Kyra Lambert

My name is Kyra Lambert and I am a senior captain on the Duke Women’s Basketball team. On March 18, 2017 we were playing our first round game in the NCAA tournament when I went to grab a loose ball. A player on the other team dove for the ball as I was picking it up and in a split second my idea of what my college career was going to look like disappeared. As soon as it happened I knew what it was. After I was helped off the court and got an MRI, I was told I had torn my ACL and meniscus and would need surgery. Fast forward 9 months to January of the next season (which I redshirted). I was almost cleared to play again, and in practice I planted to take a layup and boom... there it goes again. I could walk on it and jog a little, but I knew something was wrong, so I got it checked out and was told I tore my ACL again and would need another surgery. I was hopeful, because I knew the timetable for recovery would put me at the beginning of this current season. I was excited to be coming back after missing last season on the court with my teammates. Fast forward 9 months to October, the week before I was going to get cleared. I was doing an agility drill and boom…a third time. I just walked off the court and sat down. I couldn’t believe it. Not once, not twice, but three times.

This game has put me through my highest highs and my lowest lows, and I don’t regret any of it. Throughout this process I have grown much more than I could have ever imagined both spiritually and mentally. My faith is the biggest reason I have been able to get through this season of my life. I know God doesn’t make mistakes. Staying grounded spiritually and being positive about my circumstances has helped me so much and I pray it can bless someone else too.