Damar Hamlin ‘trending upwards’ in Cincinnati, uncle says

The latest: Damar Hamlin shows signs of improvement as he remains in ICU, Bills announced Wednesday.

CINCINNATI (WXIX/CNN) - Damar Hamlin remains sedated on a ventilator at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Doctors have flipped him on his stomach to help take the pressure off his lungs, Dorrian Glen, Hamlin’s uncle, told CNN Tuesday night.

The 24-year-old Bills safety is listed in critical condition after his on-field collapse at Paycor Stadium, an event that seemed to traumatize and galvanize fans of every stripe.

The local response has been prolific. Yet at the center of all the grief and good gestures lies Hamlin’s uncertain prognosis.

“He’s still here,” Glen offered of his nephew. “He’s healing right now. Like I said, they sedated him just to try to give him a better chance to continue to heal better. Just taking it day by day, and it seems like he’s trending upwards in a positive way, and thank God for that.”

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Glen said Hamlin’s cardiac arrest was a complete surprise. He said Hamlin didn’t have any preexisting heart issues he knew of and that his nephew was “healthy as an ox.”

He also disclosed that Hamlin actually died and was resuscitated twice, first on the field and again at the hospital.

“I just want to express my gratitude to the medical staff that was on hand,” Glen said. “If not for them, my nephew probably wouldn’t be here, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. We thank them.”

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Hamlin’s mother and father have been at his side the entire time. Glen said they’re heartbroken. “This is just devastating,” he said.

It’s been a difficult day, too, for those who arrived Monday night for a football game and came out with that special wound only public trauma leaves.

It happened before our very eyes—Hamlin dying on the field as we watched on. It happened before the eyes of thousands and millions who felt perhaps they had no choice but to watch... and to keep watching.

The game stopped; the horror unfolded. The audience remained.

In the 24 hours since, the outpouring of support has been somewhat in kind—public—but rather focused on healing.

An impromptu prayer circle formed outside UC Medical Center not long after Hamlin arrived by ambulance. A church service was held for him less than a mile away from his hospital bed on Tuesday at noon.

Buildings are lit blue across Downtown Cincinnati: Fountain Square, the Fifth Third Bank building, Great American Ball Park, the Duke Energy Convention Center, Procter and Gamble, Great American Tower, Paycor Stadium and more.

Hamlin’s toy drive fundraiser has brought in more than $6 million in donations in a matter of hours.

Glen thanked the people of Cincinnati for their support.

“Everyone’s been so nice out here,” he said. “Everyone I’ve gone up to has asked, ‘Do you need anything?’ Giving me prayers and wishes, and it really means a lot to our family dealing with this, because no one expected this to happen, but knowing you’ve got that circle of support to help you get through it, it helps a lot.”

Glen also encouraged those praying for Hamlin to continue.

“Because, I really believe those are making a difference for him to have the full recovery we’re all hoping and praying for and expecting,” he said.

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