Inside the Heart of “Soul Surfer”

An account on how Bethany Hamilton is changing the world.

Abby Berryman
Sep 6, 2018 · 5 min read
Bethany surfing with one arm (Image source)

On October 31, 2003 Bethany Hamilton was laying on her surfboard talking to her best friend Alana Blanchard, when the unexpected happened. Suddenly the water surrounding the two was saturated with blood. A 14-foot tiger shark sank all of his 48 teeth into her arm. Alana’s Father thought quickly by tying his shirt around the injury and keeping Bethany responsive while her brother called 911, potentially keeping her alive until they reached medical help. Finally reaching shore, Bethany had lost over half of her blood causing her to lose consciousness. When she woke up Bethany found herself in a hospital bed with no left arm and a crushed soul at the age 13. In the midst of striving to be one of the nation’s best surfers, Bethany’s world was turned upside down. All she knew her entire life was surfing. How was she going to do the one thing she was amazing at with only one arm?

Bethany and Alana Blanchard as adults. (Image source)

Born and raised in Hawaii with her house’s ocean view, Bethany’s life was centered around surfing. She grew up in a Christian home and was very involved in church. Bethany was close with her two brothers, mother, and father who also surfed. As a determined, hard working teenager she surfed everyday and was even home schooled to further her training. Alana was also home schooled with Bethany and they surfed together every morning. Starting at a young age she placed second in her division for the National Surfing Association and had won many local competitions. There was no doubt Bethany was going to be legendary.

After losing over half of her blood, her arm, and her future, learning to cope with this new life was not an easy task. During the recovery, doctors told Bethany that she would have to adapt and relearn everything she once did. This was hard information to take in and process at such a crucial time. Bethany exemplified the stages of grief throughout her accident, the first being denial. When she woke up in the hospital to discover her left arm was gone, Bethany did not initially want to believe what had happened. After excepting her situation she became angry with her Lord and Savior. She asked questions like “Why would God let this happen to me?” and “What did I do to deserve this?” Next came the depression, Bethany had lost all interest in the sport because it was why she lost her arm. She put up her boards and did not want to touch the waves. This time of depression was difficult but it was not long because the next stage was reconstruction.

Coming back was not easy; it required a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and prayers. Even though everyone thought her surfing career was finished, she proved everyone wrong. A month after the attack, Bethany’s father had her back in the water shredding the waves. With her father’s perseverance, her faith in Christ, and her determination to do what she loves, Bethany overcame her obstacle. She competed professionally becoming one of the world’s best surfers and completed her goal.

Bethany with her board from the accident, (Image Source)

Even though Bethany was back to surfing, she was not back to being herself. Being seen as an outcast or different was not easy. Going back to the stage of anger, she found herself asking herself the question “Why does God let bad things happen to good people?” Bethany became depressed again when she struggled to get up on her surfboard, something she used to do with ease, or when she simply could not pull her hair up. It was on a mission trip to Thailand when Bethany saw a different view of the world. Where she saw people that had little to nothing and that the little they did have was taken by a tsunami. Despite losing her arm she realized her life was blessed in more ways than imaginable. After the trip, Bethany did not dwell on the fact that she lost her arm, instead she thanked God for what she did have. Her soul impacted so many lives and her personality became contagious.


Bethany wanted to change the world and help others who have asked the same question she once did. In 2007 “Friends of Bethany Hamilton” was established. This is a non-profit organization that helps encourage people who have lost limbs, through the love of God. The “Beautifully Flawed Retreat” is just one of the many events hosted by “Friends of Bethany Hamilton.” Its mission is to encourage girls who have missing limbs by spending the weekend with Bethany herself, where she ensures them that they are beautiful just the way they are. The organization also has given out scholarships to those in difficult situations. FOBH teamed up with “Wonderfully Made” for the Anchored in Love conference in 2014 where they reached out and touched 3,000 lives. Including many other events through her organization and her book “Body and Soul”, Hamilton is making her mark on the world.

Bethany with beautiful girls who attended the retreat. (Image source)

Mission statement: “Friends of Bethany reaches out to encourage a broken world by offering hope to overcome through Jesus Christ”

Bethany Hamilton has encouraged so many people through her organization. By reaching out and encouraging broken people, just as the mission statement says, she has touched and healed hundreds of lives. Bethany could have easily given up on the day her arm was taken, but instead with the love of Christ she is changing the world one missing limb at a time.

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