More than 72 hours after his tragic collapse on the gridiron, Buffalo Bills’ safety Damar Hamlin is finally recovering. Doctors at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center told reporters that Hamlin is showing significant progress. The doctors also thanked the athletic trainers for their timely action, which sent everyone tracking down the man responsible for saving Hamlin: Denny Kellington.
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Denny Kellington, an assistant athletic trainer with the Bills, was the one who administered CPR to Hamlin, for around 10 minutes. According to the doctors at UCMC, Hamlin’s pulse had gone silent within moments of the cardiac arrest. If not for Kellington, they say, Hamlin’s situation would have been very different.
Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest during the Bills’ game against the Cincinnati Bengals last Monday. Hamlin collapsed to the ground when he received a sharp hit to his chest while tackling Bengals’ receiver Tee Higgins. Kellington and the Bills’ medical team rushed to aid the fallen safety, and after almost 20 minutes on the field, Hamlin was taken to the UCMC. He is still in a critical state.
Who is Denny Kellington: The superhero who saved Damar Hamlin’s life?
Denny Kellington hails from Midwest City, located right outside Oklahoma City. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Health and Human Performance, and graduated from Oklahoma State University in 2000. His stint with the NFL started as an athletic training intern with the Denver Broncos for 2 years, before moving on to be an assistant athletic trainer for the now-defunct Amsterdam Admirals.
On his return from Europe, he joined Ohio State, where he stayed for 3 years before moving to Syracuse University in 2005. He spent 12 years with Syracuse, before making a return to the NFL by joining the bills in 2017. At the Bills, he is a vital part of the 4-member athletic training staff.
Kellington’s actions on the field helped avert a sure-shot disaster. As per CDC reports, around 90% of cardiac arrest cases outside of a hospital end in fatality. That being said, administering CPR in the first few minutes of a cardiac arrest can help increase the chance of survival threefold, which in this case is exactly what happened.
Dr. William Knight, one of the doctors treating Hamlin, praised the efforts of Kellington and his team. He said, “We cannot credit their team enough”. Dr. Timothy Pritts said, “We can’t say enough about the quick actions of the Bills’ training staff and the physicians who were on the field with getting to him. Recognizing that this was a very serious situation and responding and saving his life.”
The NFL is planning on canceling the Bills vs Bengals game. So fans will have to wait and see how this will affect the AFC seeding for the playoffs. One thing is for sure, the Bills will dearly miss their star safety. Will the Bills cope with the pressure of the playoffs with their teammate showing a positive recovery? Or will they still be haunted by what happened on Monday night?
