| « Pair of Boring Non-Fatal Shark Attacks Prove that Sharks Are Not Really Trying to Kill You--Too Bad | Kevin Thompson is a Kidnapping, Baby-snatching, Slave Trader » |
Get Back on Your Board...but first, Get Off Your High Horse
I'm tired of hearing about how "inspirational" shark attack survivors are. Oh you were in the wrong place at the wrong time and now you're just trying to get through your life like everyone else? How inspirational! And you are different from everyone else who is just trying to get through the day, how? Oh, you are missing an arm or a leg because a shark ate it.
The World's Smallest Violin--if you listen close enough you can hear it playing for shark attack victims
Get back on your board
Peta Hellard in Los Angeles
December 09, 2006 03:00pm
AN inspirational US teenager who returned to the surf just weeks after a shark took her arm has urged WA shark victim Zachary Golebiowski to get back on his board.
Bethany Hamilton, who was attacked by a tiger shark three years ago while surfing in Hawaii, said she was ``gutted'' when she heard about Zachary.The young surfing champion said she wanted to visit the 15-year-old when she travelled to Australia next month.
Zachary lost his leg when he was attacked by a 5m white pointer while surfing off an Esperance beach last Saturday. Bethany was 13 when she lost her arm to a 4.6m shark.
Yesterday she said she hoped Zachary would continue to surf - like one of her friends in Hawaii, who also lost a leg in a shark attack.
"An important thing for Zachary to focus on during his recovery is getting back in the water,'' she said. "I would hope that he will be back surfing again, as my friend in Kauai did.
"Never did I think I would compete again, but miracles happen.''
Bethany said she was shocked and upset when she heard of the latest attack.
"I was gutted. I felt crushed and scared again,'' she said. ``I am hopeful Zachary will be as lucky as me with getting a lot of support from his friends and family during his recovery.''
Zachary was surfing with his brother Sam, 18, and a friend 40m off Wharton Beach in Duke of Orleans Bay, 85km from Esperance, when attacked.
The teenager, who had been living in the Esperance area, lost his right leg below the knee and part of his left calf.
His brother and friend helped him paddle to shore, where New Zealanders Amy Worling, 26, and
Pete Hickmott, 32, helped pull Zachary from the water and rush him to their car.Police escorted the car on the hour-long journey towards the nearest hospital until they met an ambulance 10km from Esperance.
Zachary's father Les, who lives in Mt Gambier, South Australia, said the people who helped his son on the beach saved his life.
"You don't expect your kid to be bitten by a shark,'' he said. ``At least he's still with us, that's the main thing.''
Mr Golebiowski said the family recently moved from Esperence back to his home town of Mt Gambier, but Zachary had returned to WA to stay with family friends after suffering homesickness.
Bethany said she planned to email Zachary to pass on her best wishes and hoped to visit him when she came to compete in the Roxy Pro Women's Surfing Festival at Victoria's Phillip Island.
She said she was overwhelmed by support in the months after losing her arm and urged Zachary to speak about his experience.
"Now is the time to use your recovery to inspire others - tell your story and believe in yourself,'' she said.
"My family, friends and my faith got me through my experience of losing my arm.''
The inspiring teenager made headlines around the world with her positive outlook and her determination to compete again after the attack.
Victim Bethany, full of family, friends, and faith:
High Five For Shark Food
God, these maimed rich kids are so inspirational. Some people have to work all day to feed themselves and pay for sky-high health care costs and rent. These kids get to surf all day, Boo Hoo.
--Sharky
9 comments
its not the fact that they were at the wrong place at the wrong time that people see them as someone insperational
its the fact that they just had somthing happen to them that changed there life forever in a horable way, yet they still have to courage to face what had happened to them and move on from it.
also people dont always go on about shark attacks they are talked about jsut as much as any othe person that has had to over come something as horrific as that.
if you became a shark attack vicitm (pray to god you dont). do you think that you would honestly say that you havnt been though somthing that affected you. you would honestly not think about how hard your life is going to ne to addapt to.
n so what they earn more money than you because they have worked there butts off for so long. and are doing something they love, just like footballers, soccer playes, runners actors hey pritty much any person that plays sport.
because they have more money they cant be seen as an inspreational person. (for the record not all victims from shark attacks are rich some of them are like 15 16 years old, a boy yesterday lost his life to a shark attack at the age of 16. and he wernt rich he wernt a pro surfer earning more money than you he was a kid trying to enjoy his life so dont use the whole they get to surf all day well you work cos not all surfers get payed for what they do. and if you were a surfer or new anything about surfing you would understand that they arnt in it for the money)
if n would it make a differnce if they were poor and had nothing? wow you think you hard done by.
hmm i wonder what 3rd world country people would say about you, with your big fancy job and your big fancy house (even though its rented),and your big fancy phones, and health care ??? hold on health care what is this thing you speek of.... thats right some poeple havent even hurd of this because there so poor they arnt offored it and wouldnt be able to afford it in there entire life time.
maybe you should stop n take a look at the people who are less fortunate than you insted of taking your anger ou on people who are more fortunate than you, and especially on people who you would never understand what they have had to go though, so until you get biten by a shark maybe you should take a look form someone elese shoes.
Comment feed for this post