Damar Hamlin, Matthew Mangine, Jr. Foundation advocate to fund lifesaving equipment
CINCINNATI (WKRC) - Two stories of triumph and tragedy rooted in the Tri- State are now front and center on Capitol Hill.
Damar Hamlin and the father of Matthew Mangine, Jr. were in Washington on Wednesday advocating for the Access to AED’s Act.
The bill would provide schools across the country funding for the lifesaving equipment and the training to respond to sudden cardiac arrests, which is the leading cause of death in young athletes.
“There’s a lot of ways that young people can die and there are very few ways that we can get engaged to prevent those deaths, and this is one of those ways that we can get engaged and we can save lives,” said Rep. Bill Posey, a Republican congressman co-sponsoring the bill.
The bill would give them access to an automated external defibrillator.
The same device helped save Damar Hamlin’s life after he went into cardiac arrest during a Monday night game at Paycor Stadium in January.
The bill is not just about having an AED, but knowing how to use it.
When Matthew Mangine, Jr. collapsed during soccer practice at St. Henry District High School in 2020, there were several AED’s on campus, but the people around didn't know where to find them or how to use them.
More than two months after doctors released Hamlin from the hospital, he was in Washington D.C. advocating for young athletes across the country to get the same chance he did.
“Thankfully, the medical team with the Buffalo Bills was prepared and they saved my life. Today we are so humbled and inspired by an opportunity I feel God has given me to protect young people based on what I experienced,” said Hamlin. “The access to AEDs act will help ensure that schools are just as prepared and trained to respond in a time of crisis as those on the sideline of an NFL game.”
The bipartisan legislation introduced in the house on Wednesday would authorize a grant program to support CPR and AED training in elementary, middle and high schools, purchase AED’s for schools, and establish cardiac emergency response plans.
Mangine, Jr.’s death helped move Rep. Sheila Cherfilus McCormick to take action.
“Our son Matthew collapsed on June 16th of 2020 from sudden cardiac arrest in Northern Kentucky, just six miles from the stadium in Cincinnati where Damar collapsed,” said Mangine, Sr., President of the Matthew Mangine, Jr. Foundation. “By the time the ambulance arrived, it was too late. We lost our beautiful first-born son.”
Mangine, Sr. shared how this legislation will help keep Matthew’s legacy alive, preventing other families from enduring the same pain.
“What we saw on Monday night football was muscle memory. We saw everybody jump into action and we saw everybody do what they needed to do to save a life. That’s what we need to teach our coaches and that’s what we need to teach our young people," Mangine, Sr. said.
According to the American Heart Association, 1 in 300 kids have an undetected heart condition that puts them at risk.
If an AED is used within 3 minutes of a collapse, the chance of survival is 90%.
The American Heart Association has endorsed the bill and "urges swift congressional action to save live in communities nationwide.”
