In the end, my love for surfing helped me overcome my fear of sharks.
I’m just waiting for God to tell me what to do, but whatever it is, I want to be doing something like I am doing now-serving God and helping people.
Our health and well-being is something that we can almost control, to a certain extent. We can choose to eat healthy, we can choose to think positively, and we can choose to have good posture. All this stuff makes a difference, and the way that you look and feel, and your confidence.
Love God; love others; do your best in all you do, even if you fall short!
Being able to turn to Jesus after the shark attack kept me alive.
I wouldn’t change what happened to me because then I wouldn’t have this chance, in front of all of you, to embrace more people than I ever could have with two arms.
My faith in God is a huge part of my life, and yeah He has blessed me with an amazing family, and group of friends. In the Bible he tells us to think positively about ourselves, to not be down on ourselves. So I just try to live the way He wants me to, and make the best decisions I can.
God created the heavens and the earth, the oceans and the waves for our enjoyment. Surfing is just my way of worshipping Him.
Being creative on the waves is challenging, but we each create art in our own way.
I don’t really want people looking to me for inspiration. I just want to be a sign along the way that points toward Heaven.
I could never have embraced this many people with two arms.
It’s been amazing to touch people’s lives.
My only real fear was that I would not be able to surf again because I was concerned that I would not physically be able to do it. I knew that if I wasn’t able to surf then my life would really change.
Compassion can drive us to do amazing things and give us perspective.
My strength came from my relationship with Christ and from the love and encouragement of my family and friends.
The paramedic whispered in my ear ‘God will never leave you or forsake you.’
My belief is where I get my strength. When I’m struggling with something, I can go to God for help and I’m excited to share that.
It’s hard for me to describe the joy I felt after I stood up and rode wave in for the first time after the attack. I was incredibly thankful and happy inside. The tiny bit of doubt that would sometimes tell me you’ll never surf again was gone in one wave.
You fall off the horse and you get back on.
Love is bigger than a tsunami, stronger than any fear.