Bethany Hamilton: Sheridan's Essay (:

Sheridan Logsdon

5-02-11

3/4

Bethany Hamilton:

"Courage doesn't mean you don't get afraid. Courage means you don't let fear stop you." -Bethany Hamilton. (www.monkeyouttanowhere.com). Bethany Meilani Hamilton was born on February 8,1990, in Lihue, Hawaii. She has two older brothers, Noah and Timothy Hamilton. She also has two loving parents, Thomas and Cherilyn Hamilton. Ever since she was a little girl, Bethany loved the water. She lives in Hawaii so it was easy to go out and surf the waves whenever she wanted to. Who knew that something as simple as doing what she loves would soon inspire the hearts of many worldwide.

Bethany loved surfing. It was one of her favorite things to do with her spare time. She started body boarding as a toddler, surfing when she was seven, and competing by the age of eight. “At the age of eight, Bethany entered her first state-wide surf competition, winning both the short and long board divisions and sparking in herself a love for surf competition.” (www.soulsurfer.com). She liked the challenge. “Life is dangerous… enjoy!”- Bethany Hamilton. (www.bookrags.com). Bethany was home schooled. This way she had more time to surf. Bethany also went to a youth group. Her youth group leader was Sara Hill. Bethany always put a lot of faith in God. This was the reason many people believed she survived after her near-death experience.

On October 31, 2003, Bethany, her best friend Alana, Alana’s dad, and Alana’s brother, all went surfing off Kauai’s North Shore. She was just laying on her surfboard with her arm dangling over when all of a sudden, she felt a lot of pressure and some tugs. The water around her turned red. “My left arm was gone almost to the armpit, along with a huge crescent-shaped chunk of my red, white and blue surfboard…”-Bethany Hamilton. (www.soulsurfer.com) She later found out it had been a 15-foot tiger shark that had attacked her. After 20 minutes of paddling, she finally made it to shore. She lost over 60% of her blood. Miraculously, she lived. “It was Jesus Christ who gave me peace when I was attacked by the shark.”- Bethany Hamilton (www.soulsurfer.com) Even with only one arm, Bethany didn’t let that stop her from fulfilling her dream.

Surfing with only one arm was very challenging, but no matter what Bethany tried her hardest. "I can't change it, That was God's plan for my life and I'm going to go with it."(www.imdb.com) Ever since she was a little girl she wanted to be a professional surfer and she wasn’t going to let a little obstacle get in the way of her biggest dream. After the shark attack, Bethany got back in the water as soon as she could. By doing this, she also inspired many people around the world, some with disabilities, to conquer their fears like she did. Bethany’s determination is the reason she was so inspirational to many. "Courage, sacrifice, determination, commitment, toughness, heart, talent, guts. That's what little girls are made of; the heck with sugar and spice." -Bethany Hamilton. (www.goodreads.com). Bethany got letters all around America from people telling her that she inspired them to be the best they could be and conquer their fears.

Surfing is Bethany’s life. She doesn’t let anything keep her from doing what she loves. That encouraged many people to do the same. Bethany Meilani Hamilton was just an ordinary Hawaiian girl that loved to surf. The fact that she wouldn’t let any obstacle no matter how horrible get in the way of her dreams made her extraordinary.