The Buffalo Bills' assistant athletic trainer Denny Kellington has been hailed as a "hero" for helping to save Damar Hamlin's life.
On January 2, the 24-year-old safety suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed on the field during the first quarter of the Buffalo Bills game against the Cincinnati Bengals
The team's trainer, Denny Kellington, immediately ran to Hamlin's side when his heart stopped beating and gave him life-saving cardiovascular pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the field before medics arrived.
A defibrillator was then used on the athlete to restore his heartbeat before he was transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he had to be resuscitated again.
According to The Guardian, the medic who treated the player after he arrived at the hospital has credited the swift actions of Kellington and other staff for saving Hamlin's life.
"Immediate bystander CPR … rarely ever happens," Dr. William Knight IV said during a news conference, per the outlet. "We cannot credit their team enough."
The coach, Sean McDermott, also championed Kellington to reporters and said: "For an assistant to find himself at that position and needing to take the action that he did, and step up and take charge like he did … is nothing short of amazing."
"The courage that took … talk about a real leader, a real hero, in saving Damar’s life and I just admire his strength," McDermott added.
Many other sports stars and football fans have chimed in to share their praises for the trainer. Former NFL star Robert Griffin III - now a broadcast analyst - described Kellington as "a real-life hero" on his social media page.
"Denny Kellington a REAL LIFE HERO. He performed CPR on Damar Hamlin on the field and was crucial in saving his life." Griffin said in a tweet with his picture, which also amassed 245K likes.
One fan also said: "This is Denny Kellington. He’s the assistant athletic trainer for the Bills that provided life-saving CPR for Damar Hamlin during Monday Night Football. His name and face need to be plastered all over the place! This guy is an absolute hero and a great man!!!"
One week after his frightening collapse, the young star was discharged from the hospital in Cincinnati to continue his treatment in Buffalo after his condition improved. Hamlin took to the social media platform to express his gratitude for all the support he has received.
"Headed home to Buffalo today with a lot of love on my heart. Watching the world come together around me on Sunday was truly an amazing feeling. The same love you all have shown me is the same love that I plan to put back into the world n more. Bigger than football!", he wrote.
After arriving in Buffalo, it was disclosed that Hamlin has checked into Buffalo General to continue his treatment, as he wrote: "Grateful for the awesome care I received at UCMC. Happy to be back in Buffalo. The docs and nurses at Buffalo General have already made me feel at home!"
We hope that Hamlin has a speedy recovery.
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