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CNN
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Buffalo Bills safety Dumar Hamlin on Wednesday thought about where CPR and an automated external defibrillator (AED) might be nearby when he played soccer as a kid. said it never happened.
At an event on Capitol Hill, the NFL player shared what he learned after suffering cardiac arrest and collapsing on the field during a game in January.
“In our country, more than 7,000 children under the age of 18 suffer sudden cardiac arrest each year – 7,000 children each year. “One in 300 young people has an undetected heart disease that puts them at risk. Children are seven times more likely to survive sudden cardiac arrest in schools with AEDs,” Hamlin said. said.
Hamlin joins Rep. Sheila Cherphils McCormick, Democratic Florida Rep. Bill Posey and Republicans in highlighting the Access to AEDs Act, a bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives this week. I was. Cherfilus-McCormick said he plans to establish a grant program to fund schools to purchase and maintain AEDs, enhance CPR training, and develop cardiac emergency plans.
“Access to AED law will help ensure that schools are prepared and trained to respond in a crisis like a bystander at an NFL game,” said Hamlin.
Also present at the event was Matthew Manzin Sr., who lost his 16-year-old son Matthew Jr. in 2020.
The teenager, a soccer player at St. Henry District High School in Erlanger, Kentucky, collapsed from sudden cardiac arrest on the soccer field during practice.
“There were five AEDs on campus, but due to the lack of proper training, no one was able to obtain an AED and apply it to Matthew. We weren’t given a plan of action and weren’t told where the nearest AED was (250 feet away), so it was too late.We lost our beautiful first son,” said Manjeen.
Posey says people often find out about their heart condition too late, and this is one way they can help make a difference.
“There are many ways young people die, but few that we can actually be involved in preventing that death,” he said.
Hamlin didn’t discuss his future in football on Wednesday, but previously told ‘Good Morning America’ that he was ‘great’ physically but ‘still working on things’ emotionally. .
The cause of his cardiac arrest has not been determined, but Dr. Thom Mayer, medical director of the NFL Players Association, said last month that Hamlin would “play professional football again.”
Hamlin has also partnered with the American Heart Association on a campaign to raise awareness and education about CPR.
In a statement about the bill, the association’s CEO, Nancy Brown, said it would “provide CPR training to community members, make AEDs available in schools, and encourage the development of emergency plans.” Schools can be prepared to respond to sudden cardiac arrest and save lives.
On Monday, the NFL announced the Smart Heart Sports Coalition. This is an effort in collaboration with other professional sports leagues, the American Heart Association, and the American Red Cross to promote emergency action plans, accessible AEDs, and his CPR and AED training for high school coaches. .
In a video of Wednesday’s event, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league was proud to support the AED Access Act.
He said Hamlin’s recovery was an “inspiration” and that legislation and the Union “will no doubt save the lives of countless young athletes in the future.”
“We look forward to enacting this bill as soon as possible,” he added.
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