Bethany Hamilton, the American professional surfer: biography, personal life, the book

31 October 2003 13-year-old surfer Bethany Hamilton went on a morning trip to the beach Tunnels, Kauai, with her best friend Alana Blanchard, her father and brother Byron Holt. Around 7:30, she was lying on a surfboard, watching the many turtles. His left arm hung with the girls in the water and caught the attention of 14-foot (4-meter) tiger shark.

Shark attacked Bethany Hamilton and bit off her left arm just below the shoulder. Blanchard helped her up to the shore, and then Alana's father made a tourniquet and wrapped it around the stump. On the same day it came to Wilcox Memorial Hospital. While the girls have taken to the hospital, she has managed to lose more than 60% of its blood and was in hypovolemic shock.

The physician, who lived in a hotel nearby, rushed headlong to the rescue. Her father, who on the same day planned to perform the surgery on the knee, was already there, but it took its place in the operating room. Three weeks later, she was discharged from the hospital. During follow-up interviews in the media, she confirmed that she felt quite normal, when she bit off his hand, and at the time of this terrible event, she did not experience any severe pain from the bite because of the state of overwhelming shock, but it felt strange numbness on the way to the hospital.

Bethany Hamilton, the American professional surfer: biography, personal life, the book

The capture of sharks

When news of the shark attack resounded all over the city, the family of fishermen, led by Ralph Ian investigators presented photos of a tiger shark length of 14 ft (4 m 3), which they caught and killed about a mile from the place of attack. The animal's teeth were fragments of a surfboard. Measuring her mouth exactly in exactly coincide with measurements broken boards belonging Bethany Hamilton. At the end of 2004, the police officially confirmed that this is the shark attacked the girl.

Bethany Hamilton, the American professional surfer: biography, personal life, the book

Return to surfing and the beginning of a career

Despite the terrible trauma, young Bethany Hamilton decided to go back to surfing. A month after the attack, she again turned to swim on the board.

Initially, she used a custom board, which was longer and slightly thicker than the standard, and had a handle for the right hand, which is somewhat easier to manage. Over time, she has learned to compensate for the loss of his left hand. After January 10, 2004 Bethany re-mastered surfing, she decided to take part in major competitions. By the time she was moved to a standard short version of a surfboard. Bitten by a shark surfboard on which Hamilton was riding on that fateful morning, as well as a bathing suit, which she wore at the time - a gift from the ocean photographer Aaron Chang - now on display at the California Surf Museum in Oceanside, California.

Bethany Hamilton, the American professional surfer: biography, personal life, the book

The path to glory

From the moment of the fatal attacks, she appeared as a guest on numerous television shows. Her manager Roy "Dutch" Hofshtetter, who produced the film "Soul Surfer," the girl was able to create an image not just a shark victim, but this example to follow. The television show, in which she has appeared at various times include The Biggest Loser, 20/20, Good Morning America, Inside Edition, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Today Show and The Tonight Show. She also gave an interview to People magazine, Time, and "American girl". In addition, Bethany was on the cover of the main niNe magazine.

The world famous

In 2004, she received the ESPY award as the best athlete, returning for the race, and won the award "The vocation of courage."

In the 2004 edition of the MTV Books published Hamilton's book, "Soul Surfer: the true story of faith, family and the struggle for a return to the sport", which describes her harsh trials of life. Her story is also retold in the short documentary film "Heart Soul Surfer" 2007 directed by Becky Baumgartner. Positioned as a documentary film based on the belief reel of film refers to her Christianity, courage and belief in Jesus Christ even after the shark attack. The film focuses on the search for the girl of the spiritual meaning of life.

Bethany Hamilton, the American professional surfer: biography, personal life, the book

Job in movies and on TV shows

August 7, 2009, she became a member of the show "Are you smarter than a fifth grader?" and won 25,000 dollars. May 16, 2010, she appeared in an episode of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" on ABC. In March 2011, Hamilton starred in the video for the Christian organization "I second," talking about his struggle after the shark attack and how she trusts God.

April 8, 2011 feature film "Soul Surfer" was presented in theaters, based on her book of the same name in 2004. Bethany played a well-known actress Anna Sophia Robb. Hamilton herself while she performed all surfing stunts on the one hand in the frame involved in the film. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray August 2, 2011.

Charity

Bethany is involved in numerous charity events, including those organized by its own foundation "Friends of Bethany," which makes donations to children with amputated limbs, offering them the opportunity to overcome difficulties through Jesus Christ. Using its reputation as a professional athlete, leading a healthy lifestyle, in 2014 she wrote a book, "Body and Soul".

Bethany Hamilton, the American professional surfer: biography, personal life, the book

Life Bethany Hamilton

Hamilton attended a regular secondary school with 6th grade. Bethany - a convinced Christian. She is the youngest of three brothers and sisters. In early 2012, she met the athlete Adam Dirks, met him through mutual friends. They became co-surfing in April 2013. August 18, 2013 the couple decided to tie the knot, playing a massive wedding in a private estate of 130 acres on the north shore of Kauai, near where she grew up. The couple have a son named Tobias, who was born in 2015. In March 2018 they were presented to the world their second born son, Wesley.

A film about Bethany Hamilton story retelling of

In 2003, a teenage girl named Bethany of Kauai (Hawaii) lives with her parents Tom and Cherie, and two brothers, Noah and Timmy. No one is interested in surfing in her family, but she and her best friend Alana Blanchard grew up with a passion for the sport and have applied for the competition. Bethany Church teacher, Sarah Hill, was disappointed that she decides to cancel a planned trip to Mexico because of the competition.

Bethany Hamilton, the American professional surfer: biography, personal life, the book

In the competition Bethany and Alana took first and third places, respectively. A few days later, Tom, Bethany's father, is sent to the hospital for knee surgery, and the girls are surfing with his father Alana Holt and his brother Byron. While Bethany is on the board, dropping his left hand into the water, the tiger shark swims just under the surfboard and notices limb girl. She suddenly attacked, biting the hand to the shoulder. Holt, Alan and Byron pulled her from the water, and then Holt makes a tourniquet out of his swim shirt to bandage the stump Bethany, and Byron is 911. Ambulance meets them on the way to hospital. Before you start an operation on Tom's knee, Dr. David Rovinsky summoned to the emergency room for treatment of Bethany. Besides his left hand, she has also lost 60% of its blood, and the doctor Rovinskiy calls her survival a miracle.

Bethany Hamilton, the American professional surfer: biography, personal life, the book

The invasion of paparazzi and is a great stress for her family and very confusing them. Hamilton Holt grateful for his quick response and decisive action that saved the life of a girl. Injury prevents her from participating in the photo shoot Rip Curl, and she asks Alan to withdraw for them both.

Bethany eventually returns to the competition, informing her opponent Malin, she does not want too easy victory, and rejected a five-minute head start, suggested by the judges. But the competition is not too successful start for the main character, because she can not stay on the board for a long time due to problems with balance, caused by the absence of the left hand. As a result, Bethany loses. Frustrated by this failure, she decides to give up professional surfing, and her friendship with Alan soon cracked. Nevertheless, our heroine to extricate himself from the tangle of problems and scandals, wins the next competition, puts up with his girlfriend, becoming a world celebrity and everything in her life starts to go like clockwork. Biography Bethany Hamilton is a direct proof that the human will - truly unlimited resource, and what you need to stay optimistic in any situation. Even if the meeting with four-meter shark turns life upside down.