She’s only 24, but that doesn’t mean anything to Bethany Hamilton. She’s already experienced and accomplished a lot in her young life; much of it things we could never imagine living through. But that’s what she’s done. She’s lived through it. She’s taken circumstances many of us would have found too depressing or difficult to live with and she’s made them work for her so that she doesn’t have to live a life that feels void or empty in any way. And that’s inspiring. She is the lovely young surfer who lost her arm to a shark attack when she was only 13. It was Halloween morning when the young surfer was out in Hawaii with friends, lying on her board waiting to surf when a 14-foot shark attacked her, severing her arm. She was rushed to the hospital immediately, but she did not allow the attack to get to her. She’s now a married woman living a fulfilling life, and we have a few things you might not have previously known about this awesome survivor.
She’s Was Back to Surfing Almost Immediately
Despite losing her arm to a shark while surfing, Bethany Hamilton was determined to regain her ability to get on the board and do what she loves most. With that in mind, she was back on her board less than 3 weeks after the shark attack that took her arm from her body.
Her Father was in the Hospital when She Arrived
Hamilton’s dad was in the hospital when his daughter arrived after being attacked. He was scheduled to have knee surgery that day, but he had to wait to have it done because doctors needed the operating room in which he was scheduled for his procedure to care for his daughter.
She’s Married to a Youth Minister
The youngest of three girls, Bethany Hamilton married her husband not too long ago. He’s a youth minister she met through friends. Married in 2013, the couple competed in The Amazing Race, where they came in third place.
Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images
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