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DALLAS, OCTOBER 6, 2023 – On average worldwide, fewer than one in every ten cardiac arrest victims outside of the hospital survive.[1] Too many people do not survive from cardiac arrest because those around them are not educated on the lifesaving skills of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Knowing CPR can be a lifesaving tactic. On October 7, 2023, the Chasing M's Foundation - professional football player Damar Hamlin's charity - the American Heart Association, the British Heart Foundation and the National Football League (NFL) are teaming up to bring Hands-Only CPR education to fans in London and the United Kingdom.
This joint educational effort is being showcased ahead of the Buffalo Bills vs the Jacksonville Jaguars game taking place Sunday at 8:30 a.m. CT in London at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
"With incredible support from his parents, Mario and Nina, Damar Hamlin has turned his own unexpected life event into a mission to help save lives. His Chasing M's Foundation, along with the American Heart Association and the British Heart Foundation, will share the critical importance of CPR education with fans in London during this week's Buffalo Bills-Jacksonville Jaguars game," said, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. "This will no doubt help to save future lives and continue the important work of Damar and his family."
CPR education training was delivered to fans during the NFL Experience London at Battersea Power Station on Saturday, October 7, in collaboration with Chasing M's Foundation, the American Heart Association and the British Heart Foundation. The Chasing M's Foundation also distributed and provided training for no-cost automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to youth organizations in the UK in partnership with Zoll Medical Corporation.
"Today, we made a first stop in taking my CPR tour international, and it's an honor for me to join with the NFL, American Heart Association and British Heart Foundation to help save lives," said Hamlin, who kicked off his Chasing M's CPR Tour this summer and plans to expand it globally in 2024. "After experiencing cardiac arrest in January, my family and I were humbled by the generosity and prayers from people here in the U.K. and around the world who wished me well. We are thrilled by the opportunity to give back and lift up others. Given my journey, my message today is simple: no one expects cardiac arrest to happen. By learning CPR, you can be ready to help save a life, should someone need you."
"Earlier this year, the world witnessed Damar Hamlin's traumatic cardiac arrest on live television during Monday Night Football, but what they also saw were those very first links in the chain of survival working – early recognition, calling first responders, beginning high quality CPR, and having access to and using an AED," said Nancy Brown, American Heart Association Chief Executive Officer. "No matter where you live, the chain of survival is critical. Thanks to the international reach of the NFL, the inspiration of Damar, the science of the American Heart Association and our allyship with our colleagues at the British Heart Foundation, we have an unprecedented opportunity to save lives. This is our moment."
The American Heart Association recently launched its own Nation of Lifesavers™ initiative featuring Damar Hamlin as its National Ambassador. The new multi-year initiative has been created to help ensure teens and adults can learn CPR, as well as the use of AEDs, share that knowledge with friends and family and engage employers, policymakers, philanthropists and others to create community resources and support. The long-term goal: to ensure that in the face of a cardiac emergency, everyone, everywhere is prepared and empowered to perform CPR and become a vital link in the chain of survival. In a newly released public service announcement, Damar Hamlin speaks to the simple mission of the Nation of Lifesavers - to educate and prepare teens and adults to be confident to save a life in a cardiac emergency.
In 2022, the British Heart Foundation launched RevivR, an innovative 15-minute free digital training tool that teaches you how to recognize a cardiac arrest, gives feedback on chest compressions and outlines the correct steps of using a defibrillator, giving anyone the confidence to save a life in the ultimate medical emergency. 250,000 people have used RevivR to learn CPR since its launch.
Dr. Charmaine Griffiths, Chief Executive of the British Heart Foundation, said, "It is always a pleasure to team up with the American Heart Association to raise awareness of the lifesaving power of CPR at such a brilliant sporting event. CPR is a universal language and can be the difference between life and death in the ultimate medical emergency. Damar Hamlin's recovery and return to the NFL has been inspirational to people around the world, and is a powerful reminder to each of us to learn CPR."
