Remember the young surfer who lost her arm in a shark attack? 21 years later she’s fighting to protect women’s sports

A promising young surfer, then 13-year-old Bethany Hamilton’s world was turned upside down when she lost her arm in a shark attack. On “Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey,” Bethany detailed how her family’s faith in God helped her through these troubling times:

“My dad worked really hard — like two to three jobs at a time, so we had a really simple childhood. But they gave me so much. They gave me so much time, and they gave me my faith in God. ... And so, when I lost my arm, it was almost like I was ready, because my mom had raised me in my faith, she would pray with me, she read the Bible to me at bedtime, we went to church ... and so, when chaos hit, I was ready.”

She also explained how she had to relearn surfing and what drove her to get back in the water just 21 days later:

“For me, surfing was more than just a childhood hobby. I feel like it was a way of life and culture and art and sport.”

Bethany said the physical journey was actually pretty easy, but it took a while for her to regain her confidence while surfing and figure out how to do things differently with just one arm — what she calls “Bethany’s version” of surfing. She also explained how frustrating it was to figure out how to do life with just one arm but that her faith in God and His plan for her life kept her going.

She discussed meeting her husband, motherhood, and even surfing while pregnant. According to Bethany, there are certain waves that are better while pregnant, and she surfed well into all her pregnancies, which is apparently commonplace in Hawaii.

Bethany has also been an outspoken advocate for the protection of women’s sports and explained her choice to speak out against biological men in women’s sports, specifically the World Surf League’s rule allowing males to compete against females:

“I feel like, too, a lot of it’s just such an interesting thing, because I feel like if women just said no, this wouldn’t be an issue. If all the female surfers — if the 70% that disagree with [the rule], if they all said no, then the World Surf League would not have an option.”

In the full episode, Bethany dives deeper into her faith, becoming well-known, and her partnership with pro-life diaper brand, EveryLife.

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