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In
this Section:
Other
Sections:
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Famous
Amputees:
Bethany Hamilton
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Early Life | Accident | Recovery
| Inspiring Others | Conclusion|
Early
Life
Bethany Hamilton was born on February 8, 1990 on Kauai, Hawaii. Bethany’s
parents started teaching Bethany to surf when she was just a toddler.
Her parents would drag her around the water on a surfboard. When Bethany
was eight years old, her parents entered her in her first competition.
She won, and her love of surfing sprouted. Bethany started to become a
promising surfer.
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The
Accident
By the time Bethany Hamilton was thirteen years old, she had become a
talented and well-respected surfer. However, she soon found herself in
a troublesome situation. On October 31, 2003, Bethany was surfing with
her friend off Kauai’s North Shore. Suddenly, Bethany was attacked
by a 14-foot tiger shark. She was rushed to the hospital and had to undergo
some operations. Bethany lost sixty percent of her blood and had her left
arm amputated. Many people thought that Bethany would never surf again.
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Recovery
Bethany never let her accident hold her back. One month later, she was
back in the water trying to surf again. Her balance was different, and
some things were more challenging, but Bethany tried her best to relearn
surfing. In January of 2004, only a few months after Bethany was attacked,
she entered another surfing competition. The judges offered to give her
special benefits, such as more time, but Bethany refused. She wanted to
be treated just like everyone else. Bethany placed fifth in the Open Women’s
division. Even though she lost her arm, she was still able to continue
following her dream.
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Inspiring
Others
Bethany Hamilton has continued to excel in surfing. She has won multiple
awards, such as the 2004 ESPY Award for the Comeback Athlete along with
many courage awards. Bethany feels that she must inspire others and spread
her religion, as she is a serious Christian. Bethany has written many
books. First, she wrote Soul Surfer, an autobiography.
Since then, Bethany has written Devotions for the Soul Surfer and
Rise Above, both devotional books, a Soul Surfer Bible,
Ask Bethany, and is starting to write a fictional series about
her experiences. In addition, the documentary “Heart of a Soul Surfer”
was produced, which was about many of Bethany’s feelings about her
accident and recovery and comeback. Another movie, “Soul Surfer,”
will begin filming in August of 2007, and will be based on Bethany’s
book Soul Surfer. Bethany has made it her mission to help inspire
others and give them faith.
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Conclusion
Bethany Hamilton is a courageous young woman. She has never given up.
Even after suffering an amputation, Bethany has continued to trust in
God and reach for her dreams. Through hard work and perseverance, Bethany
Hamilton has become the best surfer she can be: two-handed or one.
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