2015 - Shark Attack
| Shark Attack | |||
| 1 5 10 | Bethany Hamilton
first tried to surf at age 5. She could catch a wave and stand up on the board without help by age 7, and entered — and won — her first compe- tition the following year. Soon the native Hawaiian had her own sponsor and started home-schooling, which was better for her training schedule. At the early age of 13, her dream of becoming a professional surfer seemed possible. | ||
15 | On Halloween
morning in 2003 the unthinkable happened. The day started like any
other. At 5 a.m. Bethany rolled out of bed to hit the beach. The wave report for that morning was not very promising, but Bethany wanted to go anyway. Her mom dropped her off at one of her usual spots. She joined a group of friends and they all paddled out to wait for a few good waves. | ||
20 | While Bethany was
resting on her board, a tiger shark came out of nowhere and bit off her left arm. She said she had not seen the shark approaching her. Otherwise she would have had nightmares or never gone back in the water. She also believed that not seeing the shark coming helped her remain calm immediately after the bite — a reaction that probably saved her life. | ||
251 | The next days
were extremely hard because she had to undergo several operations. As time passed she began to feel better but then she was concerned about her future: "Will I have to forget about surfing forever? What am I going to do?" She hated other people pitying her or thinking of her as a person whose life had been ruined. So within a week she made two promises to herself. She would never walk around moaning1 and she would get back on her surfboard. | ||
| Just 26 days
after the accident she was back in the water. "When I first returned to
surf- ing, I was very afraid of sharks," says Bethany. "So to fight that fear I would just get in the water and focus on catching the waves." | |||
| 30 | Surfing with only
one arm was a challenge for her. "I had really frustrating days,"
she says. "Some days I would go into the water and come out of the water crying, but I just kept at it." The following year, she took part in national competitions, and within five years after the attack she was one of the top professional surfers worldwide again. | ||
352 | While the
accident was not something she would have wished for, she has accepted it as part of her life — and discovered many unexpected benefits2. "One of the most beautiful things that came from the accident is how it has allowed me to see that I can overcome difficult things," says Bethany. | ||
40 | She also finds
joy in being an example for other young amputees she works with.
"There aren´t that many great role models for young girls," says Bethany, the founder of the or- ganization "Friends of Bethany", a charity that donates money to child amputees around the world. | ||
| Bethany continues
to surf daily and has also started giving public speeches, encouraging people to set goals and go for them. "People can do whatever they want if they just set their heart to it and never give up." (542 words) | |||
| Adapted from: Laine Bergeson: No Fear: bethany Hamilton on Finding Your Courage. In: Experience L!fe, May 2013 | |||
| 1 to moan - jammern 2 benefits - Vorzüge | |||