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Issak Depelteau of Amherst, NH showcases his new prosthetic leg (Credit: The Born To Run Foundation)
MANCHESTER, NH (WBZ-AM) — A New Hampshire Foundation, started by a UMass Lowell Student who lost her leg in a moped accident donated its first prosthetic limb Wednesday.
The Born To Run Foundation was started by Noelle Lambert, a UMass Lowell senior, who lost her left leg in a moped accident on Martha’s Vineyard in 2016.
After a prosthetic device was donated to her by the Heather Abbott Foundation, she wanted to do that for others.
Her foundation presented its first donation a prosthetic running blade to Isaak Depelteau, a three-year-old-boy from Amherst, NH whose lower leg was amputated because of neurofibromatosis disease.
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(Credit: The Born To Run Foundation)
"As an athlete who has lost a limb, I know how important it is to be able to achieve my dreams and I want to provide the same opportunities for other young amputees, that is why I started The Born to Run Foundation,” said Lambert.
The cost of an athletic prosthetic device can range from $5,000 to $100,000 and they need to be replaced every three to five years from not only wear and tear but as amputees get older and require new sizes.
According to the foundation, It’s estimated that every year, 185,000 people across the country lose a limb due to accident or disease. Health insurance rarely covers athletic prosthetics.
“Today’s first prosthetic donation to Isaak means so much to me and to everyone who has helped me with the foundation as we try to ease the financial burden for young amputees and their families.”
This is just the start for Lambert, she says when she graduates, she wants to do more of this, raise more funds and deliver more hope, the way she did for Isaak whom she described as “a ball of joy” when he received a prosthetic running blade.
“He was running around down the hall within 2 hours…it took me 2 weeks when I received my prosthetic to get used to it,” she said.
Isaak’s mother, Sarah Depelteau said that the family is grateful for what The Born to Run Foundation has done for her son.
“This is a gift that we will be forever grateful to Noelle and The Born to Run Foundation. She is a source of inspiration to us and we couldn’t be happier. We have a saying that there are ‘no limits’ for Isaak and his new running leg will help him do whatever he wants to do,” she said.
WBZ NewsRadio's Carl Stevens (@CarlWBZ) reports.