Jan. 2, 2023 is a day that Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin will always associate with his heart — and so is Nov. 28, 2025. That day marks the premiere of The More the Merrier, his second Hallmark Channel movie this year.
It joins Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story, which premiered Nov. 22, and featured Hamlin and other Bills players in a scene with young hospital patients.
How Hamlin Won at Life
On that fateful January day almost three years ago, Hamlin suffered a sudden cardiac arrest during a Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals. As millions of football fans held their collective breath, what I described at the time as a prayer tsunami spread over social media and the nation.
When Hamlin awoke in the hospital, the first thing he wanted to know was if the Bills won (neither team won, as the game was canceled). Hamlin’s doctors told him, “You won the game of life.”
Only 20 days later, Hamlin, a strong and vocal Christian, made an appearance at the Bills’ Highmark Stadium to watch his team again play the Bengals, in the AFC Championship game (unfortunately, the Bills lost).
Hamlin’s miraculous survival and even more miraculous recovery saw him not only released from the hospital but, as of the beginning of the 2023-’24 season, actually back on the field with the Bills.
The now-27-year-old continues to play this season, after signing a one-year contract extension.
Hamlin Has a Heart for Patients
Even before his medical crisis, Hamlin had a heart for charity, and that’s continued with his Chasing Ms Foundation.
He’s also become an advocate for cardiac health, as an ambassador for medical-device and healthcare company Abbott and its HeartMates program.
And that leads us to The More the Merrier, a Christmas movie with heart (literally).
From Abbott’s website:
In a Hallmark movie first, “The More the Merrier” includes special cameos by real-life individuals who have overcome serious health challenges: five children and teens from the Abbott HeartMates program, a community where people impacted by cardiovascular conditions can share stories, find support and celebrate wins.
These HeartMates teammates will appear in a scene filmed in Buffalo, N.Y., alongside professional football player, sudden cardiac arrest survivor and Abbott HeartMates ambassador Damar Hamlin. Hamlin has previously met all the HeartMates in the film through his involvement in the Abbott HeartMates community, and he has formed close personal bonds with several, along with their families.
Take a peek behind the scenes:
Hearing From Hamlin
The Bills play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 30, so the players are pretty busy. But, Hamlin took the time to send back written answers to some questions.
With everything that’s happened in the last couple of years, what has your healthcare advocacy and your work with Abbott meant to you?
Advocacy has been everything for me. I’ve always wanted to use my platform for the betterment of society, and, in the past few years, that has just really accelerated.
When the healthcare company Abbott approached me about becoming an ambassador for a new program they were developing called HeartMates, I was super excited. HeartMates is a place where people who have been impacted by heart-health issues can come together and share their stories and receive support.
We meet in-person and virtually and I’ve gotten to meet some incredible people through the program. It’s been a blessing to be part of it.
Nobody likes to think about medical emergencies or being hospitalized during the holidays, but that’s a reality for a lot of people. What do you want people to know most about helping friends and relatives — or even themselves — through a health crisis?
No one ever thinks these big health challenges are going to happen to them, but heart health issues don’t discriminate. Just look at the five young HeartMates appearing with me in the Hallmark movie, and you can see it can happen to anyone.
Going through heart-health issues can be really isolating, but being there for people going through it can be all the difference in that person’s recovery. Having people you can talk to, that you can relate to who know what you’ve gone through, it’s a big part of what helped me in my journey.
So, I’m proud when I can be that person for others now and that’s the kind of support you get when you join Abbott HeartMates.
Win or lose, the Bills Mafia is on your side, and the team has a huge amount of goodwill among the public. What has it meant to you to be a Bill and to be part of that community?
I love this organization and the Bills Mafia. We have the best fans, I have the best teammates, we have the best staff, and it’s just an honor every day you get to step out with these guys.
Being part of this team is so much more than I could have ever asked for, and it’s a true blessing to be part of this organization.
I write for the faith community, and you’re a very public Christian. How has your faith sustained you through your recovery and now your public advocacy?
My faith has been everything to me throughout this journey. When you face something life-changing, you realize real quick what your foundation truly is — and for me, that’s always been God.
My recovery wasn’t just about my body healing, it was about trusting that He still had purpose for my life. That faith gave me peace on the hardest days and strength on the days I didn’t have any.
It guides me now in the work I do, the people I try to help, and the way I show up in the world. None of this would be possible without Him.
Such a tsunami of prayer hit for you after your cardiac arrest — and some today denigrate the power of prayer — so what do you want to say to people about prayer?
Prayer is powerful — I’m living proof of that. When everything happened to me, it felt like the whole world stopped and prayed at the same time.
That love, that unity, that spiritual support… I felt it. My family felt it. It made a difference.
People can say what they want about prayer, but I know firsthand that it brings strength, comfort, and hope when you need it most. I’m grateful every day for those prayers, and I don’t take them lightly.
Regarding football, while its popularity has risen, so has criticism of it. I agree with author Willa Cather, who said, “A good football game is an epic; it rouses the oldest part of us.” What does football mean to you, and where do you hope it goes in the future?
Football has been such a big part of my life for as long as I can remember. These guys become your family and we really have each other’s backs through everything.
You learn so much through this sport, but the most important thing is teamwork and being there for your guys.
Lastly, you’ve had two movie cameos now, so, does entertainment and media figure in your post-NFL plans?
Hah, you know this actually isn’t my first time acting. I was in a play in high school which I guess kicked it all off.
I always tell myself to take things one day at a time, and right now, I’m just super blessed to be in two Hallmark movies, and really looking forward to sharing the spotlight with my five Abbott HeartMates in The More the Merrier.
If anyone has footage of that play, I’m sure we’d all like to know.
Here’s the trailer:
Images: Abbott; Hallmark Channel
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