Wife of billionaire Bills owner makes rare public appearance after terrifying near-death health incident

Kim Pegula made a rare public appearance as the Buffalo Bills’ new stadium opened its doors to fans for the first time.

She walked hand in hand with her husband, billionaire owner Terry, as they were joined on the field by their son Matthew for family photos at the new $2.2billion facility, where fans were left furious after discovering major problems. 

Kim suffered a cardiac arrest in June 2022, suffering a brain injury due to a lack of oxygen. She has rarely appeared in public since, but has remained in close contact with the Bills, often watching practices from the passenger seat of an SUV near the field. 

Last summer, she surprised players with her first public appearance since her terrifying near-death experience at training camp last summer, breaking down their team huddle in heartwarming footage shared on social media. 

And she has now appeared publicly again at the new Highmark Stadium, this time with fans in attendance, to celebrate a milestone moment for the Bills. Husband Terry, who has an estimated net worth of $9.3billion, according to Forbes, assumed her roles as team president of the Bills and Buffalo Sabres after she was taken ill, though she remains listed as a co-owner of the team. 

Their daughter, current world No.4 tennis star Jessica Pegula, opened up on the reality of her mom’s health in an emotional article on The Players’ Tribune last year, revealing she is ‘dealing with significant expressive aphasia and significant memory issues’ and that daughter Kelly ‘saved her life’. 

 ‘My sister gave her CPR until the ambulance arrived. She saved her life,’ Jessica wrote in 2023. 

‘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.’

Kim’s presence at training camp last year generated an emotional reaction from Bills players, with star quarterback Josh Allen speaking at the time about her impact.  

‘She gave so much energy and effort before the incident. So it’s the least that we can do is rally around her,’ Allen said. 

‘I know a lot of the new guys don’t understand the impact that she had on a lot of guys here, like myself, so we’re just happy to see her out here.’ 

Offensive lineman Dion Dawkins called her ‘Mama Bear’ and added: ‘I’m proud of her. And, we’re happy to have her still.’ 

The Pegula Family purchased the Bills in 2014 after the death of previous owner Ralph Wilson, with a $1.4billion all-cash bid enough to win the battle to buy the NFL franchise.

They have enjoyed tremendous success in the years that have followed, led by Allen at quarterback, but a Super Bowl appearance has continued to elude the long-suffering franchise. 

Before her illness, Kim outlined her desire to bring a championship to Buffalo, declaring: ‘Championships – that’s why we’re here. At the end of the day, it’s all about winning. 

‘I mean, I just know these fans here in Buffalo, they want a championship so bad. 

‘And I tell people, nobody wants it worse than Terry and I do. This isn’t a hobby. We put a lot of time, effort and resources into this. 

‘It’s our passion. I’m competitive. And winning is not easy. I wish it was. But figuring out how to do that, that’s our sole focus.’