Damar Hamlin returns to Bills facility less than 2 weeks after cardiac arrest

Damar Hamlin's road to recovery has taken him back to the Buffalo Bills' team facility, less than two weeks after his life-threatening cardiac arrest on "Monday Night Football."

The Bills safety visited his teammates in Orchard Park, New York, on Saturday, as shown by the Instagram story of safety Matt Milano. Hamlin appeared to be in good spirits, smiling and shaking hands with a teammate:

The Associated Press confirmed Hamlin's visit was on Saturday, one day before the Bills are scheduled to face the Miami Dolphins in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs.

Hamlin was discharged from a Buffalo-area hospital on Wednesday, after initially spending a week at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. In a statement released by the Bills, Hamlin's care team lead said a "comprehensive medical evaluation" led to the conclusion that he could be safely discharged.

For a story that began so horrifically, Hamlin's progress has been remarkably positive since he collapsed on the field during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals and needed to be resuscitated.

Hamlin was rushed to the UC Medical Center and outfitted with a breathing tube. Three days later, with Hamlin still in critical condition, his doctors announced he appeared to be neurologically intact and was beginning to awaken. One day later, the breathing tube was out and Hamlin was speaking with his family and teammates.

Hamlin was cleared to return to Buffalo only a week after his cardiac arrest, but had to spend a few days hospitalized in Buffalo for additional testing. And now, he's back at work and talking to his teammates.

While all that was happening, the NFL community and many others were rallying around Hamlin, both in well-wishes and in overwhelming financial support for a two-year-old GoFundMe set up by the player to help a toy drive for the kids at his mother's daycare. As of Saturday, the fundraiser has brought in around $8.9 million.