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How Your Local School Can Get a Free AED From Damar Hamlin’s Foundation
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- How Your Local School Can Get a Free AED From Damar Hamlin’s Foundation
When Sto-Rox High School received a new automated external defibrillator in October 2026, the device carried a personal meaning for Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin. The school is in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, where he grew up.
The donation came through Hamlin's Chasing M's Foundation and the NFL. It also marked a milestone: the foundation had distributed more than $1 million worth of AEDs to schools and youth sports organizations.
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Hamlin's work began after a frightening moment on Jan. 2, 2023. During a Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, he made a tackle and collapsed moments later . He had suffered cardiac arrest, and medical personnel performed CPR and used an AED to restore his heartbeat.
The incident stunned teammates, fans and viewers. Hamlin spent days in the hospital before beginning his recovery. He later returned to the field, but the experience also gave him a new purpose beyond football.
His foundation had been established years earlier, while he was still in college, to support community programs. After his collapse, a wave of donations helped turn Chasing M's into a broader effort focused on youth safety, CPR education and access to defibrillators .
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Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin (3) Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
The foundation's work includes distributing AEDs to schools and youth sports groups, along with promoting CPR training. Hamlin has also supported efforts to strengthen cardiac emergency preparedness and encourage schools to make lifesaving equipment available.
The Sto-Rox donation offered a full-circle moment. The school was among 30 Pennsylvania schools that received AEDs through the initiative, helping push the foundation past the $1 million mark.
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For Hamlin, the goal is to make sure a sudden cardiac emergency does not end another young person's life. His recovery gave him a second chance. Through Chasing M's, he is working to help others get one, too, at school, practice or a game.
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This story was originally published by Athlon on Nov 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
