On the mend!
Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin is awake and holding hands with his family in the hospital, according to his sports agent, Rob Butler.
There have been many other positive updates that are worth celebrating following the 24-year-old's cardiac arrest during Monday night's Bills game against Cincinnati.
During the first quarter of Monday's game, Hamlin collapsed after tackling Bengal's wide receiver, Tee Higgins.
Medical personnel administered CPR to Hamlin and were able to revive his heartbeat before he was transported to the hospital.
There have been many theories as to what caused this to happen to the otherwise healthy 24-year-old.
"What we saw was a player who had a direct impact to the middle of his chest, and this is what we consider blunt trauma," Dr. Merije T. Chukumerije, a cardiologist at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Beverly Hills, California, told ET.
"So, when someone has a sudden impact or blunt trauma to the chest, if it happens at a specific part of the cardiac cycle, then that can lead to a ventricular arrhythmia or an unstable heart arrhythmia, which can ultimately lead to sudden cardiac arrest and unfortunately sudden cardiac death."
Both factors have drastically improved his chance of survival. It was also a blessing that his heartbeat was restored before he was transported to the hospital.
On Wednesday night, it was reported that he had opened his eyes by league insider Ian Rapoport during an appearance on NFL Now.
"Per the physicians caring for Damar Hamlin at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Damar has shown remarkable improvement over the past 24 hours," the tweet read.
"While still critically ill, he has demonstrated that he appears to be neurologically intact. His lungs continue to heal and he is making steady progress."
Bills cornerback Kaiir Elam took to Twitter to share that his teammate was awake.
“Our boy is doing better, awake and showing more signs of improvement. Thank you God. Keep the prayers coming please. All love 3!”
In the latest update made Thursday afternoon, Damlin's agent Rob Butler told CNN that the player is awake and holding hands with his family in the hospital.
The Twitter page for the Buffalo Bills continued to show their support.
He has so many people in his corner, rooting him on!
"Thank God for improvement just as much as we asked him for healing. If not more," tweeted Jonnu smith.
They tweeted that the "outpouring of support for Damar" has been "amazing." They are grateful for all the calls, messages, and emails.
"Damar has made substantial improvement overnight," they wrote, adding how thankful they are for every medical professional who has played a part in this progress.
"Please continue to pray for Damar and we will provide updates as they are available."
