Orchard Park, N.Y. (WBEN) - The Buffalo Bills, members of "Bills Mafia" and the rest of the football world received some very positive news regarding the health of safety Damar Hamlin on Thursday.
In a statement released by the Bills, the team said Hamlin was showing "remarkable improvement" while still in the intensive care unit of the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. While still considered critically ill with the assistance of a ventilator to breathe, Hamlin has demonstrated that he appears to be neurologically intact, and that he continues to make steady progress in his recovery.
Hamlin is awake and has been able to communicate with his family and the medical staff on-hand at the UC Medical Center with a paper and pen.
News of the positive update regarding Hamlin spread pretty quickly amongst the community, with Bills fans able to breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the early prognosis since awakening is good.
"Very, very happy about that," said Bills fan Steve Johnstone visiting from Bowmanville, Ontario with his family. "I know he's a young guy, and that's very tragic to see him have a situation where his health was in jeopardy. It's nice to see that he's improved."
"I was absolutely thrilled to hear that he had awakened out of a medically induced coma," added Bills fan Dave Napora from Hamburg. "In many cases, people in that situation take weeks, and even months, to recover from a medically induced coma. Him coming out in three days speaks, I think, in great detail to his physical attributes, and the fact that he's in such great shape. We just wish him well and wish his family well, and hope that he has a very, very quick return."
When confronted with all that transpired on Monday, fans like Jim Willis from Hamburg are reminded of another incident involving a medical scare with a former Bills player back in 2007.
"It kind of reminded me of what happened with Kevin Everett and things like that," said Willis on Thursday. "You just hope that everything's gonna be OK, at that point, and pray for the best."
As the football community and the rest of the sports world awaited word of Hamlin's condition at the hospital, it certainly left plenty of people thinking about the future and just what may lie ahead if there were no improvements going forward.
However, this news of improvement with Hamlin's condition may certainly be what Bills players and other athletes needed to hear to lift that weight off their shoulders.
"I think the players have got to be very, very happy," Napora said. "Just looking at the look on their faces the other night, you could tell that this was something that isn't normal. They've got to be very heartened by it, and I think it's wonderful that he has come out. I think it should give the Bills a great inspiration going forward."
As for the fans, the positive update regarding Hamlin's health condition may also be enough to allow for the focus to return back to football, while keeping Hamlin in their thoughts as he continues his recovery.
"Obviously, no one wants to say that football should continue on with everything that's happened, but with the good news coming out, and hopefully the news just keeps getting better, I'm hoping that the players can kind of rally behind that and maybe use it as some ammunition to move forward," Willis said.
"It's getting close to the playoffs, so I'm really excited to see them finish out the season here, beat New England [Patriots] on Sunday, and hopefully get a bye week for the playoffs," Johnstone added.
With the positive health update regarding Hamlin, it may also provide for a boost of energy for Sunday's Bills game against Patriots that could certainly be an advantage for the home team and the crowd at Highmark Stadium.
"It's always very loud here, and I'm sure it's gonna be extra loud and exciting, especially playing the Patriots," Johnstone said. "The fact that Damar's health has vastly improved is all great news, and with the playoffs coming, I'm sure Buffalo is going to be revved up louder than normal."
"I've had season tickets for 27 years, I will be here Sunday. Hopefully the news just keeps getting better. I think it's a positive sign that, obviously, we're getting positive news," Willis added.
As for Napora, he's gearing up to spend the weekend in Florida, spending time away with family. While he may not be spending Week 18 in Western New York, he feels that the energy will be much different for the game, even if he's taking it in from the Sunshine State.
"I have a Bills Backers Bar right down the street of Casa Di Pizza in Bradenton that I'll probably go to with my son and his girlfriend, but it's not going to feel the same," Napora said. "Having seen that situation on Monday night, it was horrifying. I think that while the game may be important, I think the more important thing is Damar Hamlin's eventual health. Whether he returns to football is another thing, but we just want to see that young man get well, and his family prosper also in a new year."
