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www.newpittsburghcourier.com Vol. 114 No. 2 Two Sections
JANUARY 11-17, 2023
‘PRAYER WORKS’ Damar Hamlin miraculously walks out of the hospital, and is back in Buffalo
MCKEES ROCKS’ OWN DAMAR HAMLIN tweeted this photo on Sunday, Jan. 8. It’s him giving the heart sign, with his parents by his side at a Cincinnati hospital.
Hundreds celebrate Hamlin’s recovery at Sto-Rox football field by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
When Dr. Sylvia Owusu-Ansah, EMS director for UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, began organizing a prayer vigil for Damar Hamlin last Tuesday, Jan. 3, it was just hours after Hamlin’s cardiac arrest that he
suffered on national television, during the “Monday Night Football” game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals. CPR was performed, and a defibrillator was used to get Hamlin’s heart beating again on the field, but as he was whisked away in an ambulance, no one was sure what the out-
come would be. The entire world was praying for Hamlin. But before the prayer vigil began on the Sto-Rox High School football field on Monday, Jan. 9, the hundreds in attendance received word that Hamlin, the heart and soul of McKees Rocks, walked out of the Cincinnati hospital, hopped on a plane and flew back to Buffalo. “Prayer works,” ex-
claimed Brian Cook Sr., director of communications and marketing at Central Catholic High School, at the now-prayer celebration on the Sto-Rox field. Hamlin was a student and football player at Central, graduating in 2016. “We at Central Catholic are overjoyed to learn that the health of Damar Hamlin is improving...and he has walked out of the hospital,” Cook said to a
rousing applause from the hundreds in attendance on a cold afternoon. “Now that’s exactly what we were praying for, that’s exactly what you were praying for and that’s exactly what the world was praying for. Prayer works.” Many in the audience knew Hamlin personally, or his family. They watched him play football as a youth in the “Rocks.” They are familiar with his
DORIAN GLENN, an uncle of Damar Hamlin.
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SUPPORTERS OF DAMAR HAMLIN (PHOTOS BY J.L. MARTELLO)
mother’s (Nina) daycare center, Kelly and Nina’s, also in the Rocks. They were past the point of devastation when they saw or learned of Hamlin’s episode on Monday, Jan. 2. But they got on their knees and prayed. “It’s just hard to believe what happened to him,” said Toya Bailey, who is good friends with the Hamlin family. “But I’m thankful to God that he’s back. It brought the world together, literally.” Bri Starr, who identified herself to the New Pittsburgh Courier as Hamlin’s godmother and cousin, called Hamlin “a star both on and off the field,” and McKees Rocks’ “hometown hero.” Adrienne Roberts, of McKees Rocks, said that Hamlin’s recovery “shows that anything is possible. If we can come together for something like this, we can come together for the day-to-day stuff.” The crowd displayed physical signs in support of Hamlin and his now-famous “3,” his jersey number. Many in the crowd wore shirts with “3” on them. Pretty much the entire National Football League wore “Love For Damar 3” shirts this past weekend before and during the games. SEE HAMLIN A7