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Bethany Hamilton was born to Thomas and Cherilyn Hamilton in Lihue, Hawaii.
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Bethany entered her first competition, the Rell Sun Menehune event on Oahu. There she won both the long and short board competitions. This sparked her love for the sport of surfing.
(June 20th is not an exact date. It was just required to enter a date so I came up with one)
This is a picture of her with some surfing friends. -
Bethany was attacked by a 14 foot tiger shark while surfing off Kauai's North Shore. The shark damanged her left arm and caused her to lose 60% of her blood. She went to through several surgeries without infection. Even though she had lost an arm, she always had a positive attitude and remained faithful in God.
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This is the board she was using when she was attacked.
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After the attack, a fisherman caught a shark whose jaw matched the marks on Bethany's board.
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Amazingly, one month after the attack, Bethany got back into the water and began to surf again. She still had dreams of becoming a professional surfer and wasn't going to let her disablitity get in the way.
(Date is approximate) -
In January of 2004, Bethany particapted in her first surfing competition since the accident. She ended up placing 5th in the Open Women's division.
(Date not exact) -
Almost a year after the attack, Bethany participated in the NSSA National Championship. She was in the Explorer Women's Division. She came in first earning her first national title.
(The event was between June 22 and June 25) -
Bethany wrote an autobiography of her life entitled Soul Surfer telling her life story.
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Bethany relizes her intense love for the sport and becomes a pro surfer.
(Date not exact, she became pro sometime in 2007) -
Bethany continued to win numerous events and do well in the surfing world. One of her great accomplishments was coming in 2nd at the 2009 ASP World Junior Championships.
(Date not exact) -
In April, Bethany's autobiography is made into a movie with AnnaSophia Robb playing Bethany. It was released for home and entertainment use in August.
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Today Bethany is an inspiration to millions and still remains in love with surfing. Bethany faces the struggle of everyday life and has to complete everyday tasks with difficulty.
