Jessica Pegula's sister Kelly reacts to American's heartfelt essay about their mother's cardiac arrest

American tennis player Jessica Pegula came forward to discuss her mother's cardiac arrest and how that affected her game last year.

Pegula revealed in her essay that after the French Open last year, she had reason to celebrate as she made it to the quarterfinals of the Major and had also cracked the top-10 ranking. However, her mother went into cardiac arrest on her own birthday in June 2022. Pegula's sister Kelly broke the news to her.

In an essay titled 'I Want to Talk to You About My Mom' in The Player's Tribune, Pegula revealed that her mother, who is the president and owner of both the Buffalo Sabres and Buffalo Bills, won't be the same person after her illness.

"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 stated

The 28-year-old also revealed that she considered early retirement from tennis due to this unforeseen tragic event in her family.

"Suddenly, I went from “Let’s celebrate top 10 in the world” to “Do I need to start thinking about my career after tennis a lot sooner than I thought?” “Does my dad and family need help?” “Maybe I should just go back to school and work for the family.” she wrote.

Pegula shared the essay on her Twitter account where she stated her thankfulness.

"It felt like it was time. Thank you to @PlayersTribune for sharing this story"

The world No. 4's sister Kelly also reacted to her sister's essay with an emoji.

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"I feel like I am going to have a panic attack"- Jessica Pegula on Buffalo Bills' player Damar Hamlin's cardiac arrest

Jessica Pegula at the 2023 United Cup

American tennis star Jessica Pegula opened up about her mother Kim Pegula's cardiac arrest in June last year. In the essay, she talks about how she and her family dealt with the unexpected blow.

Pegula also opened up about 24-year-old Damar Hamlin, a safety for Buffalo Bills in the National Football League (NFL), who suffered a cardiac arrest during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals on January 2 this year.

The world No. 4's reaction was that of panic and anxiety as she was due to play the mixed doubles when she heard the news.

"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.”

At this year's Australian Open, Jessica Pegula wore a t-shirt with the number '3' patch to honor Damar Hamlin.