I deleted a section on my form that required a pdf upload without realizing it would delete the files that had been already been uploaded from the fir

You can try restoring the deleted field and check if that will also restore the uploaded files. Here's a guide: https://www.jotform.com/help/294-How-to-View-Form-Revision-History

Please take note that deleting a field will also delete the associated data. Here's a screenshot of the warning before you delete a field in the Form Builder:

I hope this information helps.