Selected Findings

• Bethany Hamilton was born in February 8 1990 in Hawaii.
• She started surfing competitively at the age of 8. 
• At age 13, she encountered a shark attack in which she lost her arm. She returned to surfing one month later and was featured in the news for her determination.
• She has been honored by the US Sports Academy, MTV, Teen Choice Award, ESPN, Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award and SIMA.
• Bethany has also won the National Surf Championships and Surf n Sea Pipeline Pro.
• Her books include 'Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board', ‘Rise Above’, ‘Ask Bethany’, ‘Soul Surfer Devotions’ and ‘Raising a Soul Surfer’.
• Her films include 'Heart of a Soul Surfer', 'Soul Surfer' and ‘Unstoppable’.
• She has a non-profit known as Friends of Bethany.  

Process

Being Determined

• Bethany Hamilton returned to surfing one month after she encountered a shark attack, and she won her first national title within two years.

Helping Other People

• Bethany helps young people with normal life struggles that they go through. She recognizes that everyone has struggles even though they are not similar to the shark attack and limb loss that she went through.

Making the impossible seem possible

• It is hard and nearly impossible to surf professionally with one arm. However, Bethany combined passion, resilience and the desire to fulfill her goals, in order to achieve this impossible feat.

Having passion

• After the shark attack, Bethany’s passion for surfing outweighed her fear of sharks, and this made her go back. She also did not let the loss of her arm stop her from achieving her dream.

Philosophy

Embracing Life As It Is

• Bethany has learned to look at the loss of her arm as a positive thing. She says, “Looking in hindsight, I see all the beauty and good that's come from the loss of my arm that I wouldn't change life to be how I think it should be, but rather just embracing life as it is.”

Faith in God

• Bethany's faith in God gets her through her difficulties in life. She says, "When tough times come my way, I definitely rely on my faith in God and just be like 'hey God I don't know why I lost my arm but I'm going to trust you and know that good can come from this situation.'"

Living an Unstoppable Life

• As a surfer, Bethany gets back on her board every time she gets down, and she deals with a wave at a time. She also uses this philosophy to deal with the challenges in her life as a wife and mother. She enjoys figuring out how to conquer the new obstacles she faces every day.