Call to Action to Support Heart Health

I’m a huge football fan, and I’ve looked forward to watching Monday Night Football every week since the days of Howard Cosell and “Dandy” Don Meredith. I was excited to watch the Buffalo Bills face the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 2, as both teams were in first place in their division fighting for the top seed in the playoffs.

Like millions of people, I watched the play many of us have talked about since – Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin stood up after making a tackle and then collapsed on the field. Two of my best friends are Buffalo Bills Mafia. These fans don’t only cheer on the team, they make donations to charities as a group, they fight through the frigid weather to attend games and all I could do is text them to send heartfelt wishes.

To date, these fans and the Bengals fans have donated nearly $5 million to Damar’s GoFundMe account, Chasing M’s, which was originally set up to help secure toys for kids in need where he was raised. I made my donation. When looking for the Go Fund Me site, I saw Damar had a merchandise site, and more than 90% of those items were already sold out.

Watching the announcers trying to talk about the incident on the air was difficult because they were so personally impacted by what they were hearing and watching. This was not a helmet-to-helmet hit or hyperextended knee – this was something different. And as they accurately reported, this was no longer about the game – it was about the athlete and his family.

Suffering myself from atrial fibrillation (AFIB), I know the seriousness of a heart condition. When we heard they were giving Damar CPR, my heart sank immediately. Many athletes and coaches, including Jim Harbaugh, Billie Jean King and Larry Bird, all suffered from AFIB and former Detroit Lion Chuck Hughes died on the field from a heart condition.

The debate on television was whether the teams should play and when the game would be rescheduled. I hope they don’t replay the game and just flip a coin for the seeded spot.

Damar was lucky he received medical attention as fast as he did because many would have died. The medical team saved his life. My prayers are with Damar, his family, friends and team.

When play does resume, I hope the brands that paid to be on the air use their advertising dollars where they can be of best use – heart and cardiac research. Real research still needs to be done in these areas, and we need to raise awareness to do so. Advertisers can help those suffering or who might not even know their heart-healthy signs by taking this issue seriously and putting their dollars to good use through education and awareness. ?