Surfing legend Bethany Hamilton has broken her silence on the tragic death of her nephew, who died after being found unconscious in a bathtub.
Andrew Samuel Hamilton, three, died Thursday in Oahu, Hawaii, days after sustaining injuries during the drowning incident at his home.
The famous surfer posted a heartfelt tribute on Instagram, saying her family will miss the young boy dearly and thanking fans for their support in praying for a medical miracle.
“The Lord has taken my dear cousin Andrew into His wonderful care. While my family and I will miss him dearly, we trust that his joy is full of Jesus,” Hamilton said.
“Here is a prayer of faith that was prayed by my brother and our entire family this past week. This prayer describes so incredibly what it is to have faith. Faith is the confidence that God’s will for our lives is greater than ours.
Surfing legend Bethany Hamilton wrote that her family will miss the young boy dearly and thanked fans for their support in praying for a medical miracle
The famous surfer’s nephew, Andrew Samuel Hamilton, 3, died Thursday in Oahu, Hawaii, after being found unconscious in the bathtub on October 12.
“Thank you all for the love, prayers and support during this difficult time. Be blessed.”
Fans expressed their condolences for the Hamilton family’s loss.
One fan said: “My sincere condolences and prayers to you and your family. Andrew is on his new path with a greater purpose and although his time here was shorter than desired, it was so precious. Until you meet again.”
Former U.S. Representative from Hawaii Tulsi Gabbard chimed in with support for the family.
‘Thank you. We lift Andrew and the entire family in our prayers as you find peace and shelter in the warm embrace of God’s unconditional and eternal love,” Gabbard said.
In his message announcing Andrew’s death, the boy’s father said it came only after “all best life-saving interventions had been exhausted.”
“It hurts terribly and we miss Andrew more than words can express,” his father said in a heartbreaking Instagram post.
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.
“It hurts terribly and we miss Andrew more than words can express,” his father said in a heartbreaking Instagram post. In the photo: Andrew is held by his mother Kyah
In his message announcing Andrew’s death, the boy’s father (right) said it came only after “all best life-saving interventions had been exhausted.”
Hamilton wrote on Saturday: “Thank you all for the love, prayers and support during this difficult time. Be blessed’
Andrew was found unconscious and not breathing in a bathtub on Oct. 11 after his parents soaked him in Epsom salts and six inches of water after he developed a fever.
The boy was 15 feet away from the kitchen and living room when they found him unconscious, which they said was “baffling” because he was a “great swimmer.”
After they were able to get a pulse with chest compressions, he was taken to the hospital and later taken to Kapiolani in Oahu on the morning of October 12.
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.”
On Saturday, the family revealed that Andrew had succumbed to his injuries after exhausting all ‘life-saving measures’.
Bethany, a well-known shark attack survivor, told her fans on October 12 after Andrew was hospitalized: “We are destroyed. But I know how good medical support can make or break someone’s chance of survival.”
For Andrew’s treatment, the family was able to see Dr. Paul Harch, a world-renowned expert in hyperbaric oxygen therapy for drowning children, but were told he would have to be taken by ambulance to the mainland to receive his services.
The mention of Andrew’s medical update while he was still alive was that his ventilator had to be turned off because carbon monoxide was detected in his blood on Wednesday evening
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.