Damar Hamlin returns to Pittsburgh to meet others with heart conditions

McKees Rocks native, Pitt football standout and NFL defensive back Damar Hamlin will head off to Buffalo Bills training camp in the next few days.

But on Tuesday, he made a stop in Pittsburgh to huddle up with some teammates who've never played a down in the NFL but overcame serious heart ailments as he has.

In a meeting room at the AC Hotel, some genuine fighters huddled up to share some plays in their ongoing playbook of survival after life-threatening heart issues.

Called Abbott HeartMates, they come from all walks of life.

"About four years ago, I went into cardiac arrest," event attendee Lori Benigni recalled.

Joining the support session was Hamlin, a man whose heart-related trauma played out in front of a national audience when his heart stopped during a "Monday Night Football" game in January 2023.

"It's honestly like therapy for me, but also being able to hear their stories, hear the parts of their journeys where they were resilient, I'm able to take it with me and use it," Hamlin said at the event.

Hamlin also shared his survival journey.

"Being able to be here in a huddle with my HeartMates, being able to share personal experiences together, sharing those moments, it's the same moments we create in the locker room during my NFL career," Hamlin added.

One of those HeartMates was a little girl whose battle ended with her recent passing, but Hamlin still carries something of hers with him every day to remind him to keep moving forward.

"Specifically, I have these bracelets; they're from a little girl I met named Olivia," Hamlin recalled. "To see her here, to be so lifted with love and joy in such a low moment, I was able to use it to inspire my whole training in the 2024 off-season, and I was able to have my best season."

Abbott HeartMates say every day, more and more people are joining their team, stressing what they say is the most important thing about it all.

"You are not alone. Make sure you talk to people," Hamlin said.

"Just stay strong. You might feel alone, you might think that things aren't going to get better, you don't have a positive outcome, but if you stay positive, there is always a positive in every story," Benigni said.