NFL player Damar Hamlin launches CPR challenge after the procedure saved his life

Learning first-aid should be an essential skill for everyone. It can save lives in the most extreme of situations. Among many first-aid techniques, CPR is considered one of the most crucial ones. Following his cardiac arrest during an NFL game on January 2, Damar Hamlin is urging people to learn CPR in a new collaboration with the American Heart Association, as per BuzzFeed News. 

The Buffalo Bills safety thanks everyone for their support following his breakdown in an Instagram video broadcast Tuesday and invites people to participate in his "Three for Heart" CPR Challenge. Hamlin says in the Instagram video, "As you know, CPR saved my life earlier this year on the field and CPR could easily save your life or someone you love." To accomplish the challenge, he requests that visitors visit heart.org/3 and view a brief video on hands-only CPR. The second step is to donate to the American Heart Association to help support CPR education. Step three is to challenge three other people to do the same. 

LeBron James, Tom Brady and Michelle Obama were all challenged by Hamlin. None of them had replied to Hamlin's challenge as of Tuesday night. Call 911, then place your hands on the person's chest and "push hard and fast until help arrives," according to the one-minute instructional CPR video. The video also states that compressions should never be stopped for longer than 10 seconds. 

Hamlin was struck and subsequently fell during a game between the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals on January 2. CPR and treatment with an automated external defibrillator, or AED, were administered to him for ten minutes while fans and teammates looked on in misery. Hamlin may have suffered from "commotio cordis," an uncommon condition caused by a forceful hit to the chest at precisely the correct time to interrupt the electrical activity of the heart. Immediate treatment with CPR and an AED is required; one research discovered that every minute spent waiting to be shocked by an AED leads to a 10% decrease in survival chances.

Hamlin was brought to a hospital in severe condition after being resuscitated. Three days later, physicians indicated his brain function was normal and that he might have his breathing tube removed the next day. Six days after his team's defeat, Hamlin cheered them on from his hospital bed. He was released from the hospital on January 11. Following Hamlin's cardiac arrest, fans came together, first agreeing that the game couldn't go on and then giving more than $7 million to Hamlin's charity in the days that followed. 

According to CNN, if you encounter someone who appears to be in cardiac arrest, dial 911 immediately. You want to receive competent assistance as soon as possible. When the heart fails to deliver blood to the brain and lungs, the person may suffer brain damage or die within minutes. Look for an automatic external defibrillator, or AED, if you're in a public location. Just learning these few safety methods can help save a life in danger.