You may have heard of the book and movie entitled soul surfer. About a young surfer girl who risks her life everyday on the waves and tragically loses an arm to a shark.

Bethany Meilani Hamilton was born February 8, 1990 in Kauai, Hawaii. Taking on after her parents and two older brothers, Bethany loved the beach. Living right on the beach, she would swim and help her father fix surfboards in his shop all day.

Bethany started competing in surfing competitions at the young age of 8. Her first ever competition was the Rell Sun Menehune event in Oahu, where Bethany won both the short and long board divisions. This sparked her love for competitive surfing. She continued to compete in many more surfing competitions and bring home the trophy almost every time.

When Bethany was just a teen, the -accident- happened. It was just a normal day, she was out surfing with her friends when a 14- foot tiger shark came out from below and took off her left arm. This tragic accident took more than 60% of her blood. Her arm had to be amputed. With only one arm, things were quite a struggle. Her family had to help her with almost everything; from making breakfast to putting her hair up.

She let the shark take her arm but she didn’t let it take her spirit. A little over a month later, her and her dad created a surfboard accustomed to Bethany. It had a rope handle on the front allowing her to hold on there since she could grab both sides. This allowed her to stay in the board while under a wave. After a few months of practice and hard work, Bethany was back doing her thing, surfing. In January, 2004 Bethany returned to surfing competitions. She wanted to show people that she could be different and still rise above. She wouldn’t take a pity or sympathy because even through it was harded, she wanted to learn things the right way.

In 2007, Bethany figured out what she wanted to do with her life and became a pro surfers. She gained many sponsors and lots of fans. She inspired many young girls, showing them you can do anything with a little blood, sweat and tears.

Bethany now lives happily at the age of 23 with her husband, Adam Dirk.

Bethany is a person who is a living miracle and shows that anything can happen!