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Bethany Hamilton, a survivor of a shark attack, is grateful for the overwhelming support during a devastating event. The professional surfer thanked the family for the support and well wishes they have received since she revealed that her 3-year-old nephew Andrew was hospitalized after drowning.
Bethany wrote, "We are hopeful," in her comment section on October 12. "I appreciate your support and prayers. We communicate with a lot of helpful people. We have faith that God is in control of Andrew.
Dr. Paul Harch, a world-renowned medical expert on drowning injuries, is one of the medical specialists the family has contacted after his daughter saw the plea.
In a follow-up post on October 13, the 34-year-old wrote, "Please pray for Andrew and all his loved ones." "Pray that we can do our best through this hard time."
The author of Soul Surfer also considered why she chose to post about the terrifying event on social media. She's glad she took that step even though she was nervous about it.
"I was not planning on posting about Andrew's incident," she explained on her Instagram Stories Oct. 13. "I didn't want to go to the public in the first place, but I knew that it could potentially help him by getting more support and receiving more knowledge/help around what he's going through."
"It certainly has been a blessing," she continued. "Thank you. I don't plan on posting a lot. And will be off this space for the most part. Thank you for the love, prayers, knowledge, and support."
On October 12, Bethany posted a picture of Andrew on Instagram along with her request for medical assistance. "HELP," she wrote as the post's caption. "After drowning last night, my beloved nephew was taken to Kapiolani in Oahu this morning. He still has a beating heart and is still capable of fighting."
Further, "We are wrecked," she said. "But I know how proper medical support can make or break someone's chance of survival, and in this case we're asking for help from anyone who has information on what we can do to give my nephew the best chance."
Noah Hamilton, Bethany's brother, made his own appeal and provided additional details about the incident on Facebook in the meantime. "Join us in prayer for my brother's 5th youngest child, Andrew, as he was lifeflighted to Oahu in the middle of the night," he wrote in his letter. "He's 3.5 approaching 5. He is a fantastic swimmer and a strong, resilient young man. He was discovered in the bathtub's shallow water, not breathing. His vital signs were sufficient to transport him to Oahu.
