CNN
—
An online toy drive fundraiser started by Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin topped $3 million in donations within hours of the NFL star collapsing on the field during of a Monday night game.
The 24-year-old is in critical condition after suffering cardiac arrest following a tackle in the first quarter of a game against the Cincinnati Bengals. CPR was administered on the field before being driven from the stadium in an ambulance to a hospital in Cincinnati.
As fans waited for news of Hamlin’s condition, donations poured in for a GoFundMe fundraiser he started in 2020 to raise money to buy toys for children, writing at the time: ” As I embark on my journey to the NFL, I will never forget where I came from and I am committed to using my platform to positively impact the community that raised me. I created The Chasing M’s Foundation as a vehicle for me to have that impact.
Fundraising topped $74,000 just an hour after Hamlin’s collapse and quickly rose to $2,033,270 just before 1 a.m. ET on Tuesday, then soared to over $3 million an hour and twenty minutes later. later with more than 119,000 donations.
“Following his injury on the pitch tonight, fans across the country are showing their support for him and his family by donating to his fundraiser,” GoFundMe tweeted Monday evening.
Bills fans – nicknamed the Bills Mafia – are known to have charitable hearts. In 2021, they celebrated their win over the Baltimore Ravens by donating money to Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson’s favorite charity, which the team lost in the third quarter due to a protocol. concussion.
And during the 2020 season, Bills fans donated more than $1 million to a children’s hospital after Bills quarterback Josh Allen’s grandmother died, the team says. .
The charitable spirit of Bills fans seems to mirror Hamlin’s. CNN affiliate WKBW caught up with the NFL player last month at his toy drive in Buffalo, where he signed autographs for the kids.
“Something I’ve always wanted to give back, something I’ve been doing back home in Pittsburgh for three years, I’ve been toy collecting, so just being able to expand it to Buffalo now is just something that I love. do,” Hamlin told the station during the Dec. 19 event.
Support for Hamlin was flooded Monday night by fans and players in the sports community. The NFL Players Association tweeted that the organization and “everyone in our community is praying for Damar Hamlin.”
In an overnight update, the Bills said “Hamlin’s heart rate was restored on the field and he was transferred to UC Medical Center for further testing and treatment. He is currently sedated and listed in critical condition.
The NFL and the NFL Players Association have agreed to postpone the game, an NFL statement said.
Former NFL player reacts to Damar Hamlin meltdown
