The Kent Phoenix were pleased to attend an event in Shoreditch, London this weekend to meet Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills and receive his kind donation of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) for the Phoenix to have at our club.

In a game between Buffalo and the Cincinnati Bengals back in January this year, Damar suffered a cardiac arrest following a freak on-field collision. With professional medical staff on hand, his heartbeat was restored on the field and he has gone on to make a remarkable recovery and is once again playing in the NFL for Buffalo.

Since experiencing cardiac arrest on January 2, 2023, Hamlin now feels its his life mission to increase awareness of the need for CPR training and AED access. He wants to ensure that children and young people have access to the same facilities that saved his life and launched his charity’s Chasing M’s CPR Tour to offer free AEDs to youth American Football clubs, both in the United States and now also here in the UK.

An AED, or automated external defibrillator, is used to help those experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. It’s a sophisticated, yet easy-to-use, medical device that can analyze the heart’s rhythm and, if necessary, deliver an electrical shock, or defibrillation, to help the heart re-establish an effective rhythm. The AED donated by Damar is fully automatic and checks whether a cardiac arrest is taking place and then automatically delivers a shock if required.

At the event in London, the Phoenix were represented by under 19 player Nathanael Green and his dad, David, who is part of the Phoenix’s Operations Group. They were given instruction in CPR and how to use the AED so that they can spread the knowledge to the rest of the Phoenix family. Then, in a special ceremony and alongside representatives from several other British American Football clubs, Nathanael was presented with the Phoenix’s new AED.

Chairman Ian Miles said:

“Of course we hope that this is a machine that we never have to use. But we’re very grateful to Damar Hamlin and the Chasing M’s Foundation for their generous gift. It’s great to know that we have this extra facility to help keep everyone safe at the Phoenix.”

6 October 2023