Editor's note: Three years ago, Damar Hamlin went into sudden cardiac arrest following a routine tackle during a Monday Night Football game in Cincinnati. Doctors later realized that at 24, Hamlin experienced Commotio cordis, a type of cardiac arrest that happens after a blow to the chest. After spending two days in a medically induced coma, Hamlin needed extensive physical therapy, but returned to the NFL in October 2023. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Damar Hamlin,