Damar Hamlin throws out the first pitch at NY Yankees game after being named HOPE week honoree 

Beloved Buffalo Bills saftey Damar Hamlin threw out the first pitch at the New York Yankees game on Monday night, as he was also named the New York Yankees HOPE Week honoree.

To kick off Day one of ‘Hope Week’ at Yankee Stadium, a group that included Hamlin and several members of the Yankees received CPR training on the field from the American Heart Association.

‘I had my eyes set on making an impact in the world someway, somehow,’ Hamlin said to a group of reporters at the event.

‘I didn’t know how it would be, but I’m fine with this platform and I’m fine with this as well.’

‘I’ll continue to keep doing my part in making an impact in the world and changing things.’

He was named the Yankees HOPE week honoree and took part in several pregame activities

Hamlin has become one of my most well-known players in the league, and the face of campaigning to make sure that make sure that defibrillators and other lifesaving equipment are readily available at sporting events and facilities. 

He and his story became an overnight sensation after suffering cardiac arrest and having to be resuscitated on the field during a game between the Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals.

Chasing M’s, his charity, has seen its profile rise dramatically in the last six months in lockstep with Hamlin’s recovery. Millions of dollars have poured in. Opportunities that Hamlin thought he’d have to save for down the road are popping up. He’s not trying to let a moment of his good fortune go to waste.

‘I wake up every day and think about how I can impact the world in a positive way, that´s what I care about if you take away everything else,’ Hamlin said

The events and programs that were merely long-term goals a year ago are suddenly already at hand. Hamlin will host his first football camp, for children ages 5-12, at historic Cupples Stadium in Pittsburgh’s Southside neighborhood July 7.

On July 9, which has been officially named ‘Damar Hamlin Day’ in his hometown, Chasing M’s will provide free CPR training for hundreds at PNC Park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

It’s part of a ‘CPR Tour’ that began in Buffalo in early June, Hamlin’s way of trying to give back to the first responders who used CPR to save his life after he went into cardiac arrest in the first quarter of a game against the Bengals.

‘I just want to be able to … take a nation of bystanders and turn them into lifesavers and give them a true superpower,’ Hamlin said 

‘To be able to save a life is a true superpower. Instead of people standing by not knowing what to do, I´m just trying to create more people who do know what to do. This weekend specifically, people in my community.’

Chasing M’s also will donate defibrillators to youth sports organizations and assist an all-star high school football game featuring some of the top players in the Pittsburgh area. While the game has existed for several years, Hamlin’s direct involvement, has created more buzz than usual.