Damar Hamlin visits with Buffalo nurses to help celebrate National Nurses Week

So what was the message Damar Hamlin wanted these nurses to hear? He told them “I just wanted to show my appreciation to you for the care I received.” He also thanked the nurses for “the countless hours of work” no one sees from them. And Hamlin acknowledged that these nurses do everything, that they are “getting up early and going to sleep late.”

“Your work is not unseen,” Damar Hamlin said. “I appreciate you, I thank you and I’m glad to be here.”

Meanwhile, on Monday, Damar Hamlin won an honor that reflected what he went through back in early January, when his heart stopped on the field and he collapsed and nearly died. Hamlin earned the George Halas Award. The Professional Football Writers of America votes on the award, which is “given to an NFL player, coach or staff member who overcomes adversity to succeed.”

Damar Hamlin is working on his comeback to show he’s just as good or better as he was last season, when he earned the Bills starting job at safety.

“This was a life-changing event, but it’s not the end of my story,” Damar Hamlin said when he announced his return to football. “I plan on making a comeback to the NFL.”

Still, he also doesn’t want to forget what happened to him early during the Monday Night Football game on Jan. 2. That’s why he visited with the nurses last week. Back in Feburary, during the lead up to the Super Bowl, Hamlin also met with the emergency responders from Cincinnati. The month before, an athletic trainer shocked his heart after he collapsed at Paycor Field. His heart stopped again when he was on the way to the hospital. Hamlin spent parts of four days on life support, then he was able to move to a hospital in Buffalo. But his stay in two hospitals was only about a week.

In mid-April, when Hamlin announced his comeback, he also revealed his diagnosis. He confirmed his on-field collapse was caused by commotio cordis. When Bengals receiver Tee Higgins lowered his head into Hamlin’s chest on the play, the blow caused Hamlin’s heart to stop as it was in mid-beat.

Damar Hamlin even wanted to make sure that Higgins didn’t feel guilty about what happened. The two vacationed together earlier this month.