Ten months ago, the world watched as Buffalo Bills Safety Damar Hamlin experienced a sudden cardiac arrest during a National Football League (NFL) game. Fortunately, the world also saw the very first links in the chain of survival working as they should in a cardiac emergency. Training and readiness paid off and Damar prevailed thanks to early recognition by responders on the scene, administering high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and having access to, and using an automated external defibrillator (AED). Since Damar Hamlin's recovery, the American Heart Association and his Chasing M's Foundation have teamed up to turn a nation of bystanders into a "Nation of Lifesavers™" through aggressive promotion of CPR and AED education and training.
The collaboration has produced a newly published short video that showcases how Damar Hamlin's recovery journey has sparked a global conversation and served as a catalyst to power the American Heart Association's Nation of Lifesavers movement. With Hamlin as the Association's National Ambassador, the initiative is intended to ensure that in the face of a cardiac emergency, everyone, everywhere is prepared and empowered to perform lifesaving CPR and become a vital link in the chain of survival.
"The mission of the Nation of Lifesavers movement is simple — to educate and prepare anyone to be confident to save a life in the event of a cardiac emergency," said Nancy Brown, American Heart Association chief executive officer. "As the worldwide leader in resuscitation science, education and training, and publisher of the official guidelines for CPR, the American Heart Association is uniquely positioned to work with supporters and volunteers to drive awareness and training across the U.S. and around the world. It's been a privilege to collaborate with the NFL, Chasing M's and all our partners to save more lives from cardiac arrest."
Since January, the American Heart Association has worked alongside its longstanding partners at the NFL during Super Bowl LVII and the NFL Draft as well as with individual NFL teams to teach Hands-Only CPR and provide Heartsaver® CPR AED training courses, which provide the highest quality evidence-based training in the lifesaving skills of CPR. Already, half of all NFL teams have hosted American Heart Association training and education opportunities for their own staff or in their local communities so far this year.
According to the American Heart Association's Annual Statistical Update, fewer than half of the 350,000 people who experience cardiac arrest outside of the hospital each year in the United States receive CPR before emergency personnel arrive. CPR, especially if performed immediately, could double or triple a cardiac arrest victim's chance of survival, according to the American Heart Association. Following a cardiac arrest of a teen or an adult, Hands-Only CPR, or compression-only CPR, can be equally effective as traditional CPR in the first few minutes of emergency response. If a teen or adult suddenly collapses, witnesses should immediately call emergency services and begin chest compressions at a rate of 100-120 beats per minute and a depth of approximately two inches. The Association encourages everyone to take 90 seconds to learn how to save a life now at www.heart.org/nation.
