ALBANY – From Western New York to around the globe, the Jan. 2, 2023, injury to Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin during a “Monday Night Football” game in Cincinnati stands as a testament to the ever-present danger of cardiac arrest.
For Sen. April Baskin, D-Buffalo, the threat of cardiac arrest cuts deeper. On Jan. 7, 2009, her cousin, Desha Sanders, 12, a member of the Hoover Middle School modified basketball team, experienced heart complications and collapsed during a practice. Emergency workers took Desha to Kenmore Mercy Hospital, but she died about an hour later from cardiac arrest.
On Tuesday, Baskin recalled her tragic loss – as well as the Hamlin injury – in pushing her bill to require school districts in New York to create cardiac emergency response procedures in their existing safety and preparedness plans. Baskin said an automated external defibrillator, or AED, which can be used to revive a person in cardiac arrest, was in the school on the night her cousin died but was locked up. People at the scene tried to figure out how to get the keys to access the AED, but could not save the child.
“Sadly, Desha lost her life,” Baskin said at an Albany news conference where she was joined by the cosponsor of the bill, Assembly Member Michaelle Solages, D-Elmont. “That was very, very hard for me and my family and it still is to this day … she’s supposed to be turning 29 years old this year and leading a full life. But her school was not prepared. That’s why I’m proud to sponsor this bill.”
Baskin noted that Hamlin survived because the Bills’ staff, equipped with an AED and other tools, sprang into action.
“Incredibly, Damar is back on the field, back with the Buffalo Bills, playing football at the highest level,” the senator said.
Baskin spoke alongside representatives of the American Heart Association, including 15-year-old Darin Vail, who was born with a congenital heart defect. Vail underwent five open heart surgeries before turning 5. He said he has led a pretty normal life, but would require a quick response in case of an emergency.
“This is why it is important to have cardiac emergency response plans in place at all schools,” Vail said. “If someone at my school had a cardiac emergency, I’d want them to have the best chance at surviving.”
The Cardiomyopathy Health Education, Awareness, and Research, and AED Training in the Schools Act of 2024 (HEARTS Act), backed by Damar Hamlin, was signed into law by President Biden on Monday.
In 2025 alone, she said, New York schools have reported 30 cardiac arrests.
“We must pass this legislation so that we can save more lives,” Adams said.
A memo attached to the bill said New York schools lack specific, evidence-based guidance on what to do when such situations arise. The bill would require plans that would integrate core elements of the American Heart Association or other nationally recognized organizations that provides guideline training for use of AEDs and CPR.
“When an individual’s heart stops, time is of the essence,” the memo said, noting that according to studies, mortality rates increase for every second longer it takes to administer an automated AED to the heart. It said having a cardiac emergency response plan in place “would save precious time should a sudden cardiac arrest occur, increasing the survivability rate of the individual. This bill recommends that an AED should be placed on a victim within three minutes of the onset of sudden cardiac arrest.”
The bill was referred to the education committees of the Senate and Assembly.