US National Football League star Damar Hamlin asked hospital staff if his team won when he awoke after collapsing after a game.
Football fans expressed their sorrow after the Buffalo Bills player had a heart attack on the field during the game in Ohio on Monday night.
His team and doctors claim that he has made “amazing progress” in the last day and is “neurologically intact.”
Since being removed off the field, Hamlin has been receiving care in the intensive care unit.
Following his awakening, he started writing to the doctors.
Dr. Timothy Pritts, one of Hamlin’s doctors, claimed that he had inquired as to the outcome of the Cincinnati Bengals vs. Buffalo Bills game.
The doctor responded: “Damar, you won – you won the game of life.”
In order to assist his breathing, Hamlin continues to be on a ventilator in the University of Cincinnati Medical Center’s intensive care unit.
Earlier in the day, the doctors treating him said he “demonstrated that he appears to be neurologically intact”, the Bills said in the latest update.
“His lungs continue to heal and he is making steady progress,” the team added. “We are grateful for the love and support we have received.”
Shortly before Hamlin’s team issued the latest statement on Thursday, his teammate Kaiir Elam wrote in a tweet: “Our boy is doing better, awake and showing more signs of improvement.”
“Keep the prayers coming please,” he added.
His agent, Ron Butler, confirmed to CNN that Hamlin was awake and had been holding hands with his family in the hospital.
Hamlin, 24, suffered a cardiac arrest during the primetime game after tackling Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins. He fell on his back to the ground after the collision.
According to the player’s buddy and marketing agent Jordon Rooney, he got over 30 minutes of on-the-field medical assistance, during which time he was once revived.
Since the incident, the Bills’ second-year player has received an outpouring of support.
A Hamlin-created GoFundMe page for a toy drive has raised more than $7 million (£5.9 million).
NFL players Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Russell Wilson of the Denver Broncos have also donated to the cause.
From the University of Pittsburgh, where he played collegiate football, Hamlin was selected in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Following the event, the NFL decided to postpone the Bills’ game versus the Bengals indefinitely.