Pro surfer and shark-attack survivor Bethany Hamilton wants her daughter to grow up confident in herself.
“Raising a daughter is such a beautiful responsibility. 🤍,” Hamilton shared in an Instagram post. Her daughter Alaya, born in 2023, is the youngest of four.
“I want her to grow up knowing she doesn’t have to fit anyone else’s idea of what she should look like, be or become. I want her to take care of her body, be grateful for what it can do, try hard things, face her fears and know that it’s okay to fall and start again,” the surfer wrote.
But more than anything, Hamilton wants Alaya to know that God made her and loves her. She doesn’t want her worth to come from the world but from Him.
Hamilton recently partnered with Faith Friends Co. to create The Bethany Doll, a special edition doll that has one arm and a partial arm, like Hamilton, to encourage confidence and inspire. However, the doll was only available to order through Aug. 30.
Faith Friends Co. said, “Bethany has built her life around the truth that with God, all things are possible. As she famously says, ‘I don’t need easy. I just need possible.’ We couldn’t imagine a better woman to help Faith Friends remind girls that their circumstances don’t define what God can do through their lives.”
Related: Bethany Hamilton Welcomes Child Number Four, Her First Daughter
Hamilton also shared a video of her daughter opening the doll.
“That’s you, mama!” Alaya said. “Only one arm!”
In another post, Hamilton wrote, “Over the years, so many young girls have sent me pictures of barbie dolls with one of the arms ripped off! 😂 Now she is here, a doll that encourages girls to overcome, to adapt, and try again no matter how hard things get!”
Since her shark attack as a 13-year-old, Hamilton has shared about the confidence and positivity she has through Christ.
She recently shared, “Life has its challenges. Darkness can creep in. Don’t allow the dark to win. With Jesus all things are possible! You can overcome!”
Earlier this year, she spoke about overcoming losing her devastating injury and learning to surf again at Colgate University.
“I never thought it was going to happen. But seeing how I was able to adapt…it’s so much more than me,” Hamilton said. “Most people would see this as such a horrible thing, but I see all the meaning that God has brought out of it, and it’s just incredible how we can turn things that we don’t understand into good.”
Hamilton inspires millions across the world. She proves that you can still pursue passions and do hard things, despite huge loss.
Read Next: Faith, Family and Waves: Behind the Scenes of BETHANY HAMILTON: UNSTOPPABLE
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