First, we should get the good news out of the way and it is very good news indeed. Buffalo Bills cornerback Damar Hamlin has been experiencing a recovery that even his doctors are describing as “remarkable.” He went from being, at least by some older definitions, dead on the playing field to being awake, alert and breathing on his own without the use of a breathing tube at a very rapid rate. His initial prognosis had been rather grim, with concerns that he might have suffered brain damage if he even survived. But now he is communicating with his friends, family, and teammates and he may still experience a 100% recovery.

This is great news and Damar Hamlin is the sort of person you want to see beat the odds. He’s not just a very talented football player (and even I say this as a die-hard Jets fan), but his work for and contributions to youth charity programs are well known. Every interview I’ve seen with people who know Hamlin personally paints a picture of someone who is just genuinely a nice guy who understands how fortunate he has been professionally and really gives back to the community. (Daily Caller)

It just keeps getting better and better for Damar Hamlin.

Buffalo Bills cornerback Damar Hamlin has been removed from his breathing tube overnight and he “continues to progress remarkably in his recovery,” according to a Jan. 6 update from the Buffalo Bills, just days after the 24-year-old suddenly collapsed in the middle of Monday Night Football due to cardiac arrest.

“His neurologic function remains intact and he has been able to talk to his family and care team,” tweeted the Bills, citing doctors at the Cincinnati hospital where Hamlin is currently undergoing treatment.

There is one aspect to this story that I wanted to highlight today because it really says something about some of the disparities in the medical profession in the United States. Damar Hamlin experienced what was very nearly a worst-case scenario on the football field. He experienced a sudden and drastic incident of cardiac arrest, collapsing to the ground. His heart stopped, along with his breathing. He had to be resuscitated (twice) before being stabilized enough to reach the intensive care unit at the Cincinnati hospital where he is now recovering.

None of that would have happened without the amazing medical professionals and equipment that were immediately brought to bear. The NFL has some of the best doctors in the country standing by on the sidelines during games and the medical facilities in the bowels of each stadium rival some of the best facilities you’ll find at a university hospital. The right people with the right skills were at Hamlin’s side and working on him less than a minute after he went down.

One interview I watched with two of the primary physicians attending to Hamlin described the efforts put forth once he reached the hospital. Their top teams of specialists were immediately summoned. They were waiting for him when he arrived and they got right to work. One of the doctors described the team as “dropping everything” and leaping into action. Had each step in the chain of events I just described not taken place, Hamlin very well might not have survived. He is a truly blessed man.

Now let’s pause for a moment and consider a different scenario. What if, instead of taking place on an NFL field, that same medical emergency befell you or any other regular citizen, perhaps while you were playing softball in the park, walking your dog, or mowing your lawn? I think we all know the answer to that question. You would be dead and nobody outside of your friends, family, and possibly the local news outlets would know about it.

Even if there was someone right by your side when you went down, they would need to call 911. If an ambulance arrived in even ten minutes that would be close to a miracle. Damar Hamlin’s doctors admitted that he would never have survived that long. And even if you somehow made it to the hospital with a pulse, there wouldn’t be teams of the leading specialists in the country “dropping everything” and swarming to your side. (And while we’re on the subject, what was it they were “dropping?” Presumably, they were working with other patients.)

No, you would be seen by the on-call emergency physician, typically an overworked intern, or possibly even a physician’s assistant. Your odds wouldn’t even be fifty-fifty at that point if your cardiac event was anywhere near as serious as the one we’re discussing today. The fact is that Damar Hamlin is alive and hopefully on his way to a full recovery today because he had immediate access to medical care that is only available to a minuscule percentage of people in this country.

In America, we supposedly have one of the finest and most advanced medical health systems in the world. And we clearly do, but not even a tiny fraction of people have those resources made fully available to them. In fact, the vast majority of us do not. We need to do better. Our medical providers need to do better. Congress needs to do better in expanding medical care, particularly emergency medical treatment. No, we’ll never reach the point where everyone in the country has access to the sort of medical treatment NFL players receive during their games. But we should be able to expect a lot more than we’re often getting these days.