Damar Hamlin visits heart patients at Dell Children’s, helps hospital celebrate big honor

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Patients at Dell Children’s got a special surprise visitor on Friday.

Damar Hamlin, a defensive back for the Buffalo Bills who suffered cardiac arrest after taking a hit during a game in 2023, visited with patients and spoke about a special program he’s partnering on with healthcare company Abbott. Hamlin is an ambassador for Abbott’s HeartMates program which is designed to help “create a community for people impacted by cardiovascular conditions.”

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Hamlin spent nine days in two hospitals after his heart stopped following a blow to the chest during a Monday Night Football game in Cincinnati on Jan. 2, 2023. He suffered from commotio cordis, a condition that causes the heart to stop beating after heavy impact to the chest. After his heart was restarted on the field, his long road to recovery began. He was medically cleared to play in time for training camp before the 2023-24 season and took the field in five games for the Bills.

The partnership with Abbott has sent Hamlin to several hospitals around the country to meet patients in cardiovascular units to share stories and inspire comebacks.

His visit was also part of a celebration for Dell Children’s designation as a Piccolo Center of Excellence. The Piccolo device is the world’s first and smallest device that helps treat patent ductus arteriosus, a condition when two blood vessels leading from the heart don’t close properly after birth. Abbott, the developer of the device, created the designation to “recognize hospitals with exemplary treatment protocols, procedural operations and patient outreach for the management of congenital heart defects (CHD) in children.” Dell Children’s is the first hospital to receive the honor.

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