Doctors and nurses who cared for Damar Hamlin at the UC Medical Center in Cincinnati have been given a key to the city.
Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval bestowed the honors on the care team from the UC Medical Center on Thursday.
‘What an honor it was standing alongside these @uchealth heroes this morning,’ read a tweet from Pureval’s account.
‘We gave them a Key to the City for their lifesaving care of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin. Thank you for representing Cincinnati and providing this kind of advanced care to every patient who needs it.’
Earlier this month, Hamlin collapsed during a Monday Night Football game between the Cincinnati Bengals and visiting Bills and was successfully revived on the field by the Buffalo training staff before being rushed to University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
The precise cause of the 24-year-old safety’s cardiac arrest has not been revealed. Hamlin tackled Bengals receiver Tee Higgins in the moments before falling to the turf at Paycor Stadium.
UC’s Dr. Timothy Pritts and Dr. William Knight oversaw his care at the facility, which ended on January 9 when he was transferred to a hospital in Western New York.
‘Headed home to Buffalo today with a lot of love on my heart,’ the safety tweeted at the time. ‘Watching the world come together around me on Sunday was truly an amazing feeling. The same love you all have shown me is the same love that I plan to put back into the world n more. Bigger than football!’
He has since been released and even appeared at Sunday’s rematch between the Bills and Bengals in Orchard Park, New York.
Hamlin is still facing a lengthy rehabilitation three weeks on from his cardiac arrest in Cincinnati, his family spokesman has confirmed last week.
‘Damar still requires oxygen and is having his heart monitored regularly to ensure there are no setbacks or after effects,’ Jordon Rooney, Hamlin’s longtime friend and business partner, told The Associated Press on Thursday night.
‘Though he is able to visit the team´s facility, Damar is not in position to travel often, and requires additional rest to help his body heal.’
