STORIES
Young Heroes
DONATE

Bethany Hamilton

by Sara from New York

<a href=http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2005/survivors/interactive/gallery.survivors/images/story.6.hamilton.bethany.jpg>Bethany Hamilton</a>
Bethany Hamilton

B. C. Forbes once said; “He who has faith has... an inward reservoir of courage, hope, confidence, calmness, and assuring trust that all will come out well - even though to the world it may appear to come out most badly.” I don’t know if Bethany Hamilton ever read this quote, but it explains her life and her reaction to her shark attack. She is faithful, and even though she faced death in the eye, she put her fears and problems behind her and surfs because she loves it.

Bethany Hamilton’s early childhood was pretty normal. Bethany was born in Kaui, Hawaii. She spent sooo much of her early life surfing. Bethany had two brothers, Noah and Timmy, and a dog named Ginger. Bethany had a mom and a dad, Cheri and Tom, who both loved the sport of surfing and were the ones that taught her the sport. Bethany learned to surf in Hanalei Bay, her favorite place to surf. Tom, Bethany’s dad, and her mom, Cheri, didn’t have the best of jobs, so, as Bethany would say, “We didn’t have much bucks in the bank”. Other than being a great surfer, Bethany was also a great student. She was home schooled and taught by her mother. She didn’t mind being home schooled because most of her friends were also home schooled, so Bethany never complained that she wanted to go to a regular school because she missed her friends. Even though Bethany had a fun time surfing, she also had fun doing other things. With her family, she went on many vacations, like Napili Coast, Maui, and New Jersey (all of them to surf). She won many awards in surfing competitions and had a fun time horse back riding and doing fun things with all her friends such as covering their trampoline with liquid soap, putting plastic bags on their feet and jumping around (at least they tried to). As you can see, Bethany Hamilton had a typical childhood.


Bethany Hamilton made many accomplishments in her young childhood years. She raised money for charities at fundraisers. An accomplishment that she made after the shark attack; she kept on surfing because she loved the sport. An accomplishment that Bethany also made is knowing that she helped kids and adults get through tough challenges and sicknesses. She gave them hope, showed them to never give up and to fight to do what they love.

Bethany Hamilton was given many awards in her lifetime. In her favorite thing in the world, surfing, she won many awards. She was in middle school when she won most of the awards. Bethany won 1st place in the age group’s seven to nine division. She won medals and trophies, even after the attack. After the attack, she won the ESPY Award for Best Comeback Athlete. As you can see, Bethany Hamilton was given many awards in her lifetime.

Bethany Hamilton had many good traits. One trait that she has is bravery. Bethany was brave to go back into the water after the attack. She then, after the shark attack, had a fear of the water. Another trait of Bethany’s is determination. Bethany was determined to get back into the water and surf because didn’t want to give up something that she loved. She also showed determination when she was paddling to shore, right after the attack, to reach safety. Bethany is also faithful. She is always faithful to God, and always will be. She would pray before surfing competitions, for safety, and to do well. She also prayed and begged to live when she was in bad condition. As you can see, Bethany Hamilton had many good traits.

Bethany Hamilton has taught us no mater how hard something is, mentally or physically, never ever give it up. Especially if you love it.

Page created on 3/31/2007 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 3/31/2007 12:00:00 AM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.