’s Foundation to prioritize training in performing chest compressions and using an automated external defibrillator (AED), which can significantly increase cardiac arrest survival rates.
He’s also been doing some heart-related work in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Tokyo and India.
Now, he and his foundation have partnered with the dietary supplement brand Qunol to surprise community heroes with personal video calls as part of Qunol’s “Champions at Heart” initiative.
“Qunol is redefining what it means to be a champion at heart, and not just elite athletes, but anyone whose passion, resilience and heart keep them moving forward,” Hamlin explained.
Finding new rhythm
A lot of people have opened their hearts to Hamlin.
He said he gets A-list celebrity treatment wherever he goes.
“People feel compelled to come speak to me and tell me their story, tell me things that they overcame,” he said.
“I always try to stay grounded, stay humble, give people that moment, because I know that moment can … mean a lifetime to people.”
As for his own heart, Hamlin is very cognizant of “anything that comes across [the] northeast area of my body.”
His cardiac arrest also prompted him to give up “wasting time.”
“Moments with no meaning, moments with no purpose,” he emphasized. “And a few other, you know, habits that I don’t want to speak on.”
This year, he’s prioritizing microdecisions that can have a big impact and adding nervous system training to his regimen.
Resetting the nervous system means calming an overactive fight-or-flight response. Techniques include deep breaths, cold exposure, somatic exercises and time in nature.
Hamlin likes to bounce his shoulders for a minute or two, which can help release chronic tension that builds up from stress.
“We carry so much with us throughout the day,” he noted.
Following his heart
That’s never been truer for Hamlin, who has stayed booked and busy for the last three years.
Besides foundation work and the Qunol campaign, he appeared in two Hallmark Channel movies last year — “Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story” and “The More the Merrier” — as part of his role as an Abbott HeartMates ambassador.
And the sky’s the limit for Hamlin’s ambitions.
“My parents have always had to, like, keep my thought bubble contained because I’m just a wild thinker,” he said. “I love to just brainstorm crazy ideas and make them happen.”
Maybe there’s a future for him in cardiology or the greater medical field.
“I see myself being an astronaut, too,” Hamlin said. “Why not?”
