In the hours and days since Damar Hamlin's heart stopped on national television in Cincinnati, people have rallied behind the Bills safety as we continue to hear good news about his health. He's now out of the hospital and recovering at home in Buffalo and donations to his charity have reached almost $9 million, with people from all over the country and the world pitching in.  

One of those is Andy Dalton, the former Cincinnati Bengals and now New Orleans Saints quarterback, who was once on the receiving end of the kindness of Bills Mafia himself. It's been five years since he helped the Bills break their 17-year-playoff drought. We look back now on that moment, and the movement of giving it sparked that continues to this day. 

It goes down as one of the most memorable moments in Buffalo sports history - December 31, 2017 - Dalton’s touchdown pass to Tyler Boyd to beat the Ravens, knocking Baltimore out of a playoff spot and allowing the Bills to snap their lengthy postseason drought. Five years later, it still resonates with Dalton.

"That’s one of those plays and the way Buffalo treated us and just to watch the video of them in the locker room, and all the stuff that went into it, obviously getting them into the playoffs and us winning that one in the last seconds of the game. It’s a cool moment for me and obviously I know it’s a cool moment for a lot of people in Buffalo," Dalton said.

It certainly is. Who can forget the warm welcome home the Bills received from fans at the airport later that night? Dalton didn’t think much of it until he started to see the reaction from the team and Bills Mafia.

"It makes the moment even more special just because of how much excitement there was and what it meant to the city of Buffalo and just that team," he said.

And Bills Mafia returned the favor in a way the fan base has since become known for, with donations to the Andy and JJ Dalton Foundation that began pouring in, first in $17 gifts, an ode to the end of the 17-year playoff drought. 

"First I saw it on Twitter, that 'hey, let’s give to our foundation in that incremental amount,'" Dalton said. "One thing led to another, shoot a day later this thing has really made a ton of traction.  And days later and weeks later, it’s turned into hundreds of thousands of dollars."

In all, Bills fans gave more than $400,000. The Dalton’s foundation, focused on children with special needs and medical issues, paid it forward, donating some of that money back to the Western New York community. Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center was one of the beneficiaries. In the years since, Dalton has heard many stories about how it’s helped those in need.

"I know one family in particular, their child needed some speech therapy that insurance wouldn’t cover," he said. "We were able to help pay for their therapy and the next thing you, the kid tells their parents I love you for the first time. Just different things like that, you know the impact you’re able to make and we wouldn’t be able to do without the support of so many people."

Dalton, despite never playing for the Bills, has become somewhat of a heroic figure in Buffalo. He was honored prior to a preseason game the following season, and five years later, he’s still feeling the love.

"I’m just one example of what the city has done," he said. "You’ve seen all the different charities and foundations they’ve supported of not only their own players, but also opposing players. I think the city is very generous and that’s something that people can take a lot from."

You heard Dalton mention other charities Bills Mafia has donated to over years. That moment in time pushed forward the giving spirit we’ve grown accustomed to now. Bills star quarterback Josh Allen is beloved by fans, and when his grandmother passed away in 2020, the Mafia stepped up in support, donating to Buffalo’s Oishei Children’s Hospital in $17 increments. Quickly, more than $1 million was raised, and Allen began the Patricia Allen Fund at the hospital to help kids who need it. That includes money for new equipment, and we introduce you to one young man who’s on the mend because of it.

Dominic Bull knew something was wrong right away.

"I fell right down on my butt and I looked down and saw my ankle super out of place. So immediately I yelled to the coach, ‘My ankle is dislocated',” Dominic said.

Dominic was playing dodgeball to warm up for wrestling practice when he collided with another kid.

"It was his first season on modified and he waited through two matches and then he was out. So he was pretty disappointed," his mother, Sarah Bull, said.

An ambulance took him to a local hospital in Wyoming County where his parents saw the extent of the injury.

"It was like the size of a fist where the bone was out of place and it was very visible," Sarah explained. "I think that that was the hardest to see was the dislocation."

"I was hoping that it was just dislocated and they could set it, but after they did the x-rays you could definitely see that there was breaks," Dominic's dad, Brandon, said. "So the big thought was what can we do to help avoid surgery?

Doctors at the first hospital were not able to fully set his fractured bones, and recommended Dominic go to another facility better equipped to help him. They decided to go to Oishei Children’s Hospital in Buffalo, which had recently purchased a new machine called a c-arm, which helps doctors look at fractures like Dominic’s and straighten it for casting. 

"The c-machine was able to reset his leg and check it to make sure it was perfectly aligned so that we didn’t need surgery at all. So were very, very relieved," Sarah said.

The hospital purchased the machine with help from the Patrica Allen Fund, started from donations in honor of Josh Allen’s late grandmother. Bills Mafia’s generosity in support of their star quarterback is making a real impact.

"It’s always nice to see results from that. People donating their money, now seeing this machine is in our backyard and it’s helping people," Brandon said. 

Kids like Dominic, who avoided surgery and a much longer recovery because of that equipment. And he can’t wait to get that cast off and dive into his next sport — swimming.

"For him being an athlete and just being an active boy, we want him to have a full recovery so he can get back into those sports and back into those things he loves," Sarah said.

From Andy Dalton to Josh Allen and beyond, numerous charities have benefited — Lamar Jackson's, the Teachers Desk in honor of late superfan Pancho Billa, and Dawson Knox, just to name of few. And of course, the outpouring for Damar Hamlin. Bills Mafia has proved time and time again their hearts are as big as love for the team.