‘She Didn’t Respond’: How Jessica Pegula’s Sister Kelly Became a Lifesaver for Their Mom Kim

First aid can be a blessing if it is given promptly and at the right time. Just ask Jessica Pegula, who is familiar with this scenario. A few years ago, her mother suffered a cardiac arrest while she was at home. However, she was saved by the timely intervention of her daughter. The intervention was not made by Jessica, but by her sister Kelly. It was a difficult year for Jessica Pegula, because her mother was subsequently hospitalized. The American star later spoke out about the series of events that took place.

In an article published in The Players’ Tribune, Pegula recounted how her sister Kelly saved their mother’s life by administering first aid. “My mother was asleep when my father woke up and saw her cardiac arrest. She was unresponsive for quite some time.” said Pegula.

While Jessica Pegula was away, her sister Kelly was home and stepped in to perform CPR, an emergency procedure involving chest compressions given in the event of cardiac arrest. Pegula added: “My sister performed CPR until the ambulance arrived. She saved her life. Even though she doesn’t want to take credit for this horrible situation, she absolutely saved her life, followed by the critical job done by the paramedics who arrived and were able to restore a heartbeat.”

While Pegula’s mother Kim, who is still listed as a co-owner of the NFL team Buffalo Bills despite the latest restructuring of Pegula’s assets, suffered a life-threatening moment, the entire Pegula family was distraught, including Jessica Pegula herself. However, seeing her mother’s recovery gave her courage to excel in her career.

Jessica Pegula draws inspiration from her mother’s rapid recovery

In 2022, Pegula was still reeling from her mother’s near-death situation prior to the Wimbledon Championships. However, she decided to compete in the grass-court Grand Slam tournament, albeit without any training. She reached the third round there, losing to Petra Martic. A year later, however, she reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, which was her best performance in that tournament.

She later emphasized how she was inspired by her mother’s recovery from cardiac arrest: “When I came here a year ago, I didn’t have a warm-up. My mother almost died. I think making quarters for a year, and seeing her watch my game, was a big success for me and my family.”

Years after that near-tragedy, Pegula is one step away from her best performance at a Grand Slam tournament, having reached the last eight of the ongoing US Open. She will face Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals and will be looking to pull off an upset to advance in the tournament, even though Swiatek is the favorite to win that match. Do you think Pegula can beat Swiatek?