Damar Hamlin’s foundation provides new AED to Sto-Rox

A life-saving device is now part of the lineup at Sto-Rox.

The school received an AED from Damar Hamlin's Chasing M's Foundation and the NFL.

Because of a new state law signed this past spring, every school in the PIAA is required to have an automated external defibrillator at every single sporting event.

It hits especially close to home at Sto-Rox with all of the work Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin has done to increase access to AEDs and CPR classes since he went into cardiac arrest on the football field three years ago.

"I got it in the mail. I was like, 'Oh, I seen him in the NFL,' and I lit up. I was like, 'Wow, that's cool,'" Sto-Rox Athletic Director Shomari Phelps said.

Thirty Pennsylvania schools got AEDs during the draft, an initiative that pushed the foundation past $1 million worth of AED donations.

Damar Hamlin's father, Mario Hamlin, said, "It's a full-circle moment for my son, you know, he takes great pride into making sure that he's able to keep the youth safe."

Hamlin tells Channel 11 Sports it's a milestone bigger than football.

"It's just impact on the world I truly never seen myself being able to make, but something that I always wanted to be able to leave behind. A name that will last longer than me. I think being able to save these lives of people that I'll never meet is something that will keep me a household name for a very long time."

Chasing M's also pushes for legislative action, like Greg Moyer's Law in Pennsylvania.

It's the law that mandates AEDs at PIAA games and practices, named for Moyer, who went into cardiac arrest and died at a high school basketball game in 2000.

Sto-Rox already had AED access and training requirements for coaches in place, but Athletic Director Shomari Phelps is happy to see renewed precaution for a new school year.

"To be proactive instead of reactive in those situations. So, I'm glad that you know it is mandated by law, and it's something that we take very seriously here," Phelps said.

It's something Hamlin's foundation hopes will become the standard.

"I'm really hoping that this common sense bill is adopted by all 50 states, and that just the people know that being prepared saves lives," Mario Halmin said.

The American Heart Association says immediate access to AEDs and CPR can double or even triple survival rates.

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