Photo: Getty Images
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin has over $8.6 million on his hands after donations for his toy drive fundraiser rolled in as suffered a cardiac arrest in the middle of a game last week.
According to the Associated Press, Hamlin, 24, will use the millions raised on GoFundMe to empower the youth through education and sports. The Bills safety has joined forces with the Giving Back Fund, a nonprofit that helps athletes and a-listers manage their charitable giving, to host the “The Chasing M’s Foundation” Charitable Fund, per AP. Chasing M's is Hamlin's apparel company.
The 24-year-old is also set to direct proceeds from the sale of new T-shirts that read "Did We Win?" to the trauma center in Cincinnati that treated him after his mid-game collapse.
Jordon Rooney, a marketing representative for Hamlin, said the safety and his family “are humbled by the tremendous support that has been shown as he recovers."
"They are incredibly grateful for the continued prayers and outpouring of concern that has been exhibited by people all over the world,” Rooney wrote in an email to AP.
Hamlin’s injury and recovery prompted an outpouring of support across the nation, including from quarterbacks Tom Brady and Russell Wilson, who made donations to his GoFundMe account. The largest public donation as of Tuesday came from New York-based ADCO Electrical Corp. Owner Gina Addeo at $33,333, a repetition of Hamlin's jersey number.
Hamlin has kept his supporters updated on his recovery, tweeting Tuesday (January 10) that he was transferred to a hospital in Buffalo where he is still being monitored.
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