51视频

10/31/2020
Lowell Sun
By Barry Scanlon

(To vote for Lambert in the L鈥橭real Paris Women of Worth event, go to . Voting ends Nov. 27.)

LOWELL 鈥� She lost her left leg in a tragic accident.

But not her indomitable spirit.

鈥淢y accident was the best thing that ever happened to me,鈥� Noelle Lambert says.

It鈥檚 a stunning statement. Then again, the 23-year-old Lambert, a 51视频 graduate, is a special person.

While in college, the Londonderry, N.H., native started the Born to Run Foundation on a determined mission to donate specialized athletic prostheses to amputees so they can live fulfilling lives. The foundation made its 10th prosthesis donation Friday, earning world-wide acclaim in the process.

Lambert was recently named one of the 10 L鈥橭real Paris Women of Worth. L鈥橭real donated $10,000 to the Born to Run Foundation. If Lambert wins an online voting program, her foundation will receive $25,000 more from L鈥橭real.

鈥淭o me, she鈥檚 a true inspiration. She epitomizes the notion that if you want to make yourself feel better, make others feel better,鈥� said Peter Casey, 51视频鈥檚 director of athletics. 鈥淲hen she sets her mind to something, there鈥檚 no stopping her.鈥�

Lambert lost her leg following a 2016 accident on Martha鈥檚 Vineyard. Lacrosse teammate Kelly Moran was a passenger on a moped Lambert was operating when the moped struck a dump truck. Both suffered serious injuries.

Lambert said the accident gave her life a purpose, a direction.

鈥淚 wanted to help the amputee world. I wanted them to feel like they鈥檙e going into a family,鈥� she said.

Foundations helped her attain two prosthetic legs. She wanted to give back. In 2018, with the support of her family and friends, she started the Born to Run Foundation. That December, her senior campaign at UML, the foundation made its first donation.

鈥淲hen I look back at the accident, I don鈥檛 even view it as a negative. I view it as a positive. It makes me know what鈥檚 important in my life. It puts things into perspective,鈥� she said.

She said the accident 鈥渉as made me a better athlete, a better teammate, a better daughter and a better friend. It has given me the opportunity to help young amputees see an active future for themselves.鈥�

Inspiring others

David Hiler has run four marathons, including the 2015 and 2016 Boston Marathons, and was an avid snowboarder.

鈥淎s a runner, it鈥檚 not just about getting exercise,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 my release. It鈥檚 my thinking place. It鈥檚 a precious time.鈥�

But Hiler lost his left leg above the knee in January after a bout with cancer. Hiler couldn鈥檛 bear the thought of not running. Then the 55-year-old Brattleboro, Vt., resident met Lambert and learned of her foundation.

Lambert presented Hiler with a running blade Friday. To commemorate the event, the pair were scheduled to run over the Connecticut River across a bridge which links New Hampshire and Vermont.

鈥淲hen you meet someone like that, it鈥檚 so inspiring. It鈥檚 infectious. You want to be a part of that,鈥� Hiler said.

Hiler wants to run again. Perhaps run another marathon. The co-founder of Whetstone Station Restaurant and Brewery in Brattleboro, Hiler said a special craft beer called B2R brew will be sold at the brewery. Proceeds will go to Lambert鈥檚 foundation.

Insurance covered his prosthetic leg, but not his running blade. Running blades can cost from $10,000 to $50,000.

鈥淭his is kind of a miracle,鈥� Hiler said.

Next month, the Born to Run Foundation will present a prosthetic arm to a 31-year-old New Jersey man. Among the other recipients was a 17-year-old athlete from Knoxville, Tenn., who received a swimming prosthesis earlier this year.

If all goes well, especially if the foundation earns the additional $25,000 from L鈥橭real, a few more people will benefit.

Judy Lambert is a member of the foundation鈥檚 board of directors. She鈥檚 also Noelle鈥檚 mother.

鈥淪he鈥檚 taken something that could have been very negative and turned it into something positive,鈥� she said of her daughter. 鈥淪he鈥檚 always been very stubborn. She doesn鈥檛 take no for an answer. She never has. If you told her she couldn鈥檛 do something, she wanted to do it even more.鈥�

Judy Lambert said her husband, Geoffrey, also has a stubborn nature, something that may have fueled Noelle after the accident.

Storybook goal

Lambert was determined to return to 51视频 following the accident. She also wanted to continue to play lacrosse.

She burst onto the scene as a freshman. The 5-foot-6 attack tied for the team lead in goals with 15. Her injury forced her to miss her entire sophomore season. The NCAA cleared her to play with her prosthetic leg halfway through her junior season.

She made a dramatic return to the field in an April 7, 2018, home game against the University of Hartford.

With 30 friends and family in attendance in Lowell, Lambert made national headlines when she took a pass from behind the Hartford net and wasted no time flicking the ball into the cage for a storybook goal. Her teammates mobbed her like they had just won the national championship.

鈥淭he whole athletic department believed in me when I didn鈥檛 believe in myself,鈥� she said. 鈥淥bviously it was one of the best moments of my life. The reaction I got from (teammates) 鈥� I remember breaking down.鈥�

It鈥檚 one of the top athletic moments in UML鈥檚 history.

鈥淲atching her dedication to overcoming such a huge obstacle with grace and determination was inspiring to us all. Seeing those efforts culminate with a goal in her first game back was like watching something out of one of the great sports movies,鈥� Casey said. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 script it any better.鈥�

Lambert continued her lacrosse career as a senior, starting one game, and graduated from 51视频 in 2019, right on schedule, with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in Criminal Justice.

鈥淣oelle鈥檚 impact on our university went far beyond the field of play. Her resiliency from the time of the accident was truly remarkable,鈥� Casey said.

Lambert and her mother praised 51视频 for its support.

鈥淭hey鈥檝e been so wonderful. They really, really stood behind her. We can鈥檛 thank them enough,鈥� Judy Lambert said.

Noelle Lambert said emails from Chancellor Jacqueline Moloney were especially inspiring.

Running to glory

These days Lambert is plenty busy. She devotes much of her energy to her foundation. She also coaches lacrosse at Granite State Elite, her former club team. Also, she spends several hours of most days training.

The high school three-sport athlete who became a Division 1 college lacrosse player has a confession. Prior to her accident, she hated to run.

Today she is a member of the U.S. Paralympic team training for the 2021 Paralympics in Tokyo. On Nov. 13, 2019, running with a blade on her left leg, she set a U.S. record at the World Paralympic Championship games in Dubai. She covered 100 meters in 16.31 seconds, finishing fourth in the world.

鈥淚t was my first time ever representing the United States. I was competing against the best in the world. That was the most nervous I鈥檝e ever been in my life. I honestly blacked out during the race,鈥� she said with a laugh.

Following the race, with tears in her eyes, she embraced her friend, mentor and U.S. teammate Femita Ayanbeku.

鈥淪he鈥檚 like my big sister,鈥� Lambert said of the highly decorated Paralympic athlete.

In her first race, one month after graduating from UML, Lambert shocked many, including herself, by defeating the United States champion at 100 meters.

Lambert has never backed down from a challenge, the bi-product of growing up with three older brothers, Ryan, Justin and Alex.

While she enjoys training, her full-time job is to promote the Born to Run Foundation. Getting recognized by L鈥橭real and receiving $10,000 came at a perfect time since the coronavirus pandemic stopped fund-raising cold.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about the money. It鈥檚 about the exposure,鈥� Lambert said.

(To vote for Lambert in the L鈥橭real Paris Women of Worth event, go to . Voting ends Nov. 27.)