Bethany Hamilton

The transparent, glistening ocean was calm and stagnant in the midst of sunrise. The only sound in the ocean was a young, eager girl paddling her way to catch some currents. No one had sensed that danger was hovering right below her. A long, lean, creature lurking beneath the ocean surface was slowly trailing a red, white, and blue surfboard, when suddenly, the carnivorous creature pierced through the ocean and without any hesitation, yanked violently at the arm of the thirteen-year-old, breaking the silence and stillness of the waves. The waves around her were no longer pale blue, but a bright crimson. Terror flooded through her eyes, but she did not let that seep into her tranquil and brave composure. That thirteen year old girl is Bethany Hamilton. Hamilton was born on February 8, 1990 on the breathtaking island of Kauai, Hawaii. Born into a family of surfers, Bethany started surfing alongside her parents from a very young age. Hamilton is known for her outstanding comeback after a shark tore off her arm. She accomplished what society labeled as "impossible" and morphed a grievous loss into incentive strength. After being attacked by a shark, Bethany Hamilton demonstrates that having a positive attitude, an ambitious mindset, and a determined mentality can help her pursue her surfing dream. 

Despite all the difficulties she had to face throughout the harrowing experience, Bethany Hamilton kept an effortless, positive attitude that led to a remarkably fast recovery. Hamilton's positive outlook helped her conquer many obstacles and challenges she faced in her life: "What I don't want is for people to pity me or think of me as a person who has had her life ruined. That's not how I see it. My mom is always saying, 'If life hands you lemons, make lemonade.' Which is a great outlook on life, if you can actually see beyond the lemons when you're up to your eyeballs in them!" ("Biography." Bethany Hamilton Biography). Her positive attitude keeps her going throughout the whole traumatic experience. Instead of loathing every moment of the experience, she made her recovery rather enjoyable by visiting other patients in the hospital and making them feel cared for. Despite her gruesome loss, Bethany does not want others to pity her because underneath all the bruises and damages done to her body, she is still the same optimistic self. Bethany inspires young kids and teens by stating: "I've experienced it all firsthand, and I'm living proof that there's no such thing as a handicap-it's only in your head" (Hamilton 138). Instead of dwelling on the burden of one arm, she turns that disability into something much more valuable-strength. Bethany learned to accept herself and continued to pave her own path for others to look up to. Bethany embraced her imperfections with confidence and joy. She used that transformed strength to lead her closer and closer to her dreams of becoming a professional surfer. Bethany Hamilton always has a positive outlook on even the worst case scenarios. During the shark attack, she remained calm and poised. Her hopeful and affirmative personality gave her the courage and strength to continue surfing after losing a limb.

Hamilton's ambitious mindset makes her stand out from the rest. Besides surfing, Hamilton is committed and passionate about her faith and sharing her story with others in hopes of motivating young hearts to chase their dreams, no matter how distant they may seem. Hamilton has become an international inspiration to people all across the world because she has done many beneficial activities other than surfing: "Between training, Hamilton journeys around the globe as a motivational speaker. In April 2005, she visited the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, a military hospital in Germany. There she met with U.S. troops severely injured in Iraq, many of whom also had lost limbs" ("Then & Now: Bethany Hamilton"). Bethany doesn't just want to be labeled as the girl who was attacked by a shark; she wants to be known for more than that. Bethany has successfully used her international fame to help others in becoming better and stronger people this society needs. She influenced many to keep on pursuing their dreams by putting other people's needs before hers despite her own challenges. Bethany plans to make a difference in the world by partnering up with many organizations that help out younger kids: "Though her own life has plenty of challenges, Hamilton is using her fame to assist others. She has teamed up with the Christian humanitarian agency World Vision to raise money for disabled children all around the world" ("Bethany Hamilton" Biography Today). Bethany is ambitious because she has the motivation to assist others. Her inspiring story has motivated hundreds of teens to get back up on their feet and continue doing what they strive to do. Although her own life is already full of personal challenges, Bethany still makes extreme efforts to inspire others with her uplifting, caring spirit. Expanding on her caring spirit, Bethany also helped out others during her stay in the hospital after the shark attack:

"On Tuesday I heard about a girl who was Timmy's classmate and who was in the hospital for seizures from a brain tumor, and decided to walk over and see her. We had a great visit, laughing and making jokes about our own situations. She was a Christian as well, so we both prayed together for each other. I brought her a whole bunch of flowers and balloons because I had way more than I would ever need" (Hamilton 111).

