Damar Hamlin's Uncle Speaks Out On The Bills Player's Condition

A pall fell over January 2's game between the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals after Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed mid-game on the field. According to Fox News, Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest right after tackling the Bengals' Tee Higgins in the first quarter. With his heartbeat restored by field medical staff, Hamlin was rushed to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. In an official statement on January 3, the Buffalo Bills tweeted that the 24-year-old was "currently sedated and listed in critical condition." 

Among the many outpourings of support, fans gathered in solidarity to flood Hamlin's GoFundMe page with donations. Called "The Chasing M's Foundation Community Toy Drive," Hamlin sought to use donations to give back to his community. Within the span of a day following his collapse, its total donations got bumped up to over $3 million (the number continues to rise). Hamlin's family thanked fans for their magnanimity in a January 3 statement, writing (via ABC News), "On behalf of our family, we want to express our sincere gratitude for the love and support shown to Damar during this challenging time ... Your generosity and compassion mean the world to us." His family also promised to share updates "as soon as we have them."

Now, Hamlin's uncle has come forth with an update on the athlete's condition ... and the situation remains tense. 

Damar Hamlin is currently breathing through a ventilator after his January 2 cardiac arrest. In an interview with NFL Network, Dorrian Glenn, Hamlin's uncle, shared that his nephew's collapse partially damaged his lungs, although the safety is seemingly on the mend. Hamlin has reportedly gone from needing 100% to only 50% of oxygen from the ventilator. 

In another interview with CNN, Glenn praised the staff at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. "Just to know like my nephew basically died on the field and they brought him back to life ... I'm just glad he's still alive and able to fight and trying to get better and recover," he said, sharing that he's "never cried so hard in my life." Despite Glenn also telling CNN that Hamlin's heartbeat was revived not once, but twice, on January 2, family friend Jordon Rooney clarified that Glenn misspoke.

While many factors could have caused Hamlin's cardiac arrest, some cardiologists suspect his heart was fine before his collapse, per NBC News. Instead, Hamlin's cardiac arrest could have been the result of him tackling the Cincinnati Bengals' Tee Higgins. In a rare phenomenon called "commotio cordis," Dr. Hari Tandri, "the director of the cardiac arrhythmia program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn.," explained that a healthy heart, when met with blunt force at a specific time, can enter a potentially fatal rhythm.