Bethany Hamilton is a young lady that epitomizes the strength of the human spirit.
A born surfer who fell in love with the sport at the tender age of four, her world was brought to a crashing halt in 2003 when, at the age of 14, a shark took her entire left arm. Bethany lost about sixty percent of her blood and was in hypovolemic shock following the attack, which almost cost her her life.
After surviving the ordeal, Bethany’s main concern was whether she would ever be able to surf again. Amazingly, that question was answered just three weeks later when she was back in the water. In her own words, she loved surfing too much to stop.
After teaching herself to surf with just one arm, Bethany entered a major competition in January of the following year and finally went on to become a pro surfer.
In 2011 a feature film entitled Soul Surfer was released telling Bethany’s inspirational story.
Bethany Hamilton is an inspiring example of what’s possible and what kind of obstacles can be overcome when we’re passionate about what we do.
The short video below tells the amazing story of how Bethany overcame something that would have caused most people to give up on their dreams.
Never give up!
For me soul surfing is just being passionate about the ocean and surfing. That’s what I am. I’m passionate about being out there and enjoying God’s creation. People didn’t think I would continue surfing, but I did. That just shows my passion for surfing.
Bethany Hamilton
