National Ambassador, American Heart Association Nation of Lifesavers™

With a focus on turning bystanders into lifesavers, The American Heart Association launched the Nation of Lifesavers in 2023 after Damar experienced sudden cardiac arrest during a live, televised Monday Night Football game. 

Damar serves as the National Ambassador for the movement, which is a multi-year initiative that will help people learn about CPR and AED use, share that knowledge with friends and family and engage employers, policy makers, philanthropists and others to create support for a national of lifesavers.  

The long-term goal: ensure that in the face of a cardiac emergency, anyone, anywhere is prepared and empowered to preform CPR and become a vital link in the chain of survival. 

The initiative is having a deep impact. 

In January of 2025, survey research from the American Heart Association revealed that more Americans are prepared to provide lifesaving rhythm for their friends, family and community. 

The data, conducted by Decision Analyst on behalf of American Heart Association, indicates more adults now say they feel ready to handle and respond to a cardiac arrest.  When Damar experienced cardiac arrest on the field during Monday Night Football in January of 2023, nearly seven out of ten U.S. adults said they would not feel confident to act during a cardiac emergency.  Based on the available data at that time and the tracking of attitudes since, the Association has seen a reported increase from 33% to 39% in bystander confidence to be able to perform any time of CPR - or 17.7 million more Americans who feel confident to act in a lifesaving emergency.