Tuesday morning, I woke up thinking about Damar Hamlin. Damar is a 24-year-old, professional football player for the Buffalo Bills. After being tackled during Monday night’s football game, Damar collapsed on the field.
My husband and I happened to be watching the week 17 matchup between the Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals, but I’m so thankful I didn’t see the actual hit to Damar followed by the moment he collapsed. But in the moments that followed, a very dramatic scene unfolded on the field, in the middle of Paycor Stadium. Thousands of people in attendance and millions more from their homes (including my husband and me) looked on, trying to make sense of what was happening right before our eyes. Initially, the type or extent of the injury wasn’t clear. But as players, coaches, and personnel from both teams took to the field and prayer circles began to form, we knew this wasn’t an ordinary player injury. I bowed my head, closed my eyes and whispered a prayer for the young man, his family, and the medical personal who would care for him.
We later learned Damar collapsed from cardiac arrest. Medical personnel had to use an AED (automated external defibrillator) and administer CPR to get this young man’s heart pumping again. He was then transported, with his mom by his side, to a nearby level one trauma center in Cincinnati, where he was listed in critical condition. That night, each time I moved – whether to readjust myself, my covers, or my pillow – I thought about Damar, and I whispered another prayer for him.
The next morning, before my alarm clock sounded and before I got out of bed, I picked up my phone to search Google for an update on the young man’s condition. He was truly the last thing on my mind before I fell asleep and the first thing on my mind when I awakened. Though his condition hadn’t changed, I found myself thankful and hopeful.
So why am I writing about all this? Well, because being at the dawn of a new year seems to make this tragedy all the more punctuated in my mind. It feels like another reminder of how fragile life is and how suddenly it can change. And it challenges me to think differently, maybe a bit more intentionally about my life and how I aim to live it. So, I thought I’d share that with you, as well.
If you believe in the power of prayer, will you say a prayer for Damar? God is nothing if not intentional. I believe He allowed this incident to happen while millions were watching for a reason, possibly many reasons. While we may not be able to answer the question, “Why,” we can respond in the best way possible, and that’s with prayer. Then, we can commit to live each day we’re called to see in 2023, with great intention.