Bethany Hamilton

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"That's all it took: a split second. I felt a lot of pressure and a couple of lightning fast tugs. Then I watched in shock as the water around me turned bright red. Somehow, I stayed calm. My left arm was gone almost to the armpit, along with a huge crescent-shaped chunk of my red, white and blue surfboard."  (Hamilton). On Halloween morning, thirteen year old Bethany Hamilton was surfing at Tunnels Beach, Hawaii with her best friend, Alana Blanchard and Alana's father, Holt Blanchard. She was laying on her board sideways when a fifty foot tiger shark attacked and bit off her left arm and a piece of her board. She lost over 60% of her blood and is lucky to have survived the attack. Despite the fact she had only one arm, she went on to become one of the most inspirational competitive surfers ever known. Even though she is known for surfing, and sometimes it seems like surfing is the only thing in her life, the most important thing to her is her family. She grew up on the shores of Kauai, Hawaii with her two older brothers, Noah and Timothy, and of course her parents, Cheri and Tom Hamilton. Today she is happily married to Adam Dirks, with their almost two year old son, Tobias. There are many things that make someone a hero, but the main one is the traits that they carry. Hamilton has an ability to survive, and is full of bravery, therefore she is a hero.

Bethany Hamilton in the hospital (http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/sidetracked/200 ())

Bethany Hamilton is considered a hero because of her ability to survive. She suffered from a shark attack, and extreme blood loss when she was thirteen. Despite this horrible "disability", she stayed strong, pushed through it, and got back up. "I think I figured out that if I panicked, then things wouldn't go as good as if I was calm." (Mather). During the attack, she did not feel pain, but she somehow understood what was happening. Surprisingly, she didn't freak out or even scream. She knew that if she had kicked and yelled and tried to get away, the shark would have went after the rest of her, but staying calm might have saved her life. Even though she survived the actual attack, there is another factor that could have killed her: the amount of blood she lost."Her friend's father used a T-shirt and a urethane surfboard leash to stop the bleeding, possibly saving her life. She lost 60 percent of her blood in the attack and lost her left arm almost to the shoulder. But she was back surfing within a month." (Mather). Most people who suffer from extreme blood loss experience dizziness and pass out. Often they die, because their bodies cannot function with such a low percentage of their blood of their blood, however Bethany survived due to Blanchard tying a leash around what was left of her arm to stop the blood. Amazingly, she healed quickly and was back up on a board in a month. Adjusting to surfing with one arm was frustrating and difficult as anyone could imagine. But no matter how hard it got, she refused to give up. The fact that Bethany Hamilton physically survived the accident, defines her as a survivor, but more significantly, she is a survivor because she mentally and emotionally survived and pushed onward to success.

The shark that attacked Bethany. (http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/sidetracked/200 ())

Bethany Hamilton's bravery defines her as a hero. Most people would never set foot in the ocean again after a shark attack, but she got back in as soon as her arm healed (or what was left of it), especially when she saw the giant shark after it was caught. "When I first returned to surfing, I was very afraid of sharks. The attack that happened to me was such a rare occurrence, but I still thought about it. So to fight that fear I would just get in the water and focus on catching the waves. I refused to dwell on 'what-ifs.'" (Holmberg). Of course she was still afraid of sharks when she got back in. But instead of quitting surfing so she would not be attacked again, she kept going, even though she knew there was always a possibility she could get attacked a second time. Hamilton decided to not focus on how horrible it was that she lost her arm, and decided to learn from it because she had courage. "Courage doesn't mean you don't get afraid. Courage means you don't let fear stop you." (Hamilton). Hamilton says in her book that she was afraid. Afraid of sharks. Afraid of failing. Afraid of not being able to surf or compete again. Even though she was scared, she was still brave. Being brave does not mean we are fearless, it means we are scared but we are doing it anyway because we know that it is the right thing to do. This trial knocked her down, but she was brave and got right back up on her board and kept going.

Bethany Hamilton is a hero because of her bravery and ability to survive through trials. She had to go through very difficult struggles to get to where she is now and what she has become. She survived a shark attack that almost killed her due to excessive blood loss, which caused her to develop a fear of sharks. Despite her fear, she still got back in the water and learned how to surf with one arm. It was a rough path, but she became extremely good at surfing again, and has won multiple competitions since. Bethany Hamilton has a lot of traits that make her a hero. But the one that is most important is how she inspires others. We do not fully understand how she is a hero until we are inspired by her actions and her story. Only then will we acknowledge her as a hero. She went through a lot. She could never have accomplished what she did if she had given up or failed to keep up her positive attitude. She is living proof that, "When you get caught in the impact zone, you need to get right back up, because you never know what's over the next wave......and if you have faith, anything is possible, anything at all." (Hamilton).

Hamilton, Bethany, et al. Soul Surfer: a True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on

the Board. New York, NY, Pocket Books, 2012