On Sunday, October 25th, professional surfer and outspoken Christian Bethany Hamilton will visit the Bay Area for a special one-day event where she will share her incredible message of hope and perseverance.
The live event, which will be held at Abundant Life Christian Fellowship in Mountain View, CA from 3:30 PM to 6:00 PM (PDT), will also include a question and answer session with Bethany, light refreshments and live music from guests Robby & Bria.
Tickets start at $27.50 and are available for purchase here. VIP packages are also available for those who hope to meet Bethany and receive signed merchandise, including surf boards and copies of the New York Times Best Seller, Soul Surfer, which inspired the 2011 film of the same name.
Twelve years ago, Bethany lost her left arm after a shark attack off the island of Kauai. Instead of letting the devastating event destroy her spirit, Bethany relied on God for her strength and returned to surfing just three weeks later. Today, the 25-year-old is a world-class surfing champion and travels around the world sharing her incredible story of overcoming obstacles and finding hope through her family, her friendships and her faith.
Bethay also has a number of television and film appearances, including competing as a contestant in season 25 of The Amazing Race and playing herself in the feature film Dolphin Tale 2. In July, Bethany and her husband, Adam Dirks, welcomed their first child, Tobias, into the world.
"We are loving being parents and we love our little son," she recently told Hawaii Magazine. "It's pretty exciting and I think [parenthood] will be a lot more rewarding in the long run. I always looked forward to having kids ... and I knew I would like being a mom. But, I like it even more than I thought I would. There are definitely challenges, but those challenges are so well worth it. I see [parenthood] as such a joy and children are such a gift from God."
As part of her 2015 tour, Bethany recently visited the Google headquarters where she shared her inspirational story and reminded attendees that by faith, it is possible to overcome even the most difficult circumstances.
In September, Bethany and 20-year-old Brazilian surfer Filipe Toledo visited the Saddleback Church San Clemente to discuss their families, surfing, and faith in Jesus Christ.
When asked by host Bryan Jennings if she would lose her arm again if she could go back and change time, Bethany responded, "I think I would choose to lose my arm, because I look at all the amazing things that have happened since then and mostly just being able to encourage other people through their hard times and their struggles. What better life than to be able to love on other people through what you've been through. As awful as losing my arm to a shark was, there have been so many amazing things that have come out of it."
For more information on Bethany's visit to the San Francisco Bay Area, click here. Enter promo code "SoulSurfer2015" for 10 percent registration discount. For other news, photos and more, visit her website.
