Bills owner Kim Pegula's daughter Jessica opens up on aftermath of Damar Hamlin's on-field collapse
On a Monday Night Football game in January, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field. After tackling Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, Hamlin fell to the ground and had to be resuscitated before being rushed to the hospital.
Bills owner Kim Pegula's daughter, Jessica, is an American tennis player and the moment Hamlin collapsed brought her a terrifying memory. She revealed this to the Player's Tribune:
"In January we came to some bizarre, messed-up, full circle moment. Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest on the field during the Monday night game against the Cincinnati Bengals. My stomach sunk because it felt like the exact same thing all over again. I was sitting on the bench for a tennis event in Sydney, Australia."
She continued:
"I wanted to throw up. I was supposed to go on for mixed doubles in 15 minutes and I remember telling one of my teammates, 'I am a little freaked out right now, this is too close to home, and I feel like I am going to have a panic attack.' Again, I usually don’t get too much anxiety, but the thought of what Damar and his family were about to go through hurt my heart."
She finished by saying:
"I knew how important time was. I just kept thinking time, time, time, time. I hope they got him back and quick enough. The medical staff and trainers who assisted that night really saved his life and were tremendous in his recovery. I ended up going on for mixed doubles and we won."
The training staff likely did save Hamlin's life and in the nick of time, too. Hamlin reportedly received several minutes of CPR to bring him back before they could rush him to the hospital, where he would need his life saved once again.
Is Damar Hamlin recovering?
Given that he suffered a cardiac arrest on the field, Damar Hamlin's football future is up in the air. However, thanks to the medical staffs that worked with him, he does have a future.
He's currently rehabbing from the injury but he is out of the hospital and able to live his life and could eventually return to the NFL.