‘You can do anything you put your mind to’

In the summer of 2016, multisport athlete Noelle Lambert lost her leg in a moped accident on-Island. Now she is looking to compete in the 2021 Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan. 

After waking up in the hospital with only one leg after her accident, Lambert told The Times, she was convinced she would never walk again, let alone play competitive sports.

But Lambert soon discovered that becoming an amputee was far from the end of her athletic career — it was only the beginning.

In high school, Lambert played soccer, basketball, and lacrosse. She was given a D1 lacrosse scholarship to play at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, and in her freshman year of college, she was the leading point scorer, starting every game.

In the wake of her accident, Lambert said, she was visited by her close friends, family, coaches, teammates, and other amputees who wanted to share their stories. 

According to Lambert, a number of Boston Marathon survivors reached out and wanted to visit her. “Hearing their stories really inspired me and made me think to myself, ‘Well, I am lying in bed right now, but I really can’t feel sorry for myself if they are telling me my life is going to change, but I am still going to be able to do everything I want,’” Lambert said.

And with that, she began her path to rehabilitation. She took her sophomore season off to rest, then was given a running blade in April 2017, which allowed her to finally conceptualize the potential of returning to the field. “I really started giving it 100 percent at that point. I hired a personal trainer, got back in shape, and returned to school in the fall. I returned to the field my junior season, and during my senior year, it was like my accident never happened. I was at every practice, every game,” Lambert said.

She continued to be a star player, but after graduating college, Lambert didn’t want to end her athletic career, so soon after her recovery process was over. A scout for the U.S. Paralympic track and field team asked Lambert if she ever considered pursuing track and field.

“It’s funny, I have always hated running tests ever since I was in high school. But I thought it would be a cool opportunity to represent my country if I was good enough, so I signed myself up for the first track meet,” Lambert said.

When she arrived in Arizona for her first-ever official track meet, Lambert competed against the national champion, and won.

She says competing alongside people with two legs prior to getting involved with the Paralympics was a beneficial factor in preparing her for the meet.

After proving herself on the track, Lambert was selected to compete at the World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai in November 2019. There, she placed fourth in the world in the 100-meter race, setting a U.S. record with a time of 16.31 seconds.

After seeing what she could accomplish, Lambert wanted to share that experience with other young amputees who want to pursue their dreams. During her recovery, Lambert received two specialized prosthetics from two different foundations. Seeing the work those foundations did for her, she said, inspired her to provide those same supports for others.

In 2018, Lambert made her first prosthetic donation through her nonprofit organization, the Born to Run Foundation, which helps young people receive specialized prosthetics so they can live rich and fulfilling lives. 

“A specialized prosthetic can range anywhere between $10,000 and $50,000, and insurance companies will not cover it,” Lambert said. “I wanted to not only gift people with prosthetics, I wanted to show other amputees that ‘if she can do it, I can do it.’”

Whenever the foundation gifts a prosthetic, Lambert said, she wants to be there to see the reaction. 

“I want to be there when that person takes their first steps, because I was that person in their shoes, waiting to be gifted with a specialized prosthetic. Seeing someone’s face light up with that understanding that they can still do what they want to do, it really shows that you can do anything you put your mind to,” Lambert said. “It’s something I am so grateful to be a part of.”

Currently, Lambert said her foundation donates about five prosthetics each year.

At the beginning of the summer, Lambert discovered that one of her mother’s friends nominated her for the L’Oreal Paris 2020 Woman of Worth recognition, which honors extraordinary women who selflessly volunteer their time to serve their communities. 

It took the entire summer for L’Oreal to pick their final 10 contestants, and when Lambert received the call in August saying she was one of the finalists, she was elated.

“The recognition alone we received from the L’Oreal Paris organization has been amazing. We have gotten so many more followers, so many more donations,” Lambert said. “And when we found out that I was the national honoree out of probably 100,000 or more people, I was totally shocked.”

The money Lambert and her foundation received from L’Oreal amounted to two or three more prosthetics that would be donated to young amputees, which she said helped immensely, because many fundraising opportunities had dried up due to COVID.

For Lambert, all her accomplishments over her long athletic and philanthropic careers would not have been possible without the support and encouragement of many along the way. “I have never done any of this by myself. When I was trying to return to lacrosse, I wouldn’t have been able to do that without the support and encouragement of my coaches and teammates, who believed in me,” Lambert said.

She thanked her friends who supported her through her rehabilitation process and into her career as a world-class athlete, along with everyone who has donated to the Born to Run Foundation.

“And of course, I would not be here without my mother. She helps me out with the foundation so much, even while working a full-time job. I am grateful for the support of my family,” Lambert said.

At the end of June, Lambert will travel to Minneapolis to participate in trials for the 2021 Paralympics in Tokyo, and said she is confident she will be representing her country.

Despite many tribulations throughout her journey, Lambert has always placed one belief at the forefront of her ambitions — “Everyone goes through difficult times in their lives, it’s just about finding out how to get back up, and always thinking to yourself that you are worth it and will be able to do anything you put your mind to.”