CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. — It was a heart-wrenching scene Monday night at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, as Buffalo Bills safety, Damar Hamlin, was surrounded by both teams in prayer.
After making what seemed to be a routine tackle, Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest and was resuscitated on the field.
“I have goosebumps right now just talking about it," said Julie Walker, who runs the Peyton Walker Foundation.
The foundation was formed after the Walker family lost their own 19-year-old daughter in 2013.
“As a mom who lost a child to sudden cardiac arrest, seeing someone go down like that, brings back and stirs up so many emotions," she explained.
The traumatic injury also sent shockwaves through the youth football community, including former Penn State and Seattle Seahawks player Jordan Hill.
Hill is now the head football coach and director of advancement at Trinity High School.
"You continue to watch the replay and it's just a basic routine play, one I've made time after time," he said.
Hill says the injury is just the latest to put the risk associated with playing football into question.
“It’s a fair question," he said. "It’s one we’re all working at together, one that we’re all working on to make it a safer sport.”
As a coach getting ready to start offseason workouts, he says there’s an added weight on his shoulders.
“It’s even more pivotal because you’re dealing with somebody else’s life now," said Hill.
Both he and Walker say it’s important to realize cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, athlete or not.
“Any circumstance, any sport, it can happen walking up and down the hall, it can happen with somebody just bumping into you or messing with you," said Hill.
From knowing CPR to making AEDs as accessible as possible, Walker said being prepared for the worst is key.
"[Hamlin] was surrounded by healthcare professionals, trainers, coaches and other people that recognized it was cardiac arrest, initiated CPR and had an AED available," said Walker. "Those three components are going to be critical in the survival of this football player.”
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