The eyes of the nation were on the Buffalo Bills game on Sunday — the first since Safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on the field.
Two thousand miles from Buffalo, at Bonfire Craft Kitchen and Tap in Tempe, you can bet that anytime the Bills are on the Backers are sitting in.
The East Valley Bills Backers, you could say, take good neighbor to heart.
“I made a three for Hamlin, yes,” said Joan Aquila.
The Bill Mafia and much of the country united around their TVs early Sunday afternoon after a shocking event during Monday Night Football.
Bills Safety, Damar Hamlin, suffered cardiac arrest, collapsing on the field in the first quarter.
Day by day, the world has been watching Hamlin’s progress with positive updates.
Hamlin tweeted as his playoff-bound Bills took the field Sunday.
Not long after he pushed send, the Bills took the opening kickoff all the way back for six - scoring on the very first play of the game.
“We were all crying here, I tell ya. It was a tug,” said Joan.
Beyond the Valley, NFL Players and the League wearing his number in support. The medical staff in Cincinnati and Buffalo were honored before their games.
Hamlin’s foundation to give toys to kids grew to 8.5 million.
”The site was just so overwhelmed with donating, I couldn’t get in,” said Suzie Loftus, recalling how hard it was to donate to Hamlin’s foundation.
The motto in Buffalo is ‘The City of Good Neighbors.’
East Valley Bills backer president Paul Boudreau made sure to carry that here to the Valley.
For each game, there’s a 50-50 raffle for charity.
He says they’ve raised thousands this season for women's shelters and foster care groups with more planned as playoffs begin.
The week started off with a reminder of how fragile life can be, so enjoy the time you have with your loved ones.
”It’s like getting together for Christmas, for Thanksgiving but we get to do it every week,” said Paul Boudreau.
