She can do it all. Noelle Lambert is a multi-sport Paralympian, star of season 43 of “Survivor,” CEO of the Born To Run Foundation and is the first above the knee amputee to compete in Division I collegiate lacrosse.
Lambert was invited to Claremont on Feb. 12 as a part of the Scripps Presents speaker series to deliver a message of endurance and to show that “being different is something to be embraced.”
In the talk, Lambert’s infectious ambition and joy were evident. Each story and anecdote she told, from the deep depression she fell into as a result of her accident to lining up to race at her first Paralympic qualifying trials, was saturated with her zealous love of life.
Before losing her leg in the summer before her second year of college, Lambert enjoyed a successful first year at University of Massachusetts Lowell as a student-athlete. In her first year, Lambert was a lacrosse star, tying the most goals scored and most multi-point games on her team as well as earning a spot on the America East All Rookie Conference.
After that breakout year, Lambert and her friends took a summer trip to Martha’s Vineyard, where a car accident changed her life and sports career forever.
“I was on a moped, riding with my friend and the next thing I know I see a dump truck coming at me,” Lambert said. “I lost control and the next thing I remember [was] waking up and looking down, seeing my leg completely detached.”
An onlooker arrived on the scene and used his shirt to apply a tourniquet, saving her life. When interviewed by the Martha’s Vineyard Times after the incident, Lambert said she was back to being active and thankful for this new lease on life.
“I wish I’d gotten their names,” she said. “Like the nurse that was driving by or the guy who put the shirt on my leg — they saved my life. I’m so thankful and grateful to them.”
During her long process of recovery and rehabilitation, Lambert returned home to Manchester, New Hampshire and said she immediately found support from a local coalition that has experience in supporting people through traumatic accidents, the Boston Strong movement.
Survivors of the Boston Marathon bombing showed support to Lambert during recovery, visiting her at the hospital. She said they served as examples to her that her career in athletics did not end with her accident.
“It definitely gives me confidence to see other amputees and people with disabilities doing extraordinary things and it gave me the idea that I could do that and [compete],” Lambert said.
In 2018, during her third year of college and in the midst of her journey back onto the lacrosse field, Lambert started the Born to Run Foundation. According to its website, the organization has helped 27 amputees in athletics find specialized prosthesis to be able to access athletics and maintain an active lifestyle.
“[I want to] create a community where we can lean on each other because it was so crucial for me to have mentors and I think everybody deserves that opportunity,” Lambert said.
After deciding to resume her collegiate lacrosse career, Lambert said she attacked training with the mentality that she would need to work twice as hard as her able-bodied teammates. Her hard work paid off and she eventually earned playing time, scoring on the first shot she had when she returned.
According to Lexi Lee CM ’24, a swimmer for Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Lambert’s determination sends a strong message to athletes struggling with motivation.
“It was very inspiring,” Lee said. “Through my time as an athlete, I’ve dealt with periods where I have lost motivation and have some type of burnout and just hearing her story and knowing that she was able to persevere was so impressive.”
After graduating, Lambert wanted to continue her life in athletics and days after graduation with little experience, she and her mother got on a flight to Tempe, Arizona to compete in the 2019 Desert Challenge, an event attended by more than 400 para-athletes.
Clad in a lacrosse practice jersey, unaccustomed to running without a stick in her hand, Lambert said she found herself on the starting blocks shaking with adrenaline.
“When I was in the lineup the American record holder was to my right,” Lambert said. “She saw how nervous I was and just said ‘You’ll do great girl, you got it.’ It started and I honestly blacked out during the race.”
When she crossed the finish line, she had not only run fast enough to qualify for Tokyo 2020, but had also beaten the reigning national champion. Lambert competed in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games and on another whim attempted to qualify for the Winter Paralympic Games in snowboarding.
In 2022, Lambert further expanded her sphere of influence, competing on the 34th season of “Survivor.” With the appearance, she garnered an immense following, where she competed as the first amputee to ever appear on the show.
After sharing her story about how her accident caused her to successfully redefine her life, Lambert sat down for a talk with CMS Athletic Director Erica Perkins Jasper. Perkins Jasper, a mother of a child with a disability, said she empathizes with Lambert on the importance of representation, highlighting the impact of Lambert’s activism showing that a disability can also be an ability.
Lambert agreed, noting that her accident gave her the opportunity to rethink how she approached life. Lambert ended the talk with giving advice to the audience.
“Attack every single day and never go through the motions because believe me, it wasn’t fun,” Lambert said. “I know that days can be very tough and draining, but you can take that and enjoy life and attack things head on and realize that it’s those difficult moments that make you into the person that you will become.”
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