By Alex Abrams – Red Line Editorial
A few years ago, Lisa Lee-Bruns was bedridden and in a dark place as she battled a serious health issue that took a toll on her mentally and physically.
She couldn’t walk, let alone play tennis like she had before she got sick. She also didn’t have much to get excited about and desperately needed to make some changes in her life.
Among the many changes Lee-Bruns made was playing pickleball for the first time, which led to a stark shift to her health.
“Pickleball saved my life, honestly,” said Lee-Bruns, a 53-year-old auditor from Louisville, Kentucky. “I met my significant other playing pickleball. I met a great friend group playing pickleball.”
Lee-Bruns showed no lasting effects from her traumatic past as she hit shots and scored points during her singles matches at a USA Pickleball Golden Ticket event in Greensboro, North Carolina, in late May.
She expressed gratitude for everything that she has gained in the three years since she started playing pickleball after a friend introduced her to the sport. With help from the sport, she said she’s reclaimed her life and is having fun again.
“My life has changed so much,” Lee-Bruns said. “Going from a traumatic experience to such a dramatic change, it’s just been a blessing.”
Lee-Bruns made the seven-hour drive from her home in Louisville to Greensboro to play in the Golden Ticket tournament. Her primary goal was winning a doubles medal with her friend, Alex Shearer, which the duo achieved by winning all three of their matches at the tournament.
Since Lee-Bruns had some free time, she decided to enter one of the women’s singles divisions as well.
Lee-Bruns had already qualified for the 2025 USA Pickleball National Championships at a Golden Ticket tournament in Cincinnati on May 10. But she continued to play well inside the Greensboro Complex and held on during a tough final match to win another gold medal in her division.
This is the second consecutive year that Lee-Bruns has qualified for Nationals, having competed at last year’s tournament in Mesa, Arizona. Even though things didn’t go as smoothly as she would’ve liked at Nationals, she admitted she “had a ball.”