Buffalo Bills co-owner Kim Pegula made a triumphant return to the team on Friday, appearing at the end of their training camp practice. This marked her first public appearance walking on her own since her cardiac arrest in June 2022, as reported by John Wawrow of The Associated Press.
The 55-year-old’s health scare occurred seven months prior to Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest during Week 17 of the 2022 season against the Cincinnati Bengals on “Monday Night Football.”
Wawrow noted that Pegula had spent the initial two days of training camp observing practice from the passenger seat of the family’s SUV parked near one of the end zones. She had also watched parts of last year’s camp from the vehicle, marking her first public appearance since the incident.
“As practice was ending on Friday, Terry Pegula went to the driver’s side of the SUV and helped his wife get out,” Wawrow wrote. “He then took her hand and led her to the team gathered near the goal line. In being surrounded by players, she then counted down ‘three, two, one, Bills’ to break the huddle, left tackle Dion Dawkins said.”
❤️💙
Kim Pegula broke down the team huddle today. #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/iiwWWTQODh
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) July 26, 2024
Eight months after Pegula’s health issues became known, her daughter, American tennis star Jessica Pegula, detailed her mother’s cardiac arrest in an essay for The Player’s Tribune. The next day, Hamlin expressed his support on social media, thanking Jessica for her openness and showing solidarity with the Pegula family.
According to the Associated Press, Kim Pegula has been undergoing extensive therapy to address significant language and memory issues following her cardiac arrest.
