"He didn’t want to go back unless my mom was with him" - When Jessica Pegula disclosed living in hospital with dad Terry amid mom Kim's cardiac arrest
Jessica Pegula once penned a heartfelt essay detailing the devastating ordeal of her mother Kim's cardiac arrest. The American also shed light on the profound impact her mother's health crisis had on her father Terry and their entire family.
Pegula achieved a major career milestone after her run to the quarterfinals of the 2022 French Open in June, breaking into the top 10 for the first time as the World No. 8. However, the American's celebrations were short-lived, as her world was rocked by the news of her father discovering her mother going into cardiac arrest in the middle of the night.
In an emotional essay for The Players' Tribune in February 2023, Jessica Pegula revealed that her sister Kelly had saved their mother's life by performing CPR until the ambulance arrived.
"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," Jessica Pegula wrote.
"Even though she doesn’t like to take credit for this terrible situation, she absolutely saved her life, followed by the critical job performed by the paramedics who arrived and were able to restore a heartbeat," she added.
Although her mother successfully underwent surgery to address the cardiac arrest, concerns arose about a potential brain injury due to the temporary lack of oxygen supply during the episode.
Pegula disclosed that she and her family were mentally and physically exhausted from living in the hospital during that time. She also shared that her father Terry had to be forced to occasionally return home for some rest, as he couldn't bear to be at their house without her mother Kim.
"We lived in that hospital for basically two weeks. We took shifts, we brought each other food, we knew all the nurses and doctors, we even knew their schedules. We had to force my dad to go home and sleep, but most of the time he didn’t. He would go sit in his car to get away or come to my house," Jessica Pegula said.
"He didn’t want to go back to their house unless my mom was back with him. When they say one day in the hospital equals a week to recover, that is no joke. We were all mentally and physically exhausted," she added.
Kim Pegula was moved out of the ICU after a week and she began showing signs of improvement, with doctors calling it a "miracle" that she was even on the road to recovery.
Jessica Pegula on her mother Kim: "She was the woman behind my dad’s success and my dad would happily admit that"
Although Jessica Pegula's mother Kim made progress in her recovery, she had to deal with "significant expressive aphasia and memory issues." The American credited her mother, the president, and owner of the NFL team Buffalo Bills and NHL franchise Buffalo Sabres, as the driving force behind her father Terry's success, who is worth $7.7 billion.
However, Pegula bemoaned that they had to reconcile with the realization that her mother would no longer be the same person as before.
"She was the woman behind my dad’s success and my dad would happily admit that. She jumped into this journey with him and learned many lessons along the way, breaking a lot of barriers," Jessica Pegula said.
"She was the shift in culture, positivity, and the heartbeat of many of the employees. She gave everyone so much of her time and effort. She lived it and loved it, and it was felt by everyone she met. Now we come to the realization that all of that is most likely gone. That she won’t be able to be that person anymore," she added.
As her father Terry took on the bulk of her mother Kim's professional responsibilities, Jessica Pegula admitted that she considered quitting tennis to return to school and assist her father in running their myriad family businesses.
However, the American chose to stay on tour, dedicating her triumph at the 2022 Guadalajara Open to her mother Kim. Pegula disclosed that she drew inspiration from her mother's fighting spirit during recovery, using it as motivation to continue living her dream of being a professional tennis player.