SMC to host vigil honoring Grady Lambert
Sep. 1—The community is invited to pay tribute to Stillwater native Grady Lambert, son of Julie and Mark Lambert, who was struck by a vehicle while running across the country to honor frontline workers and encourage compassion.
Stillwater Medical Center is holding a community vigil at 8:30 a.m. Friday in the north parking lot of the hospital.
On Monday, Grady's mother Julie made a post to the runwithme2022 Instagram page where he invited people to follow him on his journey, that announced Grady had been critically injured and was hospitalized in Amarillo, Texas.
On Tuesday, she shared a message saying he would not survive.
"It is with profound sadness to announce Grady will succumb to his injuries in the coming days. Consistent with Grady's compassion for others, he long ago chose to be an organ donor," she wrote. "... Being a man of his word and having a genuine desire to show empathy, he walked (ran) his talk. Grady's love for life, being grounded in faith, and displays of remarkable courage are an inspiration. As soon as arrangements have been finalized, details regarding Grady's celebration of life will be announced."
Grady Lambert started his 4,500-mile odyssey across the U.S. on March 16 in Oregon and had covered about 2,500 miles. He was passing through Texas on his way home to Stillwater, where he planned to visit family, rest and regroup before setting off on the second leg of his journey. He had originally planned to end his run in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
He was struck by a pick-up while running along FM 2575 about 10 miles east of Amarillo, Sgt. Cindy Barkley, Public Information Officer for the Amarillo office of the Texas Department of Public Safety, told the News Press. Although the investigation isn't complete, it looks as though the driver, who was traveling westbound, swerved to the right in an attempt to avoid him and wound up in the ditch. They called 911.
