Professional pickleball player Julie Manuel runs 3 miles daily, ignoring the pain of blown-out ankle ligaments that required reconstructive surgery. She plays pickleball despite the newly constructed ankle becoming infected and requiring a second surgery. She is on her second pacemaker, has had a full knee replacement, walks with a limp until she gets going, and yet her positive spirit keeps pushing her forward. Many doctors have worked tirelessly so Manuel can remain active, but the real difference is that she met April Lemaster Manuel, and her now wife believes that was not by chance.
“Honest to God, I’m spiritual, not religious, but when things are meant to be, they are meant to be. What I saw in her was a great light. She is such a kind person with so much to give and the most optimistic, happy person. I loved that about her,” April said.
Date Night
The evening was planned out, a drink at April’s apartment, then out for some fun. Everything had been pleasant when April popped into the restroom for a minute. She came back out, and Julie, her date, had fainted. Things quickly escalated into a panic.
“I had been a medic for 15 years and a firefighter, and she had done a header and cracked her face. I come out of the bathroom, thinking, what did you do? Her pulse was 20. I’ll call 911,” April said.
Julie was now crying and embarrassed. “No, no. This has been happening for years, since college. It is maybe heat related or alcohol,” she said.
April looked at her date as a patient and realized this was nothing Julie had caused herself.
“I can tell you this was a huge cardiac episode,” she said.
Once Julie was made more comfortable and began to recover, she explained to April that what happened wasn’t new. Julie was an athlete who played basketball and softball, and when fainting occurred, it was always attributed to something else.
April comforted Julie, listened closely, reassured her, and then decisively explained they were going to a heart hospital together.
Twisting Arms for a Tilt
Julie warned April that doctors were unable to come up with a diagnosis. Each doctor attributed her fainting to something else so she accepted a non-existent answer. When April became involved, the result was the same, a non-diagnosis. Regardless, April was determined to find the underlying cause of the fainting.
“I worked with a guy that passed out in a fire. The diagnosis he finally received came from a tilt table test. “So, I began to say to anyone that would listen, can we do a tilt table?”
The tilt table was considered an antiquated test and many doctors were hesitant. Eventually they found a doctor who agreed to do the test.
April sat with Julie’s parents in the waiting room while the test was being conducted, hoping it would bring some answers. It did. The doctor explained that Julie had flatlined during the test. He also called it the worst case of Neurocardiogenic syncope he had ever seen.
There was a solution for the diagnosis, a pacemaker. At age 30, the lifelong athlete had to decide if she would accept being fitted for a device that is commonly done for those over 60. There was plenty of crying in the waiting room and April even briefly asked herself, “Is this worth it? This girl is so sick.”
The answer was easy for April and she told Julie, “I’m all in.”
April knew she loved Julie and realized the dangers and risks people in their 20s and 30s do, often without worrying of the repercussions later in life. She needed Julie to be smart with every choice she made about her body. That was a commitment she insisted on that day.
As for the pacemaker, April did not blink, “It wasn’t difficult for me. I knew without it she would die. She had to do it. I don’t think she could grasp things beyond the fact she couldn’t play golf. She was the best shortstop in softball and wouldn’t be now. She thought her life was ending. To me, this was not some option.”
April convinced her they would handle this together, forever.
“She is my treasure. It makes your love a lot stronger. This was not going to be easy, but what is?”
From Snow to Sun
April jokes about how hard it is to even play Monopoly with Julie because she is such a competitor. Keeping Julie healthy also meant keeping up with her. The pacemaker didn’t hold Julie down long, she bounced right back to an active lifestyle, finding ways to compete.
Julie still would have symptoms, and April would assume her new role of watching for dehydration and other potential triggers. They still searched for what worked and what didn’t, but instead of complaining, Julie remained thankful for the miracle of the pacemaker.
The couple enjoyed being active. April was also athletic, as a Junior Olympian she excelled at softball and numerous sports. She was also an accomplished skier and introduced the sport to Julie. It was skiing that would lead to another major setback for Julie, 3 years after her pacemaker implant.
April recalled the trip, “We went on a ski trip and I was sidelined after recent back surgery. Julie had a major ski crash on the trip and would require a full knee replacement.”
“Here she is a month later [from my back surgery] and needs a full knee replacement. We are both on couches and we just knew we had to change some things. We are hard on our bodies, and our dream is to grow old and be able to walk,” April said.
They chose the Florida sun to rehab their injuries and stay with friends. And it was there that someone invited them to play pickleball. Julie is thankful to this day that she picked up a paddle, and April feels the same way.
Pickleball Passion
It was 2016 when Julie first grabbed a paddle. At this point, she had 5 surgeries, a pacemaker, and numerous bouts of dehydration. When the pickleball passion presented itself, none of that mattered. She wanted to go all the way in the sport.
April had been slowing down since back surgery and she loved to pickle, but did not aspire beyond playing the sport to remain healthy.
Julie put in the work to reach professional status, earning a sponsorship by Onix Pickleball. She’s won countless tournament medals, including bronze and silver in 2019 and three gold medals in 2021 at the Minto US Open Championships.
Julie is an instructor for Viking Pickleball and teaches clinics locally, inspiring others to play the sport. The ankle injury has hampered Julie’s tournament participation (she may need a third surgery) but her ability to compete at the highest level and maintain a full-time job as a Psychotherapist at Kettering Health Network in the Greater Dayton area is impressive.
Pickleball provided magic in its ability to keep Julie and April healthy and happy. They’ve made friends across the country and travel in their RV whenever possible.
Behind the Scenes Inspiration
Recently Julie and her partner Melissa Herr won gold at the 5.0 level in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, qualifying her for Nationals, an accomplishment that came despite her current pain level.
April says she is quite comfortable behind the scenes and hopes the couple will give back to the sport through charity. Julie sees her wife’s role far beyond simply being behind the scenes.
In an interview with the Port Townsend Pickleball Club in 2021, Julie was asked if there was someone in her life who provided her inspiration.
“There are a lot of people that inspire me daily, but the one that stands out is my wife, April. She never gave up before the pacemaker and kept reminding me of the bigger things God had planned for me – her positive attitude and tenacity always encourage me to never give up,” she said.
Julie credits April for inspiration, April would call it fate.
Images provided courtesy of the Manuels. Feature photo by Eric Wilson, 2020 Arnold Sports Festival.
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