Writer’s Quote Wednesday: Bethany Hamilton

 

 

 

 

Here’s my post for Writer’s Quote Wednesday, if you’d like to participate too, here’s the link to Colleen’s blog: http://silverthreading.com/2015/05/27/writers-quote-wednesday-j-k-rowling/

I love the sea, and I would have loved to surf, so the story of Soul Surfer Bethany Hamilton really touched me.  On the 31st October 31, 2003, thirteen year old Bethany Hamilton was enjoying the waves  on Tunnels Beach, Kauai, with best friend Alana Blanchard, Alana’s father, Holt, and brother Byron. A tiger shark attacked Bethany severing her left arm just below the shoulder.  This terrible tragedy rather than curtailing her surfing career led her to inspiring surfing fans from all over the world. The first thing she asked after the surgery was “When can I surf again?” and just three weeks after this life threatening incident she returned to her board.

I learnt of her amazing story just this week whilst watching Soul Surfer on Netflix. This wonderfully inspiring film features an all-star cast, including Anna Sophia Robb and Helen Hunt, with Carrie Underwood in her film debut, and Dennis Quaid.

Here’s just one of many wonderful quotes from this remarkable woman:

“Life is a lot like surfing… When you get caught in the impact zone, you’ve got to just get back up. Because you never know what may be over the next wave.”

Taken from her autobiography:
― Bethany Hamilton, Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board    

Goodreads synopsis:

They say Bethany Hamilton has saltwater in her veins. How else could one explain the passion that drives her to surf? How else could one explain that nothing—not even the loss of her arm—could come between her and the waves? That Halloween morning in Kauai, Hawaii, Bethany responded to the shark’s stealth attack with the calm of a girl with God on her side. Pushing pain and panic aside, she began to paddle with one arm, focusing on a single thought: “Get to the beach….” And when the first thing Bethany wanted to know after surgery was “When can I surf again?” it became clear that her spirit and determination were part of a greater story—a tale of courage and faith that this soft-spoken girl would come to share with the world.

Soul Surfer is a moving account of Bethany’s life as a young surfer, her recovery after the attack, the adjustments she’s made to her unique surfing style, her unprecedented bid for a top showing in the World Surfing Championships, and, most fundamentally, her belief in God. It is a story of girl power and spiritual grit that shows the body is no more essential to surfing—perhaps even less so—than the soul.

 

 

And because I couldn’t just stick to one quote I had to include this one too:

 

In 2004 Bethany won the ESPY Award for Best Comeback Athlete^[7] and also received the Courage Teen Choice Award.

 

To finish off this heart-warming post what could be more wonderful that this:  on February 9, 2015, Bethany Hamilton and her husband announced that they were expecting their first child, a baby boy due in early June. Many congratulations to her, such an amazing role model, and a wonderful human being.

http://bethanyhamilton.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethany_Hamilton

https://www.facebook.com/SurferBethanyHamilton?ref=br_rs

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