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How much courage does it take to follow your passion? Ask Bethany Hamilton…

Bethany, who lives in Hawaii, was in grade school when she started her quest to become a professional surfboarder. Surfing was her passion. She spent every available minute in the water, even homeschooling so she would have more time to pursue her goal. When she was 8 years old she entered her first major competition – eventually taking the division championships that year. This girl obviously had what it took.

It was almost all taken away from her on Halloween morning, 2003, when Bethany was 13 years old. She was surfing with her best friend, Alana, and Alana’s brother and father. The waters were calm, not good for surfing, so Bethany was just lying on her board, her left arm dangling in the cool water.

She remembers a flash of gray, a lot of pressure, and a couple fast tugs. She also remembers watching the jaws of a 15-foot tiger shark cover the top of her board and her left arm. She watched in shock as the water around her turned bright red.

The shark was gone as fast as it appeared. So was her arm – bitten off almost to the armpit.

Bethany was horrified but not in pain at that point. She called to her friends and their father, Holt. “I just got attacked by a shark”.

It was a combination of miracles that saved Bethany at that point. High tide allowed them to make it over the reef without going around. Holt knew enough to wrap his shirt around the wound to act as a tourniquet while they paddled the quarter-mile to shore. While Bethany drifted in and out of consciousness, a nearby vacationer who was a paramedic rushed to help her.

Surgery saved her life but her arm was gone for good, and everyone, Bethany included, thought her surfing days were over. Within a week, spurred by her passion for surfing, Bethany decided to think something different. She wasn’t ready to give up what she loved so much, but it would take time for her body to heal.

There was a huge outpouring of love and support from Hawaiians and people all over the world. Love, food, flowers, cards, money… Bethany gathered hope and courage from the waves of love aimed toward her.

A few weeks later – the morning before Thanksgiving – Bethany headed back for the water. Her family and friends were there to cheer her on when she stepped into the warm water for the first time since the attack. It was like coming home.

She failed at her first attempts to ride the board, struggling to push herself up with one arm and keep her balance. She was afraid her dream would die in the water that day – the shark victorious after all. She pushed down her fears, gritted her teeth, and just keep trying.

Tears rolled down her face, and the crowds cheered when she caught her first wave and rode it in. Bethany was back!

Really back. Only months after her vicious incident, Bethany amazed thousands by achieving the unimaginable, including taking 5th at the 2004 National Scholastic Surfing Association Nationals Championships. In September she struck again, winning the Open Women's Division of the NSSA's Hawaiian conference season opener. After her placing in the finals of the National Surfing Championships Bethany has secured a spot on USA's National Surfing Team.

Ask Bethany if she is afraid of sharks and she’ll say yes. Her heart pounds when she sees a shadow in the water. She has nightmares. But she also has a dream, and moving beyond her fears is the only way to accomplish her dreams – the only way to fulfill the passion she has for surfing.

Is there a fear keeping you from following your passion? I would encourage you to do what Bethany has done. Stare it in the face, acknowledge you are afraid, then go out and do it anyway!!

Your success is up to YOU!


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Rex Andrews
Dewey, Arizona 86327
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