Hamlin starts scholarship to honor Cincy 'heroes'

CINCINNATI — When Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest on the field at Paycor Stadium on Jan. 2, it took a team of prepared individuals based in Cincinnati and in Buffalo to help save his life.

As the Buffalo Bills return to Cincinnati for the first time since that game, Hamlin is honoring some of the individuals who played in a part in doing just that.

Hamlin’s Chasing M’s Foundation has announced a new scholarship program — Damar Hamlin’s Cincinnati Heroes Scholarship — that will award scholarships in the names of 10 people who were involved in his care in Cincinnati. The program will support underserved high school and college-bound students who hope to attend Greater Cincinnati-area private high schools, trade schools or Cincinnati-area universities.

“I’m humbled by the opportunity to set up a scholarship program to honor this team of professionals — my Cincinnati heroes — who helped save my life on January 2,” Hamlin said in a statement. “I created this scholarship program to recognize each of them for what they have done for me, while also lifting up kids in underserved communities who are in need of some support as they look to go to a private high school, trade school or on to college.”

The scholarships will be for $1,000, one in the name of each of the 10 people, with a pledge from the Chasing M’s Foundation for funding over a three-year period and the first round of scholarships planned to be awarded in 2024.

Hamlin is from McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, a community that he holds close to his heart and values supporting and giving back to. While growing up, Hamlin received a scholarship to attend and play football at Central Catholic, a private school in Pittsburgh. Part of his goal of making it to the NFL was having the opportunity to be in the position to give back, something that he is now able to do.

“I struggled my whole time growing up of knowing if I was doing the right thing and knowing if … I never had that person that did what I wanted to do,” Hamlin told ESPN. “Somebody from my area who was successful in things that, somebody who was successful in life that was giving back to the community, showing the community that this is the right way to go about things, no matter if it was football or just being a person living a life worthy of living.”

The weekend will not mark Hamlin’s first time back in Cincinnati since Jan. 2, as he hosted one of his CPR Tour stops over the summer in the city. Hamlin held three CPR Tours, also in Orchard Park, New York, and in Pittsburgh, to give people the opportunity to learn hands-only CPR and give automated external defibrillators to youth sports teams. After Hamlin’s cardiac arrest, more than $9 million was donated to a GoFundMe set up by Hamlin initially for a toy drive for a day care his mother, Nina, co-owns.

“I feel like God played a big part in all of that. Just seeing that I was someone who was actually doing the work and actually trying to make an impact somewhere, and I think [God] just took it to another level,” Hamlin said. “… I’m just super thankful, super appreciative, super proud.”

Scholarships will be named after the following people: B. Woods Curry, M.D. (airway physician, field response), Betty Tsuei, M.D. (surgical ICU), Saad Ahmad, M.D. (cardiology), Jason McMullan, M.D. (emergency response physician, field response), Claire Deglow, RN (SICU), Alyssa Zimmerman, RN (SICU), Val Lake, RN (SICU), Rob Hursong, EMT-P (supervisor, paramedic), John Bush, RRT (field RT), and Gary Richardson, RRT (SICU RT).

When the Bills play the Bengals on Sunday night, Hamlin, 25, is not expected to be active. He has been active in one game this season for Buffalo in his role as a backup safety. The tone from the Bills leading up to the game was largely treating it like a normal game week.

“We talked about it already, just kinda getting his input on it, like, his main goal is for us to get a win,” said Bills cornerback Dane Jackson, a longtime friend of Hamlin’s and college teammate at Pittsburgh. “He’s not really worried about really too much what happened last year. He’s saying like, we experienced it more than him, really, if that makes sense. It obviously happened to him, but the aftereffects and everything, He wants us to have a good mind going into it and just get a win.”