- ABC News
- January 3, 2023
Damar Hamlin's goal was simple: He wanted to raise $2,500 online to buy toys for needy kids. It took about two years. Then came Monday, when the Buffalo Bills safety was critically injured and needed his heart restarted on the field in a chilling scene that unfolded during a nationally televised game against the Cincinnati Bengals. He instantly became one of the biggest stories in sports, and thousands of people found his GoFundMe page. The result: over $5 million donated in the first 21 hours after his injury. And the number is climbing. A fundraiser that as of last month had raised $2,921 was over $5 million shortly after 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday -- with about 176,700 people going online in that span to donate, on average, about $28. Some of the donations were smaller. Some were more than $5,000. Some were even from New England Patriots players, who are scheduled to play at Buffalo on Sunday for the regular-season finale. On average, about 2.5 donations...