SportsBuffalo Bills

Actions

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin meets with President Joe Biden

damar and joe.jfif
Posted at 4:45 PM, Mar 30, 2023
and last updated 2023-03-30 16:48:18-04

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WKBW) — Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin and his family met with President Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday.

In a tweet, President Biden said:

"Damar Hamlin’s courage, resilience, and spirit inspired the American people.

And what's more: he turned recovery into action – and our country is better for it.

It was my honor to have him and his family here today."

Hamlin responded in a tweet of his own and said:

"It was a pleasure & an honor meeting you today. I know your time is precious and I wouldn’t waste a second of it! Our conversations were valuable.. #UncleJoe"

A day before he met with President Biden, Hamlin was in Washington, D.C. to support the "Access to AEDs Act."

According to Congressman Brian Higgins, the Access to AEDs Act would:

  • Direct the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to elementary and secondary schools in partnership with nonprofit healthcare organizations.
  • The grants will support the development and implementation of programs that promote access to defibrillators in schools.
  • Funding can also be used to purchase and maintain AEDs, replace outdated CPR and AED equipment, and provide training to students, staff, and related sports volunteers.
  • Additionally, it can be used to develop Cardiac Emergency Response Plans and assist school athletic departments in creating heart screening programs for student athletes.

Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest on the field in January. His heartbeat was restored on the field and he was hospitalized for just over a week.

Since then, Hamlin has launched the #3forHeart CPR Challenge in partnership with the American Heart Association which aims to promote CPR training and education, which saved his life, in an effort to save more lives.

Get Bills game updates the Monday after each game by signing up for our Monday Morning Quarterback newsletter.