Tom Brady makes huge donation to Damar Hamlin's fundraiser as $7m raised

03 January 2023 , 22:53

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Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest against the Cincinnati Bengals (Image: Getty Images)

Tom Brady donated $10,000 to the fundraiser set up by Buffalo Bills star Damar Hamlin, with the total raised now at a staggering $7million. Hamlin set up the the fundraiser in December to raise money to buy Christmas gifts for underprivileged children.

The NFL star set the target of $2,500, with the aim of buying toys for children in Hamlin's community. However, in the aftermath of his medical incident during Monday night's game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the fundraiser on GoFundMe has gone viral and taken off beyond his wildest imagination.

Hamlin was hospitalised on Monday night after suffering a cardiac arrest in the first quarter against the Bengals. The Bills safety made a routine stop on Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, but took a strong blow to the chest from Higgins' helmet in the process.

After getting up, he immediately fell to the ground again as his heart went into cardiac arrest. Paramedics rushed onto the field and gave him CPR while using a defibrillator to restart his heart.

Hamlin was taken to hospital, where he remains in critical condition in intensive care. The Bills released a statement on Tuesday evening confirming there was no update on his status.

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The NFL world was sent into a state of shock by Hamlin's medical emergency, with teams throughout the league changing their Twitter pictures to reflect Hamlin's name and jersey number.

Tom Brady donated $10,000 to the fundraiser set up by Damar Hamlin (Rick Scuteri/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

Hamlin's family issued a statement of their own to thank fans for their prayers, while expressing gratitude to the emergency services for their work in treating the 24-year-old.

The statement read: "On behalf of our family, we want to express our sincere gratitude for the love and support shown to Damar during this challenging time. We are deeply moved by the prayers, kind words and donations from fans around the country.

"We also want to acknowledge the dedicated first responders and healthcare professionals at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center who have provided exceptional care to Damar.

"We feel so blessed to be part of the Buffalo Bills organization and to have their support. We also want to thank Coach Taylor and the Bengals for everything they've done.

"Your generosity and compassion mean the world to us. Please keep Damar in your prayers. We will release updates as soon as we have them."

Daniel Blackham