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Learning From Hamlin Football
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Bills trainers cite Hamlin case as example for schools, youth leagues to make life-saving plans

Two Buffalo Bills trainers say they stuck to their pre-planned treatment when Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest during an NFL game in January

By MICHAEL MAROT
Published - Jun 22, 2023, 05:34 PM ET
Last Updated - Jun 22, 2023, 05:34 PM EDT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — When Buffalo Bills trainers Nate Breske and Denny Kellington rushed onto the field following Damar Hamlin's collapse in January, they stuck to the plan — right down to positioning Hamlin's teammates to shield the television cameras.

Their quick actions saved Hamlin's life. Now they're trying save others.

On Thursday, Breske and Kellington told an athletic trainers convention in Indianapolis that pre-planning and regular practices helped prepare them for a worst-case scenario and they're urging schools and youth leagues to start creating their own emergency action plans.

“First up, I don’t think anything can prepare you for what we went through in that moment,” Breske said. “It was the first time we had seen it on a live human, but we had practiced it. We had done chest compressions before, we had done things with our paramedics and the other physicians, so we were ready, and everyone knew their role and what needed to happen in that moment.”

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