The American Heart Association (AHA) is teaming up with Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin and his Chasing M’s Foundation to teach CPR in Japan. This effort, aimed at improving survival rates for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, will take place from March 27 to March 30, 2025.
Hamlin, who survived a cardiac arrest on the field in 2023, is using his experience to help others learn how to respond in emergencies. The goal is to turn bystanders into lifesavers by teaching CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and how to use an AED (Automated External Defibrillator).
On March 27, Hamlin and Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association, will speak to students at the American School in Japan (Chofu campus) about CPR and AEDs. They will also hold a Q&A session and teach around 1,500 students how to perform Hands-Only CPR, a simple technique that can save lives during a sudden cardiac arrest.
On March 30, they will train about 250 people at the Japan Flag Football Championships at Fujitsu Stadium Kawasaki. The AHA will also train 80 students in CPR at Teiko University in Tokyo on March 27.
Hamlin’s foundation is also donating AEDs to schools in Japan, including the American School in Japan, and to local schools in Kawasaki City. These devices can give a person a better chance of surviving a sudden cardiac arrest.
“After my cardiac arrest last year, I realized how important it is for everyone to know CPR and how to use an AED”, says Hamlin. “It’s an honor to teach kids in Japan that learning CPR is a superpower that could save a life”.
The American Heart Association started the Nation of Lifesavers™ campaign in 2023 after Hamlin’s cardiac arrest on national television during a football game. This campaign aims to double the survival rate of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the U.S. by 2030.
In the U.S., more than half of people who suffer sudden cardiac arrest outside of a hospital don’t get immediate CPR, and up to 9 out of 10 people who have a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital die. The AHA’s CPR training can double or even triple a person’s chances of survival.
CPR, especially if started right away, is key to survival. If a person collapses, witnesses should call 9-1-1 and begin chest compressions at a rate of 100-120 beats per minute. It takes just 90 seconds to learn the basics of Hands-Only CPR, and that could be the difference between life and death.
Learning CPR is one of the easiest ways to help save lives in emergencies.
