'Soul Surfer' Bethany Hamilton & husband share life with newborn Tobias
KAUAI, Hawaii (Christian Examiner) -- Twenty-five year-old professional surfer Bethany Hamilton of Soul Surfer fame gave birth on June 1 to her first child. Hamilton announced on her Facebook page 7.9 pound, 21-inch Tobias was named in honor of his great-grandfather Tobias whose name means "the goodness of God."
The early days . . . we're going to have to find the balance. Bethany is going to be feeding the baby and taking care of it, and it's really essential for her to be able to do that.
"Adam and I so in love with our lil guy and are stoked to share life with him," she wrote of herself and husband Adam Dirks who she was married to in 2013.
Hamilton has frequently spoken of the goodness of God since losing her left arm at the age of 13 in a 2003 shark attack while surfing in the waters of Kauai, Hawaii's Tunnels Beach.
"When people ask me what my faith in Christ means to me, I usually answer in just one word: 'Everything!' It helps to know that even when you don't have a clue why something has happened in your life, someone up there has a master plan and is watching over you. It's a tremendous relief to be able to put your trust in God and take the burden off your shoulders," she writes.
Hamilton, who was back in the water three weeks after the incident and surfing competitively again within three months, has continued surfing professionally and become an author and motivational speaker in the decade since the attack. She has appeared in numerous television programs, movies, and magazine articles.
In 2014, Hamilton demonstrated how she avoids allowing the loss of her arm to be a disability when she and husband Dirks competed in the CBS Reality Show "Amazing Race." The couple fell short of winning the 26,000-mile competition when they fell behind remaining teams during a memory contest in the season finale and finished in third place.
Hamilton and Dirks told PEOPLE magazine earlier this year they are up for the challenges of parenting.
"There's going to be things that will be very challenging with one arm, but I'll just have to find my own way to take care of this baby. Of course, I'll have Adam to help, but if he's out and about busy, I'll have to . . . figure it out and be creative," Hamilton stated.
Dirks, a youth minister, told the publication that life balance will be an adjustment. "The early days . . . we're going to have to find the balance. Bethany is going to be feeding the baby and taking care of it, and it's really essential for her to be able to do that.
"As we start traveling more, getting into surfing, I know I'm going to be there to support my wife and support our family and do what I can . . . changing diapers on the beach while Bethany is out there surfing some gnarly wave. I'm all for that and I'm just going to be really stoked to be a dad!"