LauraLee Denler finds connection and routine through pickleball

LauraLee Denler’s story lands because pickleball is only one part of a much larger routine, and that is exactly why it matters. Two years after a young-onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis, she kept showing up to activities that still make her feel active and engaged, from cycling and hot yoga to kayaking and time on the court. In her case, pickleball is not framed as an escape from illness, but as a place where movement, connection, and encouragement hold the day together.

Pickleball as a steady part of daily life

Denler’s path into the game has the kind of athletic backstory that makes her connection to pickleball feel natural. She grew up in racquet sports, delivered newspapers as a teenager to save for a tennis racquet, later played tennis and racquetball, and then picked up pickleball after her diagnosis. That progression matters because it shows how the sport can meet players where they already are, especially people who want something active, familiar, and social without losing the joy of a racquet-sport rhythm.

What stands out in her story is not competition for its own sake, but the routine the sport creates. Denler talks about the game as engaging, and the social side keeps pulling her back. For people navigating a serious health challenge, that combination can be more valuable than any single workout: a reason to leave the house, a group expecting you, and a shared activity that does not revolve around diagnosis.

Why this story sits inside a bigger health conversation

USA Pickleball’s feature places Denler’s court time alongside cycling, hot yoga, and kayaking, which is a useful reminder that pickleball often works best as part of a broader active lifestyle. The sport fits into a wellness mix rather than replacing everything else, and that makes it especially relevant for retreat planning. When pickleball is woven into a day that also allows recovery, movement variety, and social downtime, it becomes easier for more people to participate consistently.

That broader framing is reinforced by health reporting on the sport itself. Columbia Neurology has pointed to pickleball’s cardiovascular benefits, its ability to reduce sedentary time, its social engagement, and its positive contribution to brain health in the aging population. A 2025 study of older U.S. adults also found that pickleball participation was associated with lower perceived loneliness and social isolation. In other words, the court can do more than fill a schedule slot. It can support the mental and social conditions that make active living sustainable.

This is ALZ and the power of seeing the person first

Denler’s feature is tied to This is ALZ, a campaign launched on May 13, 2026, to challenge long-held perceptions of Alzheimer’s by showing what the disease can look like in its earlier stages. The campaign says some of the people it features may be cognitively unimpaired or only beginning to show symptoms, a choice that pushes back against the idea that an Alzheimer’s diagnosis instantly erases identity, capability, or purpose.

HealthyWomen chief executive Beth Battaglino connects that message to health and brain wellness, arguing that the social and mental engagement of pickleball makes it a strong fit for people who want to stay active and connected. She also points to the fact that modern treatment and testing options look very different from what existed decades ago, which adds a note of progress to the story. The point is not just that people are living longer with diagnosis, but that early recognition and support can change what life after diagnosis looks like.

The detail that makes Denler’s story resonate

The companion This is ALZ signature story adds the emotional spine behind Denler’s public presence. It says she worked as a reading interventionist for young children and first sensed something was wrong when she began struggling to remember her students’ names. It also notes that she has a family history of Alzheimer’s, which gives her story a painful familiarity for many families who recognize the pattern before a formal diagnosis arrives.

A separate report from July 1, 2024, described Denler as 60 and living in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, and said she had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s in 2023. That same report noted that she was training for a 5K with her wife, Tara Milardo, to raise funds for the Alzheimer’s Association. Taken together, those details sketch a life that still includes movement goals, partnership, and public purpose, even as she navigates a serious condition.

What retreat operators can take from her example

Denler’s story offers a practical blueprint for pickleball retreats that want to feel supportive rather than merely recreational. The lesson is not to turn every getaway into a health program, but to build experiences that make it easier for people with different stamina levels, life circumstances, and health histories to stay involved.

• Build in predictable rhythm. Players facing cognitive or medical stress often benefit from routines they can trust, so multi-day formats should be clearly structured and easy to follow.

• Treat social time as part of the program. Denler’s connection to the game comes from the people around it, not just the rallies, which makes communal meals, casual mixers, and unforced conversation just as important as court blocks.

• Offer varied movement, not only match play. Her wider routine includes cycling, hot yoga, and kayaking, a reminder that pickleball retreats can pair court time with gentler or cross-training activities.

• Make room for mixed abilities and changing energy. A retreat that welcomes players with different health backgrounds is more likely to feel genuinely inclusive than one built only for high-intensity competitors.

• Emphasize purpose as well as play. Denler’s 5K fundraising and campaign work show that many people want activities that connect to something larger than themselves.

A court can be a form of support

Denler’s story works because it never reduces pickleball to a cure, a gimmick, or a slogan. It shows a woman using the sport as one part of a fuller life shaped by diagnosis, family, memory, movement, and community. That is why the court feels meaningful here: not because it removes the challenge, but because it gives her structure, company, and a reason to keep moving through it.