Washington, Mar 30 (EFE).- The president of the United States, Joe Biden, received this Thursday at the White House the American football player Damar Hamlin, who in January suffered a cardiac arrest during a game, and thanked him for has been advocating for defibrillators in schools.
At the meeting, the president thanked Hamlin for his “courage, resilience, and positive spirit” that has served as an “inspiration” to the American people, the White House said in a statement.
In addition, Biden thanked him for his efforts to support a bill that would allow schools across the country to buy defibrillators and fund first aid courses aimed, among other things, at helping students and teachers respond to cardiac arrests like the one Hamlin suffered.
Hamlin, 25, who plays for the Buffalo Bills, went into cardiac arrest after “tackle” (knocking down) a Cincinnati Bengals player on January 2. The player was able to survive because he received cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the field of play.
On January 11, Hamlin was released to continue his recovery at home and on March 26, Sean McDermott, coach of the Buffalo Bills, expressed his wish that he return to play.
Hamlin gave a press conference yesterday, Wednesday, in the US Congress. to promote the legislative project that would allow defibrillators in schools.
Each year, more than 7,000 children under the age of 18 suffer cardiac arrest in the United States, most of them athletes, Hamlin explained yesterday, who believes that if schools had defibrillators as part of their medical equipment, many more children could survive.
