Damar Hamlin is taking his CPR tour to a new continent.
The Buffalo Bills safety and the American Heart Association are spending part of this week in Japan. Hamlin arrived in Tokyo earlier this week, and he will have events throughout to spread CPR education and awareness.
Hamlin’s first international foray of the tour came in England when the Bills played in London in 2023. Hamlin met with a number of American football teams to provide automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) along with hosting a CPR clinic. Now, he takes the tour to its next international location.
“Our national Nation of Lifesavers ambassador Damar Hamlin is a testament to resilience and perseverance, using his global platform to make sure everyone, everywhere knows how to respond in a cardiac emergency,” Nancy Brown, CEO of the AHA, said in a statement.
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“We are proud to be working with him here in Japan as well as across the U.S. to turn bystanders into lifesavers through CPR education and AED access to improve survival rates from a sudden cardiac arrest,” she said.
The American Heart Association, the Buffalo Bills and Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield hold CPR teaching event (copy)
Bills safety Damar Hamlin hands out defibrillators during an American Heart Association CPR event in 2023 at Highmark Stadium. Hamlin’s life was saved by the quick action and rigorous training of the Bills’ staff. Libby March, Buffalo News
Since Hamlin’s cardiac arrest in 2023, he has made it his mission to help prevent as many cardiac-related deaths as possible.
On Thursday, Hamlin was set to meet with students and teachers at the American School in Japan. There, he would share his story and link that to the importance of CPR. Then, per the AHA, approximately 1,500 students would take part in Hands-Only CPR training.
The AHA also planned to train another 80 students in CPR at Teiko University in Tokyo on Thursday.
Hamlin, who turned 27 on Monday, posted a video to X from the American School in Japan on Thursday of the students singing “Happy Birthday” to him in Japanese.
The festivities will continue from there. On Sunday, Hamlin will be a featured speaker at the Opening Ceremony of the Japan Flag Football Championship. The game is being held at Fujitsu Stadium Kawasaki in Kanagawa.
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At the stadium, Hamlin and the AHA are preparing to train approximately 250 participants in CPR.
“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Damar Hamlin for coming to the Japan Flag Football Championship and hosting the CPR event,” Masahiro Terada, President of the Japan American Football Association, said in a statement.
“We hope that the children and adults who play American football and flag football in Japan will not only learn CPR but also become more aware of the importance of staying healthy and how to be prepared in the event of a sudden incident,” he said.
CPR is one part of the equation. Hamlin also is donating AEDs through his Chasing M’s Foundation to the American School in Japan, along with AED training equipment to the Kawasaki City Board of Education.
In addition to London and Tokyo, Hamlin’s tour stops have included Buffalo, his hometown of Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, where his cardiac arrest took place. Hamlin looks to expand the tour year after year.
“Since experiencing cardiac arrest in 2023, my foundation has toured the United States to raise awareness and teach people about the importance of knowing CPR and having AEDs available,” Hamlin said in a statement. “I’m honored to have the opportunity to connect with youth in Japan and grateful to my partners – the American Heart Association, Japan Flag Football Association, Japan American Football Association and ZOLL Medical.
“Together, we are teaching youth that learning CPR is a superpower that allows each of us to be prepared to help save a life. As my experience has shown us, you never know when you could have the chance to save a life.”
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