Bills, Sabres owner Kim Pegula still recovering from June 2022 cardiac arrest, Jessica Pegula says

Jan 4, 2020; Houston, Texas, USA; Buffalo Bills owner Kim Pegula poses for pictured with fan before the AFC Wild Card NFL Playoff game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
By The Athletic Staff
Feb 7, 2023

Bills and Sabres owner Kim Pegula is still in recovery from suffering cardiac arrest in June 2022 and is dealing with “significant expressive aphasia” and “significant memory loss,” daughter and tennis star Jessica Pegula revealed in an article she penned for The Players’ Tribune which published Tuesday. Here’s what you need to know:

  • Jessica said Kim, 53, can “read, write, and understand pretty well, but she has trouble finding the words to respond.”
  • Jessica also said, “The doctors continue to be blown away by her recovery, considering where she started, and her determination is the driving force of that.”
  • According to the article, Terry Pegula woke up to Kim going into cardiac arrest in June 2022 as Kim was unresponsive for “quite a while.” Kelly Pegula, another daughter of Terry and Kim, gave Kim CPR until the ambulance arrived and Jessica credited Kelly for saving Kim’s life.

What else Jessica said

“My mom is working hard in her recovery, she is improving, but where she ends up is still unknown,” Jessica wrote. “Luckily, we have some amazing people around us who have been crucial in helping her and without them I am not sure where our family would be. As people have gotten to know me more on court, and through interviews, they always tell me how calm, cool, and collected I am (for most part haha). I definitely get that from my mom (sorry, Dad). I like to think that our similarities helped prime me to deal with the obstacles of the past year.”

Backstory

The Pegulas purchased the Sabres in 2011 and the Bills in 2014. Kim Pegula is the president of both franchises.

(Photo: Kirby Lee / USA Today)

 

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