Damar Hamlin has got a tattoo of his heart hands symbol on the back of his neck, a year to the day that went into cardiac arrest playing for the Buffalo Bills against Cincinnati Bengals.

The tattoo features the symbol Hamlin, 25, was pictured making in multiple pictures on his road to recovery and an inset of an electrocardiogram in the center.

Hamlin’s tattoo artist, Alexander Brenes, shared pictures of him inking the Bills player with the caption: ‘1 year later still locked in’.

The Bills safety went into cardiac arrest during the NFL game last year when he tackled Bengals receiver Tee Higgins.

Hamlin would later reveal that the tackle would cause commotio cordis – ‘a direct blow at a specific point in your heartbeat that causes cardiac arrest’, he told reporters in April as he underlined his desire to return to the NFL.

‘Five to seven seconds later, you fall out and that’s pretty much what everyone was seeing January 2 of this year,’ he added. ‘I died on national TV.’

Hamlin’s recovery was remarkable – on January 5 – three days after his collapse – his breathing tube was removed.

Four days later, on January 9, Hamlin returned home to Buffalo and was transferred to a regional hospital from Cincinnati.

In the aftermath of the event, attention on Hamlin’s GoFundMe page – set up to raise money for his chasing M’s foundations – spiraled and over $9m has been donated, massively exceeding the initial $2,500 target.

Hamlin wrote a message thanking fans for their donations on Tuesday.

‘As a donor to my charity, I didn’t want to let the New Year begin without reaching out personally to thank you,’ he said.

‘This past year has been an incredible journey for my family and I, and the growth of my charity – through the generosity of people like you – is a great blessing to me.

‘In addition to returning to the NFL this fall, I’ve spent time creating the mission of my charity, which is focused on empowering youth and lifting up people who face adversity.

‘One of the things that has inspired me most is the real-life stories of people who were inspired to be CPR trained because of my experience, then turned around and saved the life of another this year. It’s a blessing to be a blessing, and I’m so grateful to have this platform to give back to others, like people have done for me growing up.

‘On behalf of my family and I, thank you for being an important part of this incredible journey. We’re proud to partner with so many people to make an impact and appreciate your support.

‘As we begin a New Year, I’m humbled, honored and deeply committed to driving change that will protect kids. Thank you for being part of my journey – your continued support is what makes initiatives like these possible.’