The end...is just the beginning

Both of my parents are surfers, of course, so they understood where my passion for surfing was at and I guess they saw the talent that I had.

It's hard for me to describe the joy I felt after I stood up and rode wave in for the first time after the attack. I was incredibly thankful and happy inside. The tiny bit of doubt that would sometimes tell me you'll never surf again was gone in one wave.

We all go through rough times. We have those obstacles that seem too large to overcome or that current that you never seem to swim out of. We have to decide what matters most to us - our passions.

There's no such thing as a handicap - it's all in your head

Besides surfing, I play tennis, volleyball, I swim, I run hills, or I do high-intensity, high-interval workouts. I'm up at 5 A.M. every day.

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