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PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP) – Buffalo Bills co-owner Kim Pegula showed significant signs in her recovery from a debilitating cardiac arrest by being escorted onto the field by her husband to help break up the team’s post-practice huddle on Friday .
Although her steps are somewhat tentative, this is the first time Pegula has been seen in public walking alone since suffering a cardiac arrest in June 2022, shortly after celebrating her 53rd birthday .
Pegula spent the first two days of practice watching camp from the passenger seat of the family SUV parked on the track near one of the end zones. It was similar to last year’s camp, when Pegula also watched practice from the vehicle while making her first appearance since falling ill.
As the practice ended Friday, Terry Pegula went to the passenger side of the SUV and helped his wife out. He then took her hand and led her to the team gathered near the goal line.
A video posted by the Bills shows the team surrounding the Pegulas, with quarterback Josh Allen saying: “I appreciate you guys coming out. We love you guys, we respect you, and thank you guys.”
Without saying a word, Kim Pegula then raised her left arm and joined hands with left tackle Dion Dawkins as Allen broke the huddle by saying, “Bills on three. One, two, three, Bills.”
Coach Sean McDermott grew emotional as he recounted the moment.
“Oh, man. How do you put that into words? Grateful and perspective, I think, are the two words that come to mind. And I could be here all day talking about the reasons for those two words,” McDermott said. “Thank you very much to Terry and Kim. Grateful that she is working through this. And, perspective is how precious each day is. “
Dawkins said it was amazing to see the progress Pegula had made, and added: “I’m proud of her. It’s still the Mama Bear. And, we’re happy to have her alone.”
Pegula’s recovery has been long and extensive in regaining his motor skills and dealing with what the family described as significant language and memory issues.
Serving as president of the Bills and Buffalo Sabers before becoming ill, Kim Pegula was the public face of the two franchises owned by the couple.
She continually helped with player matters to ensure newcomers were welcomed to Buffalo, while also overseeing marketing campaigns and playing a role in the design of the Bills’ new stadium, which is under construction and set to open in 2026. Pegula was also a member of several NFL committees.
“She put in so much energy and effort before the event. So the least we can do is rally around her,” said quarterback Josh Allen. “I know a lot of the new guys don’t understand the impact she had on a lot of guys here, like me, so we’re happy to see her out here.”
With camp underway, the Pegulas are expected to travel to Paris in the coming days to watch their daughter, Jessica Pegula, represent the United States in tennis at the Olympics.
Kim Pegula is still listed as co-owner of the team, although her husband assumed his role as president of the Bills and Sabers as part of a major restructuring of Pegula’s holdings last summer.
Her presence at the camp in suburban Rochester, New York, represented a homecoming — Pegulas grew up in nearby Fairport.
From South Korea, Pegula was orphaned as a child before being adopted at age 5 by Ralph and Marilyn Kerr, who brought her to the United States.
She is Terry Pegula’s second wife, after the two met in a town south of Buffalo and married in 1993. The Pegulas made their fortune in the natural gas industry and returned to western New York by purchasing the Sabers in 2011 , and then purchased the Bills three years later following the death of franchise founder Ralph Wilson.
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