PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP) — Buffalo Bills co-owner Kim Pegula showed remarkable signs of recovery from a debilitating cardiac arrest by walking out onto the field accompanied by her husband to leave a post-practice team meeting on Friday.
Although Pegula’s gait was somewhat timid, it marked the first time she had been seen walking alone in public since she went into cardiac arrest in June 2022, shortly after celebrating her 53rd birthday.
Pegula spent the first two days of camp watching practice from the passenger seat of his family’s SUV, parked in the truck near the end zone. Like last year’s camp, Pegula watched practice from the car, his first appearance since getting sick.
As practice ended Friday, Terry Pegula went to the driver’s side of the SUV and helped his wife out. Then he took her hand and led her to the team, gathered near the goal line. Surrounded by players, she counted down “3, 2, 1, Bills” to break the huddle, left tackle Dion Dawkins said.
“We see her every day and it’s been amazing to see her grow,” Dawkins said. “I’m so proud of her. She’s still a mama bear.”
Coach Sean McDermott got emotional while recounting the moment.
“Oh, what words can I use to describe it? Gratitude and perspective are the two words that come to mind. I could go on all day about why those are the two words,” McDermott said. “I’m so grateful for Terri and Kim and I’m so grateful that she’s trying to get through this. And perspective is how precious every day is.”
Pegula’s recovery has taken a long time and involved regaining her motor skills and dealing with what her family says are significant speech and memory problems.
Before her illness, Kim Pegula served as president of the Bills and Buffalo Sabres and was the public face of both teams owned by the couple.
She worked closely with the NFL on player-related issues to ensure rookies were welcomed to Buffalo, oversaw marketing campaigns and was involved in the design of the Bills’ new stadium, which is currently under construction and scheduled to open in 2026. Pegula also served on several NFL committees.
“She put in so much energy and effort before it happened, so all we can do is root for her,” quarterback Josh Allen said. “I know a lot of the recruits don’t understand the impact she had on a lot of guys, like me, so I’m just happy she’s here.”
Camp is underway, and the Pegulas plan to leave for Paris in the coming days to watch their daughter, Jessica Pegula, compete for the U.S. in Olympic tennis.
Her attendance at the camp outside Rochester, New York, marked a return to hometown: Pegulas grew up in nearby Fairport.
Originally from South Korea, Pegula was orphaned as a child and moved to the United States when she was five years old and adopted by Ralph and Marilyn Carr.
She was the second wife of Terry Pegula; the two met in the town south of Buffalo and married in 1993. The Pegulas made their fortune in the natural gas industry and returned to Western New York when they bought the Sabres in 2011, then the Bills three years later after the death of franchise founder Ralph Wilson.
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