Damar Hamlin: NFL star hopes to play again after on-field collapse

Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin said he is thankful for a 'second chance' at life after his on-field cardiac arrest.

Six weeks after an on-field collapse that stunned the US, NFL star Damar Hamlin says he hopes to return to football "eventually".

Mr Hamlin, 24, suffered cardiac arrest while playing for the Buffalo Bills on 2 January and had to be given CPR.

In a new interview, Mr Hamlin said that he is still processing the trauma of the close brush with death.

"Every morning, every night, I take 10 deep breaths to myself and it puts everything in perspective," he said.

After collapsing during a Bills game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Mr Hamlin was rushed to a hospital and spent three days on a ventilator in an intensive-care unit. He was discharged nine days later.

In an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America", Mr Hamlin said that he was thankful for being given a "second chance" after the incident.

While he declined to discuss details of the incident or doctors' medical assessment of why it happened, Mr Hamlin said he was physically "doing great".

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Mentally, however, Mr Hamlin said that he was "working through things", adding that he has found it difficult to watch video replays of his collapse.

"I'm still working through things," he said. "I'm still trying to process all the emotions and the trauma that comes from...dealing with a situation like that."

Mr Hamlin credited his survival to Denny Kellington, the assistant athletic trainer on the Bills who rushed to his aid and gave him CPR.

"I owe Denny my life," he added. "That night, he was literally the saviour of my life."

In the hospital, Mr Hamlin recalled waking up and asking his first question - "did we win?" - in writing to parents and friends who'd gathered around his bedside.

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"Yes, you won the game of life," a doctor replied.

"I'm competitive, playing with my full heart and everything I've got in me," he added. "That competitive nature in me was just still just thinking about the game."

Mr Hamlin said that he hopes to one day return to the playing field, although he said that it's unclear when - or if - that might happen.

"'As a competitor, I'm trying to do things just to keep advancing my situation," he said. "But allowing that in God's hands. I'm just thankful he's giving me a second chance."