The Amazing Story of Bethany Hamilton; Soul Surfer

My role model has to be Bethany Hamilton, so I did my speech on her this year, and this is it. She is an INSPIRATION.

 

 

The Amazing Story of Bethany Hamilton: Soul Surfer

What does it mean to live like there’s no tomorrow? Some people will decide to live their life to the fullest. Some have hopes and dreams. Some however, have major setbacks. There’s people like Lance Armstrong, who is an American cycler.  Lance had cancer and was told that he wasn’t going to survive. But he did! He has won “La Tour de France” many more times and also started the company LIVESTRONG. Terry Fox, a Canadian runner, got cancer as well. But unfortunately he did not survive. However, his legacy lives on with the annual Terry Fox Run that raises awareness and funds for cancer research. These two people are truly inspirational. But today, I’ll be talking about a surfer from Hawaii. Her name is Bethany Hamilton.

 

Who Is She?

                Bethany Meilani Hamilton was born on February 8^th, 1990 into a family of die-hard surfers. She was born and raised on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. She now lives in Hanalei, Hawaii. Bethany loves to surf; it’s her job and her dream!  She loves to spend time with her family, friends and of course her dogs Hanna and Fui. She enjoys getting outdoors as much as possible for surfing, hiking and tennis. She believes that healthy eating is essential for any athlete. She has a strong faith in Christianity. So what is she known for you might ask? She lost her arm to a shark at the age of 13, but amazingly still continued to surf.

 

Bethany’s Family:

                What does Bethany’s world revolve around? You may think surfing, but her family and friends come first! She doesn’t know where she would be without them! Her parents, Cheri and Tom Hamilton, moved to Hawaii because of their love for surfing. Cheri and Tom met and fell in love and then got married in August of 1979. They had three children. First came Noah, who loves to do any sport, and the art of photography. Then came Timmy Hamilton. He likes the sport of boogie boarding and the art of video taking. And then came Bethany, who as we all know, became a pro surfer despite the odds. 

 

The Courage Behind Her Story

                On October 31, 2003, Bethany went surfing with her best friends Alana, Byron and Holt Blanchard. Bethany was floating on her surf board with her left arm dangling in the water, when a 14 foot tiger shark bit into her surf board taking a piece of it and her arm with it. The water around her turned bright red. Her three friends rushed her to the shore. The amazing part? Bethany stayed calm the entire time! She prayed and said over and over, “get me to the beach, get me to the beach.” The ambulance came and took her to the hospital.  She woke up later that day to see her left arm gone almost to the armpit. She had lost over 60% of her blood! A few weeks later, on November 26, 2003, Bethany just couldn’t wait any longer and tried surfing again. It took a lot of hard work, but she caught a wave and rode back to shore. She entered in the NSSA Regional Event surf contest in 2004 and placed fifth. But she did not give up hope on becoming a pro surfer. She trained even more and came first in her next surf event - the NSSA National Competition. In 2007, she turned pro.

 

Soul Surfer " The Book

                Bethany never really wanted to write a book, but she was told by many people that the world would find it inspiring. In her book, she wrote about how she dealt with losing her arm and what her life is like now. She talks about waking up in the hospital without her left arm. She talks about how her family and friends reacted. She talks about what it’s like now that she’s known as a ‘celebrity role model’. She also talks about how she believes God helped her realize that something good would come out of this. Her book became a movie called ‘Soul Surfer’. The girl who played Bethany was AnnaSophia Robb. Bethany has had many achievements since the day of her attack. She’s been known as a role model to all ages and has been given the Courage Award at the 2004 Teen Choice Awards. She was also named best comeback athlete of 2004 by the ESPY.

               

Bethany Hamilton; a Role Model to All

                                Courage is something that we all have, but we have it in different measures. For Bethany, it’s all about doing what you love, even in the face of adversity.  Her story has inspired many around the world because of her determination and her courage. She always has a positive attitude in everything she does; in fact, here’s a well-known quote from Bethany herself: “Courage doesn’t mean you don’t get scared. Courage means you don’t let fear stop you.”