Surfing icon Bethany Hamilton’s nephew has tragically died days after he was found unconscious in a bathtub, his family revealed.
Andrew Samuel Hamilton, 3, died Thursday in Oahu, Hawaii, days after sustaining injuries in the drowning incident at his home.
“It hurts terribly and we miss Andrew more than words can express,” his father said in a heartbreaking Instagram post.
Bethany previously shared her family’s fears after Andrew was found in his home and urged fans to pray for a medical miracle for her ‘precious’ nephew.
Andrew Samuel Hamilton, 3, died Thursday in Oahu, Hawaii, days after sustaining injuries in the drowning incident at his home
The boy is the nephew of surfing icon Bethany Hamilton, who previously called on fans to pray for a medical miracle for her ‘precious’ nephew
In his message announcing Andrew’s death, the boy’s father said it came only after “all best life-saving interventions had been exhausted.”
He said he will be mourned by his many loved ones, and “by his family in Christ,” whose “steadfast prayers at Andrew’s bedside and the preaching of God’s words to our broken hearts have sustained our souls this past week.”
“It hurts terribly and we miss Andrew more than words can express,” he continued.
“But we do not grieve as those who have no hope. We rejoice in the sure hope of the glory of God, in whose name Andrew was baptized, whose precious blood cleansed Andrew and made him a child and heir of heaven.”
The post received an outpouring of support, with fans of his surf icon aunt sending their condolences to the grieving family.
Andrew (pictured bottom row, center, surrounded by his family) was taken to hospital after being found unconscious in a bathtub at his home
Pictured: little Andrew and his family, who said his tragic death came only after ‘all best life-saving interventions had been exhausted’
Bethany, a well-known shark attack survivor, told her fans after Andrew was hospitalized: “We are destroyed. But I know how good medical support can make or break someone’s chance of survival.
“In this case, we are asking for the help of anyone who has information about what we can do to give my nephew the best chances.”
Bethany’s brother Noah, who is not Andrew’s father, also asked people for prayers, calling his little nephew a “strong, resilient kid” and a “great swimmer.”
He wrote, “Join us in praying for Andrew, my brother’s fifth youngest child, as he was flown to Oahu in the middle of the night.
‘He’s three-and-a-half and going to five. He is a strong, resilient boy and a great swimmer. He appeared unable to breathe in the shallow water of the bathtub. His vitals were sufficient to get him to Oahu.”
For Andrew’s treatment, the family was able to see Dr. Reach Paul Harch, a world-renowned expert in hyperbaric oxygen therapy for drowning children.
It was his son who informed Bethany under her post: “Dr. Harch is my father. I just sent you a message with his mobile number. He wants you to call him. Sending lots of love to you and your family.”
For Andrew’s treatment, the family was able to see Dr. Paul Harch (photo), a world-renowned expert in the field of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for drowning children.
Bethany is best known for a shark attack at the age of 13 that almost derailed her career
Bethany is best known for a shark attack at the age of 13 that almost derailed her career.
In 2003, while surfing off the coast of Kauai with a friend’s family, a 15-foot tiger shark bit off her left arm just below the shoulder.
The others were able to swim her back to shore and apply a tourniquet, but by the time she arrived at the hospital she had already lost 60 percent of her blood.
A tiger shark captured and killed shortly after the attack had pieces of a surfboard stuck in its jaws, and was later determined to be the attacking shark.
Despite her devastating injury, Bethany took less than a month to recover before returning to surfing, and she had her first professional competition after the attack in 2004.