Damar Hamlin’s story has become a rallying point for a world that’s been borderline stressed out the past few years. He’s recovering and has been transferred to a hospital in Buffalo.

When he collapsed during the game, I was with the family in Ohio for Christmas.

“Must have pulled a hammy,” one of us said.

When he stayed down, it escalated to, “Maybe his ACL.” We watched like everyone else as we saw it get more and more serious.

Naturally, since I was only a few miles from the hospital, I decided to shove my microphone in the face of people who’d shown up to offer support.

Outside the hospital, people had a vigil the night Hamlin arrived. They explained how southwest Ohio is a community of love, and they’d support Hamlin regardless of which team they were rooting for.

A woman who was driving by at the time pulled over when she saw us talking because she had some things she wanted to get off her chest. She’s a Bengals fan, but she found the fight over playoff seeding to be less important, and she was glad to hear Hamlin had started to improve.

“God got the last word,” she explained.

In that picture, the guy in the Lions hat had driven down from Detroit.

He had to lug that cross a couple blocks down the street from his car every day, but he said he wanted to set up near the entrance, not just to send a message to Hamlin but so other patients could see. Maybe Hamlin draws headlines, but it’s possible he was not the only patient at the time.

Doctors say they noticed, and Hamlin’s family noticed.

When Hamlin woke up, they said the first thing he wanted to know was if the Bills had won.

“Yes, Damar, you won. You’ve won the game of life,” one of the doctors answered.

They also explained Hamlin was perplexed to learn he’d been out for two days.

“Oh yes, Damar, I can relate,” I said, nodding thoughtfully as a fellow winner of the game of life.

With Bills and Bengals fans standing together outside the hospital, this episode can show us all how Ohio can unite us all. They can show us what’s truly important.

“Maybe arguing with airlines about flying to Louisville doesn’t seem so important now, does it, Scaia?!” the CEOs of airlines around the world are now saying in unison after reading about my trip before Christmas.

Continuing a series of of helpful airline employees, I called American to back up my flight back to Texas for a week.

“Okay, sir, we can get you on a flight to DFW, and with the difference in the fare, I can add a $60 dollar credit to your account,” the man on the phone explained.

“Any way we can waive that?” a reporter asks.

“We must have a bad connection,” the American agent said patiently, like when you have to explain a concept to a toddler. “You want me to waive a flight credit?”

“I understand now you’re saying, ‘credit’ not ‘fee,'” I replied in a manner I suspect still sounded doubtful. “In fact, I would not like to waive that.”

Also, when I first got home, I was saddened to see Bill’s Donuts had closed early for Christmas because of the bad weather. By staying an extra week, I was still there when they reopened.

When the NFL cancelled the game, it upset fans and some players because it prevented Cincinnati from getting a better seed, but let’s look to the bright side: Hamlin is recovering, and regardless of how the postseason plays out, Bengals fans can declare they would have won if they hadn’t been cheated.

After all, would Cincinnati had won that game? Obviously. Who’s gonna prove me wrong? No one. That’s who.

They were ahead when it was stopped, after all. Just like the 1994 Montreal Expos were leading the division when the season was stopped. They would have gone on to win the World Series.

That’s why I’m pleased to declare the Cincinnati Bengals honorary 1994 World Series champions, joining the 2014 Kansas City Royals and Larry King.

Back to Hamlin, the doctors say when he woke up, he was holding everyone’s hand.

Because a reporter asks, one of the others during that conference call with the doctors inquired about Hamlin maybe getting his lungs cleaned. I’m not sure where you sign up for that, but after this pandemic, I think we could all use a good lung scrubbin’.