Tennis star Jessica Pegula revealed that her mother and Buffalo Bills co-owner Kim Pegula had suffered a cardiac arrest on June 7th 2022, the day she turned 53.
Jessica talked about it in an article for The Players’ Tribune. She said, “My mom was asleep when my dad woke up to her going into cardiac arrest and she was unresponsive for quite a while. My sister gave her CPR until the ambulance arrived. She saved her life,”
The player even thought of ending her career soon, just after entering top 10, to stay by her mother’s side. She said, “Suddenly I went from, ‘Let’s celebrate top 10 in the world’ to, ‘Do I need to start thinking about my career after tennis a lot sooner than I thought?’” She further added, “I’m 28 and I take pride in being able to handle every situation thrown at me, but this was a lot.”
Jessica also revealed about her mother’s current condition. She said, “My mom is still in recovery and although it is the same answer every time someone asks me, it is true, she is improving every day. She is dealing with significant expressive aphasia and significant memory issues,” She further added, “I thank God every day that we can still communicate with her at all. The doctors continue to be blown away by her recovery, considering where she started, and her determination is the driving force of that.”
Tennis world applauds Jessica Pegula
Jessica Pegula’s peers and veterans showered love and support for the star.
Legendary Billie Jean King wrote, “Sending our love and support to you. Mothers are so special,”
Rising star Coco Gauff tweeted three heart emojis whereas two time Australian open champion Victoria Azarenka posted a picture of Jessica with her mother alongside a heart in her Instagram stories.
Former world number 1 and 18-time grandslam champion Chris Evert tweeted, “Thank you for sharing this heartbreaking and heartwarming story, Jessie. Your mother is incredible and resilient. Sending good thoughts and prayers your way,”
