“Doing everything with one arm, being well-known, and having a book and a movie, it’s fairly abnormal. As far as just not having to worry about past experiences, I’ve healed very well.”

The media can be challenging, but at the same time, without the media, I would not have been able to share my personal story. Often the media can bring beauty and encouragement to people’s lives…

You don’t have to be a botanist; you don’t have to be a bulldozer driver; you don’t have to be a fence builder; you don’t have to be an architect. What the designer has to do is look at the relationships.

Being able to turn to Jesus after the shark attack kept me alive.

Strive to find things to be thankful for and just look for the good in who you are!

Getting back on the surfboard after the [shark] attack was the hardest thing and I did it! After that, the hardest thing was my first competition.

Love God; love others; do your best in all you do, even if you fall short!

God has a lot more to give and to offer than the world has to give.

Love is bigger then a tsunami, stronger then any fear.

I gave my heart to Jesus when I was five-years-old and since then it’s been a special relationship. To me it’s not a religion; it’s just talking to God, reading his word, and doing my best to honor him in everything I do.

I can’t change it, That was God’s plan for my life and I’m going to go with it.

We all need that extra friend outside of our immediate family to talk about that extra stuff you wouldn’t normally talk to your parents about.

I’m actually not star-struck… I like to give people their own space and admire them from a distance.

My strength came from my relationship with Christ and from the love and encouragement of my family and friends.

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.

I believe in Jesus Christ, and I believe He gave me the passion and determination to continue surfing. You fall off the horse, and you get back on. I had to go for it.

Life is full of what-ifs. You can’t let it hold you back. If you do, you’re not really living at all… just kind of going through the motions with no meaning