Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin received some unbelievable news.
The 25-year-old NFL player was given the green light to return to football and make a comeback after suffering cardiac arrest on field vs. the Bengals on Jan. 2.
Getting to this stage, however, was not an easy mission. Hamlin has been at multiple hospitals and has worked with numerous physicians to get back on his feat.
Here we take a look at the timeline of his gut-wrenching injury and remarkable recovery:
April 18, 2023
Hamlin was "fully cleared" to return to football.
Hamlin has visited three different specialists since the incident, Bills general manager Brandon Beane said. He saw the final specialist last Friday and he's now participating in voluntary team workouts after all three specialists agreed that he could fully return to football.
Later in the day, Hamlin confirmed the news in a press conference. "This is not the end of my story," he said. "I plan to make a comeback to the NFL."
March 29, 2023
Hamlin joined Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. and Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla. to review a bill that would increase the availability of defibrillators in public schools.
The next day, Hamlin met with President Joe Biden who reportedly thanked the safety for his "courage, resilience, and can-do spirit which has inspired the American people."
February 10, 2023
Hamlin joined the first responders who helped save his life at the "NFL Honors."
Two days later, he was on field ahead of Super Bowl LVII where he joined members of the Bills-Bengals medical staff and UC Medical Center.
February 8, 2023
Hamlin won the 2023 NFLPA Alan Page Community Award, an annual award that recognizes one NFL player each year who goes above and beyond to give back to his hometown and team city.
He collected more than $9 million in donations for his charity The Chasing M’s Foundation Toy Drive.
January 22, 2023
Hamlin made his first public appearance since having a cardiac arrest at the Bills' home playoff game vs. the Bengals.
He waved to fans from a stadium suite and performed his signature gesture -- forming a heart sign with his hands -- to show love to all his supporters.
January 14, 2023
Hamlin makes an incredible first visit back to the Bills' training facility in Orchard Park, N.Y. on Saturday, just two weeks after suffering cardiac arrest during an on-field collision in the team's Week 17 game against the Bengals.
Bills linebacker Matt Milano shared a picture on Instagram of Hamlin with a huge smile on his face.
January 11, 2023
11:30 a.m. ET - Hamlin is going home! The 24-year-old Bills' safety has been discharged from the Buffalo General Medical Center/Gates Vascular Institute after a successful series of tests where he will continue his road to recovery at home.
"We have completed a series of tests and evaluations, and in consultation with the team physicians, we are confident that Damar can be safely discharged to continue his rehabilitation at home and with the Bills," according to Jamie Nadler, MD, critical care physician and Chief Quality Officer at Kaleida Health.
January 10, 2023
2:15 p.m. ET - Hamlin remains hospitalized at Buffalo General Medical Center/Gates Vascular Institute, undergoing a series of tests and evaluations.
January 9, 2023
3:26 p.m. ET - Hamlin tweets that all the love he has received has been "an amazing feeling." He added, "The same love you all have shown me is the same love that I plan to put back into the world n more."
3:03 p.m. ET - Hamlin was discharged from the hospital and returned to Buffalo. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Hamlin will now go to another hospital to continue undergoing tests.
January 8, 2023
6:49 a.m. ET - Bills place Hamlin on Injured Reserve (IR), however, sources say Buffalo has worked out an agreement with the NFL and NFLPA to pay him in full.
January 7, 2023
5:14 p.m. ET - Hamlin posts on Instagram and Twitter, thanking everyone who reached out and asking for continued prayers.
1:50 p.m. ET - Hamlin is making "continued progress" in his recovery at the UC Medical Center yet he still remains in critical condition. However, he continues to breathe on his own and is still neurologically intact, according to his physicians.
January 6, 2023
10:24 a.m. ET - Hamlin "continues to progress remarkably in his recovery," the Bills said in the latest update provided by the team on Friday morning. Hamlin's breathing tube was removed and he addressed his teammates and coaches on FaceTime. What he said to the team: “Love you boys.”
January 5, 2023
1:39 p.m. ET - Dr. Timothy Pritts of UC Health said Hamlin has made "substantial improvement" and his "neurological condition and function is intact." The physician said that Hamlin's progress is a positive "turning point in his ongoing care" and added that Hamlin has "held many people's hands." Upon waking up, Hamlin asked who won the Monday Night Football showdown and has been communicating via writing.
10:28 a.m. ET - Bills reported that Hamlin has made "remarkable improvement" in the last 24 hours and appears to be making "steady progress." Physicians at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center say that Hamlin is seeming "neurologically intact" while his "lungs continue to heal."
January 4, 2023
1:30 p.m. ET - Bills reported that Hamlin remains in the ICU in critical condition with "signs of improvement noted yesterday and overnight." He will continue to be monitored and treated as needed.
10:27 a.m. - Hamlin's friend Jordon Rooney said that doctors saw positive signs of progress from overnight testing.
January 3, 2023
8:00 p.m. ET - Hamlin's uncle Dorrian Glenn said his nephew remains sedated in the ICU at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. He added that Hamlin is on a ventilator but has improved from 100% oxygen needed to 50% oxygen needed. Glenn also revealed that Hamlin had to be resuscitated twice -- once on the field and once at the hospital.
11:45 a.m. ET - Hamlin's family made a statement thanking everyone for all the "love and support shown to Damar during this challenging time." The family said they would release updates "as soon as we have them."
2:45 a.m. ET - The Buffalo Bills landed at Buffalo Niagara International Airport where there was a heavy police presence. Police blocked off the road to allow the players to leave safely. A few players stayed behind with Hamlin, including Bills’ wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who expressed "how much he needed to be here.”
1:48 a.m. ET - Further testing at the hospital confirmed Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest following the collision on the field. He remains in critical condition, according to an NFL statement. About 100 Bills fans and a few Bengals fans came together on a corner one block from the emergency room entrance, some of them holding candles.
January 2, 2023
10:05 p.m. ET - The NFL issues a statement to postpone the Bills-Bengals game.
"Tonight's Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals game has been postponed after Buffalo Bills' Damar Hamlin collapsed, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced," the statement read.
9:28 p.m. ET - Players of the Bills-Bengals slowly walked to their locker rooms where they awaited word on Hamlin and the game.
9:25 p.m. ET - Hamlin was given oxygen as he was transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center by ambulance. Hamlin's mother who was in the stands watching the game joined her son. Each member of the Bills dropped to one knee in prayer as the ambulance pulled off the field.
9:18 p.m. ET - The Bills-Bengals game was temporarily suspended.
9:16 p.m. ET - Bills players began to put their helmets on and retook their place on the sideline. Players received hugs and handshakes from their teammates. NFL EVP Troy Vincent said the league had no intention of restarting the game. “It never crossed our mind to talk about warming up to resume play,” Vincent said. “That’s ridiculous. That’s insensitive. That’s not a place we should ever be in.”
9:14 p.m. ET - Medical professionals immediately rushed to the field to tend to Hamlin, administering CPR for approximately 10 minutes while an ambulance was on the field. His heartbeat was restored on the field.
8:55 p.m. ET - Hamlin collided with Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins while making a tackle in the first quarter. Hamlin got to his feet shortly before falling backwards to the field.
