do you remember standing up after you make that tackle news tonight on Buffalo Bills player Demar Hamlin who Millions watched collapse during Monday Night Football that's something I don't really want to get too deep into in the details of January 2nd 2023 to of the NFL's best teams squaring off with much more at stake than just Prime Time coverage the Buffalo Bills against the Cincinnati Bengals the outcome of this game will alter the entire playoff landscape and pass to Super Bowl 57 what's at stake the number one seed in the AFC the only team to
receive a first round Buy and Hold HomeField Advantage for the entire postseason and it won't be easy as both teams haven't lost in nearly 2 months they've met each other at the perfect time week 17 on Monday [Music] night right away it looks like the shootout everyone was hoping for the Bengals attack first Trucking down the field in less than 3 minutes for a Tyler boy touchdown but Buffalo quickly responds with a 25yd field goal from Tyler Bass the energy in the stadium is so intense you can't even hear yourself think then it happens the
scariest moment in NFL history with just over 6 minutes left in the first quarter the Bengals have the ball on the second play of the drive Joe burrow passes to T Higgins and lowers his shoulder hoping to gain a few extra yards dear Hamlin makes the tackle and as you can see everything appears normal Hamlin returns to his feet adjusts his helmet then collapses on the spot now another Bill's player is down whistles are blown and gameplay is immediately stopped within 10 seconds of this moment athletic trainers and medical professionals swarm the field emergency CPR
is conducted for 10 minutes as an ambulance arrives soon after dear is down on the field for nearly 20 minutes both teams surround him in shock while his family runs down to the field to be by his side the stadium that was uncontrollably loud just moments ago is now completely silent dear receives oxygen from the First Responders is loaded into the ambulance with his mother and transported directly to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center 4 miles away the ambulance leaves the stadium at exactly 9:25 p.m. 30 minutes after he initially collapsed on the field you
see a cluttered TV broadcast then hear this from Joe Buck they've been given five minutes to quote unquote get ready to go back to playing that's the word we get from the league and the word we get from down on the field but nobody's moving as you can see teammates remain seated hug each other and shed tears for their teammate whose status now remains up in the air during all of this both head coaches had been discussing with officials leading to the decision by Buffalo head coach Shawn mcder to pull his team off the field
and back to the locker room another 30 minutes pass and the game is officially postponed phone over an hour after dear collapsed meanwhile his status remains unknown as the world Waits For What feels like an eternity for an update Stefan Diggs other teammates and Bengals head coach Zach Taylor go to visit dear at the medical center but on diggs's way in he stopped by an officer nearly having to force his way in stating we just had to be here for our teammate and just outside an additional 100 fans stand hand in hand in support then
finally there is an announcement on Demar status he had a heart attack on the field dear was able to regain his heartbeat but still remains in critical condition but in the night following the incident something magical happens dear's charity and toy drive the chasing M Foundation receives an unthinkable amount of donations before the Monday night game his foundation had $74,000 in donations very next morning with the help of over 119,000 new donors that number had reached over $3 million and that amount has skyrocketed to over9 million and counting but amongst this amazing moment nearly 3
days passed without any major updates on dear's health then on January 5th not only does the NFL officially cancel the Bill's Bengal game but the world receives information about dear directly from the UC Medical Center his neurological function is completely intact he is able to breathe with a breathing tube he can physically hold hands with his family and he's even able to communicate with writing the first question he wrote was did we win and the medical staff responded with you won you won the game of life but it gets even better the next day brings
another significant update and three powerful words from dear himself his breathing tube is removed as he is able to breathe completely on his own His neurologic function remains intact and he is able to talk to his family dear is even able to say his first words to his teammates in over 4 days in a FaceTime call he tells them simply love you boys and the next day brings the NFL's first game action since the incident love is shown in incomparable ways every single team in the league shows support during warm-ups by wearing love for dear
shirs but nothing is quite as special as what the Buffalo Bills had in store at home in the final game of the regular season Buffalo players walk through the tunnel repping dear's number three dear Hamlin shirts and hats the bills run out into himark Stadium to a packed out crowd full of supportive fans multiple players carry love for Tamar Flags the entire team Grace's number three patches and the medical team that responded to dear's collapse is and right before kickoff but how the actual game started is even more unreal the New England Patriots win the
coin toss but defer so the bills will receive the opening kickoff what unfolds next is something out of a movie Let's listen in New England decided to defer after winning the toss and here's Hines on the run back breaking a tackle and taking it past Midfield and down the sideline he goes this is story book an opening kickoff return for dear Hamlin and this place is absolutely going wild but that's not even the most unforgettable moment of it all the best part dear watched all of this unfold live on TV while he was at the
hospital and when Hines ran this opening touchdown dear celebrated a lot according to the UC medical staff he got out of his chair jumped up and down and nearly set off every alarm in the ICU a truly touching moment that energy remained the entire game becoming a very special day for not just the players and fans but also the most important people involved in this incident the bills brought home the victory 3523 they facetimed to mar Just minutes following the win and then came the gifting of the game ball a game ball was handed out
not only to Dear but also to the man who saved his life less than one week ago Danny Kellington the Bill's assistant athletic trainer who performed emergency CPR that Monday night he was part of the Essential Medical team that was able to bring immediate response to save dear's life and neurological function without them dear would not have made it off the field alive and just one day after this emotional regular season closer dear was able to return to Buffalo due to remarkable improvements in his condition on January 9th exactly 1 week after the event dear
was discharged from the UC Medical Center and moved to the Buffalo General Medical Center his condition had been updated from critical to good and he was able to walk and do physical therapy but he didn't stay there long while at Buffalo General they conducted cardiac vascular and neurological tests and in just one day dear was able to go home from this point forward he was given permission to rehab away from the hospital and with family and his teammates and just one day before Buffalo's playoff opener against Miami he was able to visit teammates appearing to
be in very High Spirits a major emotional boost for a team that had just witnessed this tragedy he attended Buffalo's divisional matchup with Cincinnati 1 week later and made his first public speech since the incident a couple days later I can't tell you how appreciative I am of all the love all the support and everything that's just been coming in my way and social media is a huge reason why family friends and fans were able to keep up with dear's status and continue their ongoing support from updates on his personal Twitter and Instagram to fan-made
videos and love from major figures outside of the NFL support came from everywhere you could possibly imagine dear's strength and appreciation for others has been on clear display throughout this entire process he thanked all the medical staff who assisted him created merchandise with all the proceeds going to the University of Cincinnati trauma center and even texted his teammate travius white in the middle of the night to apologize for putting his team through everything that occurred since his accident since that Monday Night Football game on January 2nd 2023 the world has had the opportunity to witness
is the scariest day in NFL history evolve into one of the biggest outpourings of love and support not only for dear Hamlin but also the medical team that saved his life [Music]
