Buffalo’s difficult year doesn’t hold city down: 'Unique spirit ingrained in the people here'

Damar Hamlin's shocking collapse at the Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals game last week brought the nation to a standstill, but it was the latest wound for the city of Buffalo, which has had a tumultuous eight months.  

Hamlin, a Bills safety, went into cardiac arrest following a hit during the regular season matchup. Thanks to quick action by Bills assistant athletic trainer Denny Kellington, who administered CPR, and the medical staff rushing Hamlin to the hospital, the 24-year-old has since made a remarkable recovery.    

Ian Kyle, who lives in Elmwood Village and was in attendance at the game in which Hamlin went into cardiac arrest, said it's a night he'll "never forget." It wasn't until the fans left the stadium, he said, that the situation really started to dawn on them.

"And as we were all walking out together, 80,000 people, we kind of learned what had happened and how dire the situation was," Kyle told Fox News Digital. "It was such a weird night. No one was mad. No one was upset about the game."

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Kyle said he and his friend went to a few different bars after the game to try and wrap their heads around what had transpired, and were embraced by both Bills and Bengals fans.

"So we went out - there was like a main bar area right by the stadium and I went to four or five different bars and just talked to different Buffalo fans and Cincinnati fans and all the Cincinnati fans were coming up to us and hugging us and saying, 'They're praying for our player'.... It was almost like The Twilight Zone," he said. "It was just so weird and everyone was so kind and so nice and so gentle."

Hamlin's collapse, while frightening, paled in comparison to some of the tragedies that have befallen the city over the past year. Last May, a White gunman killed 10 Black people and wounded three others at a Tops supermarket - a hateful attack that both shocked and united the community. The Bills visited the scene of the crime to offer support and pray with local residents.

"The mass shooting that took place absolutely shook Buffalo to its core," Josh Holtzman, co-owner of the popular bar and live music venue Buffalo Iron Works, told Fox News Digital. "It hurt, it was sad and quite frankly could be the worst experience of many lives within Buffalo. After the attack, you saw a city come together to heal, you saw strangers crying with one another, sharing in the grief and finding a way to never forget what had happened." 

"Buffalonians didn't just let the event happen and move on, we used our community to show the world how awful these hate crimes are," he continued. "We did everything we could to stand up for good, for justice and to bring awareness to these awful crimes that happen far too much in our country. Even in our darkest hour, the people of Buffalo showed just how important it is to love your fellow neighbor and human-being."

Then the deadly December blizzard hit the city. Buffalo is infamous for its rough weather, but last month's "once-in-a-generation" blizzard, the worst for the city since 1977, killed dozens and left many others stranded. Looters then ransacked several stores and businesses in the city in the wake of the storm, invoking the wrath of both the authorities and Democratic Mayor Byron Brown.

"Our staff leaned on each other for anything that was needed, our guests came back to the venue even stronger and in larger numbers as soon as it was safe to," Holtzman said. "Once the streets were clear, and it was safe to re-open, the community banded together in celebration to get back out and enjoy what they love the most about Buffalo in every way possible."

A fire just a few days later on New Year’s Eve on the city’s northeast side killed five children, all aged 10 or younger. A 7-month-old infant survived.

And Hamlin's hospitalization wasn't the only shocking incident for the Buffalo Bills. Bills tight end Dawson Knox lost his younger brother Luke in August at the age of 22. Since his brother's passing, Knox now points a finger to the sky when he makes a touchdown. 

But, much of the Buffalo community has remained positive despite what has been a challenging 2022 and start to the new year.

Kyle, who like a lot of his neighbors lost power during the December storm and was prevented from seeing family during the holidays, said his Elmwood Village community still managed to make the most of it. 

"There's people snowmobiling and snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, and everyone was saying, 'Merry Christmas,'" he recalled. "So, you know, none of us had our families, but we had our village that we lived in and we all kind of got out and spent some time together, which was pretty fun."

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Asked to comment on Buffalo's brutal year, the office of New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, D., referred Fox News Digital to her inaugural address on January 1.

"First of all, we had a hate-filled domestic terrorist attack on my neighbors in Buffalo, simply out grocery shopping on a beautiful day," she said, in part. "Afterward, we came together - the legislature, our leadership - and we passed the toughest gun laws in our country to say no more.

"And just over the Christmas weekend, with the blizzard of the century, and we pray for their families, the souls we lost. But oh my gosh, we had heroic people. It was dangerous. It was so dangerous to be out there. I want to recognize the heroic first responders, law enforcement, and the ordinary citizens who helped the strangers in their time of need. And we are so honored to have some of the men and women who fought that blizzard here with us today." 

In conclusion, Hochul said, "But as we can see, every single time New York faces a travesty, we turn it into a source of strength, and growth, and advancement. And these are the times that confirm my undying belief in the people of New York, moving in one direction: Ever Upward."

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Hochul tweeted another message following Hamlin's collapse on the football field. The governor was in attendance for Sunday's Buffalo Bills game, in which the Bills defeated the New England Patriots 35-23. 

Congressman Brian Higgins, a Democrat whose district includes Buffalo and Niagara Falls, likewise commended Buffalonians on the other side of a tragic year for the Queen City.

"Buffalo and Western New York have had our fair share of challenges, especially over the last year," Higgins said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "But there is a unique spirit ingrained in the people here, a fortitude to fight on, and a belief that we are more than neighbors we are family. A family that sticks together, works together, and rallies around our teams and one another, in good times and even more so when things are tough. I’m proud of the way our community has risen above the struggles and prouder still to call this place with a big heart, home. Our best days are ahead of us."

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"I'm certainly proud to be Buffalonian," Kyle said. "I think most people are. And, you know, when we get hit with bad weather, you don't have to look for people to help push your car or shovel your driveway out. There's going to be neighbors who help. I think we rallied around that ourselves as Buffalonians and being resilient and having to deal with what we deal with." 

Hamlin tweeted his thanks to Buffalo this week upon his emotional return to the city. Hamlin was discharged from the Buffalo General Medical Center/Gates Vascular Institute on Wednesday after completing a series of tests and is now continuing his recovery at home.

"The Buffalo Bills are our team, our family and then connect us all as a community," Holtzman said. "When one of them hurts, we all feel it. This one hurt the most, more than any other injury on the feel in my life. It's a lot easier to write this now knowing that Damar is ok, safe back home in Buffalo and surrounded by his loved ones."