(Boston, MA) April 25, 2022 – The Born To Run Foundation has made its 18th prosthesis donation of a running blade to Aiden Collyar, 9, of Merrimack, NH, who became an amputee after losing his lower right leg last year due to Rhabdomyosarcoma. Aiden’s running blade was presented to him at the Bionic 5K Road Race in Cambridge, MA, by Femita Ayanbeku, paralympic athlete and board member of The Foundation and was joined by Jason Lalla of Next Step Bionics and Prosthetics, Aiden’s prosthetist.  The Bionic 5K road race is sponsored by the Bionic Project, a Cambridge MA-based nonprofit which promotes active lifestyles, athletics, and inclusive environments for those who must overcome physical challenges. At the event, the Bionic Project also announced a $10,000 donation to The Born to Run Foundation.

“We are truly grateful for the Bionic Project’s support as we continue on our mission to provide athletic prosthetics to young amputees so they can lead active and fulfilling lives,” said The Born to Run Foundation founder Noelle Lambert. “We are thrilled to be donating a running blade to Aiden, who now can participate in all the sports and activities that he loves.”

When asked what his new running blade means to him, Aiden said, “It means fun, and now I can run again!” Aidan’s mother Samantha Collyar said that the donation of the running blade means that Aiden can get back to where he was prior to his operation and back to his active self.

The Born to Run Foundation made its first donation in December 2018, two years after founder Noelle Lambert, 25, of Manchester, NH, lost her left leg in a moped accident on Martha’s Vineyard.  She is a former Division 1 college athlete who played lacrosse at the UMass Lowell and established the foundation to help amputees obtain specialized athletic prosthetic devices so that they can live fulfilling lives. Noelle is a member of the U.S. Paralympic team and competed in the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo in the 100-meter race in Track and Field and set a new U.S. record of 15.97 seconds.

Ayanbeku competed in 100-meter in the T64 Division (below the knee amputee) in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics on Team USA and she competed in the Paralympics Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

About The Born to Run Foundation

The Born to Run Foundation was established to help young amputees obtain specialized prosthetic devices so that they can live fulfilling lives. Founder Noelle Lambert of Manchester, New Hampshire, created the foundation after she lost a leg in a moped accident in 2016. As an athlete herself and former Division 1 college lacrosse player at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Noelle wanted to ensure that young amputees who cannot afford costly athletic prosthetics have the opportunity to have an active lifestyle.