Damar Hamlinhas his eye on returning to the football field, but in his first television interview sincesuffering sudden cardiac arrest, said it will be a gradual process.“Still working through things. I’mstill trying to processall the emotions, the trauma, that comes from dealing with a situation like that,” Hamlin, 24, toldGood Morning America’sMichael Strahan.For the Buffalo Bills safety,whose heart stopped mid-gameduring Monday Night Football on Jan. 2, the event was a traumatic experience.But the second-year player said he ismoving forward with his recovery.“I’m doing great,” Hamlin said. “Every morning, every night, I take 10 deep breaths to myself and it puts everything in perspective for me.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.However, when Strahan, 51, asked him to revisitthe moment when he hit the groundafter making a tackle, and whether the athlete remembered what happened, Hamlin took a long pause.“That’s something that I don’t really want to get that deep into, in the details of,” he said.Hamlin said he watched the video of the moment a couple of times while he was in the intensive care unit, and still questions “why it happened to me.““It was a crazy feeling — something I couldn’t really describe,” he said about watching the replay. “Something I’m still processing, something I’m trying to work through.“Damar Hamlin.Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire/GettyOn Sunday before theSuper Bowl, Hamlin appeared on the field with thefirst responders who helped to save his life, and the Pittsburgh-area native also took the stage last Thursday night during the annualNFLHonors event.Hamlin told Strahan on Monday that medical professionals have left his return to the field up to the athlete himself.“It’s a tough situation because they can’t really tell,” Hamlin said. “It’s an up-to-me-thing, I guess. It’s a long road; they were just worrying about trying to get me back to normal.“Damar Hamlin.Good Morning America/TwitterYet when askedwhether he wants to play football again, he briefly hesitated. “You know, eventually, that’s always the goal,” Hamlin said, “but I’m allowing that to be in God’s hands.“And as the star continues his recovery, Hamlin is looking out for others along the way.“Right now I’m teaming up with theAmerican Heart Association,” he said. “We’re trying to get 3 million people to apply and learn CPR, and that’s something I feel is important because it reallydid save my life that night.”
Damar Hamlinhas his eye on returning to the football field, but in his first television interview sincesuffering sudden cardiac arrest, said it will be a gradual process.
“Still working through things. I’mstill trying to processall the emotions, the trauma, that comes from dealing with a situation like that,” Hamlin, 24, toldGood Morning America’sMichael Strahan.
For the Buffalo Bills safety,whose heart stopped mid-gameduring Monday Night Football on Jan. 2, the event was a traumatic experience.
But the second-year player said he ismoving forward with his recovery.
“I’m doing great,” Hamlin said. “Every morning, every night, I take 10 deep breaths to myself and it puts everything in perspective for me.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
However, when Strahan, 51, asked him to revisitthe moment when he hit the groundafter making a tackle, and whether the athlete remembered what happened, Hamlin took a long pause.
“That’s something that I don’t really want to get that deep into, in the details of,” he said.
Hamlin said he watched the video of the moment a couple of times while he was in the intensive care unit, and still questions “why it happened to me.”
“It was a crazy feeling — something I couldn’t really describe,” he said about watching the replay. “Something I’m still processing, something I’m trying to work through.”
Damar Hamlin.Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire/Getty
On Sunday before theSuper Bowl, Hamlin appeared on the field with thefirst responders who helped to save his life, and the Pittsburgh-area native also took the stage last Thursday night during the annualNFLHonors event.
Hamlin told Strahan on Monday that medical professionals have left his return to the field up to the athlete himself.
“It’s a tough situation because they can’t really tell,” Hamlin said. “It’s an up-to-me-thing, I guess. It’s a long road; they were just worrying about trying to get me back to normal.”
Damar Hamlin.Good Morning America/Twitter
Yet when askedwhether he wants to play football again, he briefly hesitated. “You know, eventually, that’s always the goal,” Hamlin said, “but I’m allowing that to be in God’s hands.”
And as the star continues his recovery, Hamlin is looking out for others along the way.
“Right now I’m teaming up with theAmerican Heart Association,” he said. “We’re trying to get 3 million people to apply and learn CPR, and that’s something I feel is important because it reallydid save my life that night.”
source: people.com
