Bethany Hamilton

Bethany Hamilton surfing (http://www.sup-surfing.org.uk/bethany-hamilton/ (unknown))

Have you ever had something so horrible happen in life that it would never be the same, and other people cringe at the thought of it happening to them? Bethany Hamilton had all this happen and more, but managed to stay true to her values and confident throughout the whole ordeal. Bethany Hamilton was a 13-year-old surfer, one of the best of her age in fact, when her entire life changed. But on October 31, 2013, a 15-foot long tiger shark attacked her. She lost her whole left arm in the attack. She was surfing at "Tunnels Reef" in Hawaii near her home, which had no shark attack on record until this insident. After the attack, she got back onto her board and started surfing again as soon as possible, which is why people consider her a hero. A hero must never give up, keep calm in difficult circumstances, and stick to their values. Bethany Hamilton is an inspiring teenage girl who made an amazing comeback by never giving up, keeping calm during challenging times, and sticking to her values.

Bethany Hamilton never gave up no matter how hard things appeared to be; she always saw light at the end of the tunnel. When she first got back into the water, she couldn't quite get back up onto her surfboard. "My first couple of tries didn't work: I couldn't get up. I have to admit I was a little bit discouraged. I thought it was going to be easier than it was. My dad, who was in the water with me, kept shouting, 'Bethany, try it one more time. This one will be it!' So I did" (Bethany Hamilton, pg. 181). Try after try she couldn't get up on that surfboard, at first, that is. But she never gave up; she listened to the encouraging words of her father while never losing sight of her goals. She didn't want to give up surfing professionally. As soon as she felt ready again, she got back into competing. "With no intention of stopping, Bethany continued to enter and excel in competition. Just over a year after the attack she took first place in the Explorer Women's division of the 2005 National Scholastic Surfing Association National Championships--winning her first National Title" (Global Media Outreach). Even losing an arm didn't stop her from following her dreams. I don't know about you, but I would have been too afraid to do it again. She even got back into competing again a year later and is now a professional surfer. If she had given up and decided surfing with one arm was too hard, she wouldn't have become the hero to so many people that she is today. Bethany Hamilton didn't give up; she persevered through the hard times and followed her heart.

Bethany Hamilton smiling (http://www.answers.com/T/Bethany_Hamilton (unknown))

Bethany had also kept a clear head throughout the experience, she didn't think about the worst that could happen right after the attack. She had just been attacked, yet she didn't freak out or start crying or think about what else could happen. "Bethany said in a loud but not panicky voice, 'I just got attacked by a shark,' and started paddling toward shore. It was a quarter of a mile back, but one thought kept repeating in her head: 'Get to the beach'"(The 700 Club). Even after she got attacked by a shark, she was clear-headed and started working on surviving. She took matters into her own hands and started paddling herself down to the beach after informing everyone on what has happened. "Bethany’s friends reached her quickly and helped her to shore." (The 700 Club)Minutes after the attack she was still calm and kept her heart beat nice and slow. "... and the calmness had kept my heartbeat slow enough to keep the severed artery from quickly draining my blood supply" (Bethany Hamilton, pg. 99). Bethany Hamilton was calm and in control the whole time. She kept her emotions and body under control throughout the experience. In fact, this is what kept her alive; if she had freaked out, she would have lost too much blood to survive. She always kept calm and rationale no matter what life threw at her.

Sticking to her values and beliefs has always been one of Bethany Hamilton's top priorities, and it definitely didn't stop when she was looking death in the eye. Throughout the whole experience, she always believed that she would be okay with God on her side. "Bethany pushed the negative thoughts away with a prayer, 'I'm in God's hands'" (The 700 Club). Bethany Hamilton believes in God no matter what anyone else would have made her believe. Even in the hardest of times she stuck to this value and relied on God to keep her alive. She also believed that there is a plan for her life, this didn't happen by mistake. "Maybe God did have something bigger planned for me. What we needed to do now was trust... and believe" (Bethany Hamilton, pg. 87). She rarely questioned why this was happening to her, she believed it was all for a reason. She put her life in the hands of God and believed He had a plan for her, no matter what. Bethany Hamilton always stuck to her values, and is now trying to teach others to do the same thing.

Bethany Hamilton surfing (http://soulsurfertruestory.blogspot.com/ (unknown))

Bethany Hamilton made a difference to the world by never giving up, keeping calm, and sticking to her values no matter what. She didn't give up on her dream to become a professional surfer, even after losing an arm to a shark. After the attack, she also kept calm and confident while praying and putting her life in God's hands. She inspires others because she never gives up. After losing her arm while surfing, she got right back into the sport. This shows others that they should never give up just because they fell down, no matter how hard the fall was. They should always get back up and try again. That is what makes a difference in the world. That is what a hero does.