(Washington) Joe Biden received on Thursday at the White House the American football player Damar Hamlin, victim in January of a cardiac arrest in the middle of a match, and who has since campaigned for the generalization of defibrillators in schools.

The White House tweeted a photo showing the 25-year-old NFL Buffalo Bills player standing next to the US president in the Oval Office.

“Damar Hamlin’s courage, resilience and mindset have inspired the American people,” Joe Biden wrote on Twitter.

He also, according to a statement from the White House, “welcomed his efforts” to change the legislation on cardiac defibrillators.

Before going to the White House, the sportsman had defended in Washington, with American parliamentarians, a bill which aims to generalize these devices in primary and secondary schools as well as colleges.

He said on Twitter that he wants to “use (his) story to make real change.” »

Between 7,000 and 23,000 young Americans suffer sudden cardiac arrest each year, according to the bill that Damar Hamlin supports, and it is the leading cause of death among young athletes.

Damar Hamlin had suffered a cardiac arrest on January 2, following a terrible shock to the chest suffered while tackling an opponent, during a regular season game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

After remaining in critical condition for several days, the Bills player regained consciousness and was discharged from Buffalo Hospital on January 11.

One of the doctors who operated on Hamlin warned that his recovery would be “a long way to go”.

Millions of viewers watched it fall apart live, a reminder of just how dangerous the country’s most popular sport is.