Bethany Hamilton And Her Extraordinary Life

The story of Bethany Hamilton has as its protagonist a person who has lived through extreme experiences made of physical and emotional pain, but who has also managed to overcome them and make their way. The most interesting aspect is that many of the people who have experienced extreme situations give up the attitudes of self-pity as a rule of life.

Bethany Hamilton was born in Kauai (Hawaii) in February 1990. Her parents are Cherie and Tom, two surfing enthusiasts. They moved from the continental United States to Hawaii to enjoy the beautiful waves of the place every day. They paid no attention to the economic precariousness they could face by moving. In their new life, Cherie had started working as a cleaner and Tom as a waiter in local hotels. The rest of the time was devoted to surfing.

The couple had three children. The eldest is Noah, then there is Timothy, born 5 years later and, finally, Bethany, the youngest, who came into the world 4 years after Timothy. All five family members loved surfing, but none as much as Bethany. She had just learned to walk when her parents first put her on a surfboard. He was only two years old. Since then, he hasn’t stopped loving surfing.

A new promise of surfing

Bethany Hamilton soon begins to excel in the world of surfing. She was a rebellious, brave and daring girl. He was always looking for the toughest waves and wanted to break his records. At 9 he had already won several local competitions. Her family made great efforts to get her to participate in the races. Sometimes he had to sleep all together in a motel room.

However, their efforts paid off: Bethany was an excellent surfer who even managed to beat girls 4 or 5 years older than her. So in 1999 the Australian company Rip Courl becomes his sponsor. From that moment he could have the necessary resources to train without weighing on the family budget.

Also in that period, the girl begins to study at home. This allowed her to follow her rhythms and have time to train, as well as participate in competitions without neglecting too much study. Everything seemed to be going perfectly.

The Bethany Hamilton accident

At 13, Bethany was already second in the American ranking of under 18 surfers. Her big dream was to become a professional athlete and to win all the races thereafter.

However, on October 31, 2003, something unexpected happens. Like every day, Bethany had gone surfing in the morning, with her friend Alana. She was about 300 meters from the coast when her friends saw her writhing on the table. Since they were used to seeing his stunts, they didn’t get suspicious right away. But soon they noticed that something strange was happening.

Bethany was resting on the board with one arm in the water when suddenly a tiger shark attacks her, destroying the board and biting her arm. The girl, 13 years old at the time, says that at that moment she was thinking only of two things: not to give up surfing and not to lose the support of her sponsors.

An incredible recovery

Her friend Alana’s father immediately takes her to the hospital. Coincidentally, Bethany’s father was in the same hospital for a routine checkup. The girl underwent two surgeries. Some volunteers went in search of the arm, but could not find it.

The only thought in Bethany Hamilton’s mind was to heal and get back to her surfboard. A week after the accident, he was already walking around the hospital visiting other patients. A month after the stitches were removed, he was already on the surfboard. Training after the accident was extremely strenuous, as he had to learn how to keep balance with only one arm. In less than a year she had already returned to racing.

When asked about the reasons for her great determination, she replies that there are three important values ​​in her life: “being a Christian, your family and friends”. She hates being considered a hero.

He only accepts praise when it relates to his successes as a surfer. He decided not to be a victim of circumstances, but to put his great desire to return to the surfboard before everything, against all odds.