Damar Hamlin, the Buffalo Bills safety who collapsed on the field during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals, has announced that he expects to play football next year.
But, not all players who go through what Hamlin survived are as lucky.
February is American Heart Month, and, in recognition, NBC10's Matt DeLucia shared the story of Viola Owens and her son, Danny Rumpf.
Rumpf was just 21-years-old when he collapsed and died from sudden cardiac arrest while playing a summer pick-up game at Mallery Recreation Center in Mt. Airy on May 8, 2005.
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In response, Rumpf's mother dedicated herself to getting life-saving AEDs -- or automated external defibrillators -- installed throughout the city.
How the Family Foundation is Raising Awareness
"I just think people think that it's not that big of a deal, and I'm here to tell them, it's a big deal," Owens told NBC10. "I lost part of my life when I lost my son."
Health
Owens is the president of the Daniel E. Rumph Foundation, an organization that works to raise awareness in order to prevent sudden cardiac arrest among young people and to provide AEDs for the community.
After years of effort, in 2013, the foundation celebrated bringing AEDs to all 150 of the city's rec centers.
The organization also provides screenings for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy -- a disease the causes a thickening of the heart muscle -- which the group notes, is "the leading cause of sudden cardiac arrest in young people."
Statewide Support Grows for 'Damar's Law'
Schools throughout the state could soon also be required to be equipped with AEDs in the case of an emergency.
In a memorandum last month, Pennsylvania state Sen. Marty Flynn (D-Lackawanna/Luzerne), announced a plan to present legislation that would require schools in the state to have AEDs available at every sporting event hosted by a school district.
"My legislation aims to recognize and address the increased risks of [sudden cardiac arrest] amongst student athletes by requiring that an AED be present at any sporting event hosted by a school district," wrote Flynn in announcing his memorandum.
Flynn is calling the proposal, "Damar's law."
