This Girl is Unstoppable!

written by Kate H.

“Courage, sacrifice, determination, commitment, toughness, heart, talent, guts. That’s what little girls are made of; the heck with sugar and spice.”

Bethany Melanie Hamilton-Dirks born on February 8, 1990 in Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii to Tom and Cheri Hamilton. She and her older brothers, Noah and Tim, were homeschooled and taught religious values from an early age. They were a very religious family who read Bible stories and placed great emphasis on trusting in a greater plan. Nevertheless, they were adventurous. Following her parents’ and her brothers’ examples, she began surfing at 8 years old, receiving her first sponsorship at nine. After being told numerous times that she had a promising future and career as a professional surfer, her life was nearly taken by a shark.

“God has a lot more to give and to offer than the world has to give.”

It was the morning of October 31, Halloween, in 2003. Thirteen year old Bethany left for the beach to surf with her friend Alana Blanchard as well as Alana’s brother and father. In between waves, she was laying on her board, enjoying the relaxing morning when she suddenly felt a tug on her left arm. Although she did not initially feel pain, she began to take notice of the red water surrounding her. She called for help and started on the quarter mile swim back to shore, one that would take her nearly 15 minutes. Once ashore, her friend’s dad made a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, and they called emergency responders. Eventually, the ambulance came to take her to the hospital where she would undergo multiple surgeries. On the ride to the hospital she recalls hearing a paramedic leaning over her and saying, “God will never leave or forsake you.” She says that is when she knew she was going to be okay.

“God will never leave or forsake you.”

At the hospital, her father was coincidentally being prepped for knee surgery. At the time he did not know it was his daughter, but he heard the message that a 13 year old shark attack victim was coming in and his surgery was to be rescheduled. He was instantly filled with fear, knowing his daughter was out in the waves that morning. Her surgeries went well and, despite the reported loss of about 60% of her blood, she was released from the hospital in a few days.

No sooner than a month later, Bethany was back in the water.

She was determined to continue her training where she left off. The struggles she experienced upon her return to surfing were insignificant in comparison to the ample amount of fan mail she received, encouraging her to continue and describing how her persistence had helped others persevere in their lives. She regained her strength and was quickly back in competitions. She won the Explorer Women’s division in 2005 at the NSSA National Championships, only two years after being attacked by the 14 foot tiger shark. With the encouragement from the public, her family, and her faith, she went on to become a professional surfer. She went pro in 2007 and has continued surfing ever since.

Her story is one of great perseverance, positivity, and faith from which we can all learn. We have so much to be grateful for- from special gifts to simply being able to complete everyday actions. Bethany’s inspiring story was turned into a 2011 movie, Soul Surfer, inspired her book published in 2014, Body and Soul, and has even sparked the creation of a surf documentary to be released this year called Unstoppable.

As for her life beyond surfing, Bethany met Adam Dirks in 2012 and they got married in 2013. Two years later, they had their first son together and they are now expecting their second child. She continues to face the everyday challenges that come with having only one arm but consistently relies on her faith and her family to help her live the most normal life possible. Bethany started her own charity called Friends with Bethany for amputees and hopes to inspire others to move past their physical limitations to live their lives to the fullest- something we all aspire to do!

Click here to read more about Bethany and her faith life.

And

Watch the trailer for the inspirational movie, Soul Surfer, based on her life here!