With news that Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin is mounting an amazing recovery, already alert and talking only days after suffering a cardiac arrest on the field, many are hailing the power of prayer in helping facilitate Hamlin’s comeback.
Nearly the entire nation said a silent prayer for Hamlin when he collapsed during a Jan. 2 broadcast of Monday Night Football. And since then, social media has been filled with people wishing the player well.
The outpouring of love and hope prompted ESPN’s Ryan Clark to insist that Hamlin’s quick recovery is evidence of the power of faith. “That’s the power of God. That’s the power of prayer,” he said on Friday.
Former NFL player Dan Orlovsky also jumped to social media to extol the efficacy of prayer.
Bill Coach Sean McDermott also told the media that Hamlin was well enough to engage in Facetime messaging with teammates and friends on Friday.
In the video chat, “He flexed, made the heart symbol, and gave them the thumbs up. It was hard to hear, but he said ‘I love you boys’ to the team,” McDermott said. McDermott also added that the players got choked up during the chat session.
Hamlin is certainly not back to normal and has a ways to go in his recovery. Still, now that there is good news about the player’s condition, the NFL has announced that it intends to engage in some special tributes to the stricken player during this weekend’s Week 18 games.
The league is sponsoring a special patch with Hamlin’s no. 3 jersey number on it for all 32 teams to wear this weekend and into early next week, and several other things are also in the works.
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