Pro-surfer Bethany Hamilton recently visited the place where a shark attacked her and took her left arm 20 years ago. She captioned the three photos on Instagram, “20 years later, this was the location of my shark incident as a 13-year-old girl.” Her story was portrayed in the film “Soul Surfer.”
In the first, 13-year-old Hamilton stands in the spot of the attack and holds a surfboard with a huge chunk bitten out of it and her left arm gone. The second and third photos show her now with a whole surfboard, wearing an identical swimsuit to the one she wore at 13 years old.
In the third photo, she smiles confidently. The surfer said, “I’m in awe of how much God has made beauty out of something so scary and so awful. When we face challenges, it can be hard to have hope beyond our chaos, but it is essential.”
Hamilton continued, “I hope that my life can be a hint of hope for you in the challenges that you face. I see the challenges along the way as a call to live in faith and to trust in God to carry me through it all! I’m so grateful to God for his faithfulness.” Despite losing her arm, Hamilton became one of the world’s best surfers. She now celebrates her life and acknowledges how the attack changed her future for the better.
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She added, “I have an incredible husband, 4 amazing children, one super strong arm, and a body that still allows me to surf and do my thang! I see so much goodness through one of the hardest moments in my life. Thank you, Jesus! The past 20 years have given me the opportunity to step into a call to bring hope to others and to be a part of some really amazing things. But no doubt, being a mom now and serving my family is the best call to my life! Here’s to the next 20 years!!!”
On the 16th anniversary of the attack, Hamilton said, “I can be here with contentedness knowing that from awful times beauty can come. Thank you, God! As life has gone on, I cherish all that I have: my faith, family, the ability to bring hope, surfing, the challenges, the over-comings and much more.”
In her recent post, Hamilton mentioned the organizations that she helped create. She formed Ohana Experiences, a faith-based mentorship program for young women and their mothers, and the Beautifully Flawed Foundation, which offers retreats to those with limb differences. The Greyhound News reported, “Bethany’s foundation is known to bring smiles and warm arms and even the occasional surf lesson.”