'Damar Hamlin Day' in Pittsburgh celebrated with CPR awareness event at PNC Park

Damar Hamlin has been recognized and honored a number of ways for the way he responded after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest during a Jan. 2 game in Cincinnati.

On Sunday, he received an honor that hit close to home.

Mayor Ed Gainey declared Sunday “Damar Hamlin Day” in the city of Pittsburgh.

“This one meant a lot to me,” Hamlin wrote on Twitter. “Thank you Pittsburgh.”

The city proclamation cited Hamlin, who grew up in McKee’s Rox and attended Central Catholic and Pitt before becoming a starting safety for the Buffalo Bills, as an inspiration to kids for his athletic career and also praised him for his charity work and efforts to raise awareness of the importance of CPR.

Hamlin spent much of the weekend furthering that pursuit, taking part in multiple events as part of the Chasing M’s Foundation CPR Tour.

On Friday, he hosted a youth football camp at Cupples Stadium. On Saturday, he held a charity softball game at Pitt that was attended by luminaries such as Aaron Donald, Tyler Boyd, James Conner, Dane Jackson and Stefon Diggs. Sunday’s event at PNC Park, however, might have been the centerpiece of the weekend.

Held in conjunction with the American Heart Association’s Nation of Lifesavers, Hamlin welcomed hundreds to PNC Park for free Hands Only CPR training and the distribution of AEDs to youth sports groups.

The weekend culminated with a high school football all-star game at Highmark Stadium on Sunday night.

Hamlin was cleared to return to football activities in April, practiced with the Bills during OTA workouts in June and will report to St. John Fisher for training camp later this month.