Damar Hamlin, the 24-year-old safety with the Buffalo Bills, is not your usual victim of a heart attack.
Yet Hamlin on Monday night collapsed roughly nine minutes into the first quarter of a nationally televised football game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Medical personnel on the turf at Paycor Stadium restarted his quivering heart, and he was admitted to University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he remained in critical condition Tuesday.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, killing nearly 70,000 each year. An athlete who plays at the top of a sport that requires strength, superb conditioning and a high tolerance for physical punishment is not the typical victim.