During her stay at the hospital, Bethany decided to visit other people just to make them feel cared for. Not only is Bethany a highly trained surfer, she has a caring heart, no matter where or when. In her free time, Bethany seeks to help other people by sharing her motivational story in hopes that it will inspire kids and teens to never give up on whatever they are doing. Bethany's eagerness to help others and try new things shows her ambitious attitude.

After being attacked by a shark, Bethany Hamilton fought hard to defy all the limitations of being handicapped. Hamilton successfully overcame her hardships by never giving up on her dreams on becoming a professional surfer. Just a couple months after the shark attack, Bethany recovered quickly and decided to push herself back up to surf again: "It's hard for me to describe the joy I felt after I stood up and rode a wave in for the first time after the attack. I was incredibly thankful and happy inside. The tiny bit of doubt that would sometimes tell me 'You'll never surf again' was gone in one wave! Even though I was all wet, I felt tears of happiness trickling down my face."(Hamilton, 181). Bethany riding her first wave after being released from the hospital is a huge turning point in her life. That first wave proved to the world that she was capable of surfing again even with one arm. Even though she was rather unstable on that first wave, the passion she had for riding waves was still there. Getting back on the surfboard after a rough loss makes her a hero because that demonstrates that she loves what she's doing and she won't let anything come in between her and surfing. After the first comeback wave, Bethany had no plans of stopping. She continued to win competitions and awards for her bravery and achievements:

"The same year she placed fifth in the National Surfing Championships and secured a spot for herself on the U.S. National Surfing Team. She also won an ESPY award from ESPN for Best Comeback athlete, and a special courage award at the 2004 Teen Choice Awards. Her experiences compelled her to write a book, 'Soul Surfer', which made the Los Angeles Times best-seller list" (Then & Now: Bethany Hamilton).

Shortly after recovering from the shark attack, Bethany returned to the waves and continued surfing despite her disabilities. The only way she could get better and to reach for her dreams is to practice surfing again. These achievements show how hard work pays off. Bethany fought and trained her heart out to get where she is today. Her determination and decision to get back on a surfboard led her to many new opportunities and awards. Bethany's motivation shows how she's tenacious in what she's doing and plans to never give up. Her achievements show how hard she trains to get ready for competitions and how she will do anything it takes to reach her goals.

Bethany Hamilton is a true hero in many perspectives. As she once said, "I don't need easy, I just need possible" ("Professional Quotes." Quotes by Bethany Hamilton) Bethany has accomplished just that. She embraced her challenges and disabilities and transformed them into strengths that she used. Those strengths not only helped her become successful in her surfing career, but it also made her an inspiration to people all around the globe. She proved to the world that people can accomplish anything if they put their heart and soul into it. For Bethany, her passion for surfing drove her past barriers she had never imagined breaking. Hamilton also taught others that having a strong mind, positive outlook, and a charismatic personality can lead people past their limits. Her lifelong passion for surfing is far greater than her fear of sharks, which makes her a hero to be admired. Hamilton also once said, "Courage doesn't mean you don't get afraid, courage means you don't let fear stop you" ("The Inspirational Quotes by Bethany Hamilton.") And that is what a true hero must possess. Be courageous, be dauntless, be the one who fights for their dreams regardless of the rough road ahead.

Works Cited

"Bethany Hamilton." Gale Biography in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2005. Biography in Context. Web. 21 Mar. 2014.

"Bethany Hamilton." (n.d.): Web. 19 Mar. 2014.

"Biography." Bethany Hamilton Biography. N.p., 2010. Web. 02 Apr. 2014. .

Hamilton, Bethany, Sheryl Berk, and Rick Bundschuh. Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board. New York: Pocket; MTV, 2004. Print.

"The Inspirational Quotes by Bethany Hamilton." The Inspirational Quotes by Bethany Hamilton. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2014. .

"Professional Quotes." Quotes by Bethany Hamilton. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2014. .

"Then & Now: Bethany Hamilton." CNN. Cable News Network, 22 June 2005. Web. 02 Apr. 2014. .

"Young Surfer Tells Tale of Shark Attack." ABC News. ABC News Network, 21 Nov. 2005. Web. 02 Apr. 2014. .