Surfer Bethany Hamilton Says Son, 7, Was Bitten by a Dog “Unprovoked”

by

Bethany Hamilton has a stern message for dog owners.

On a recent excursion, the surfer explained how her trip with her 7-year-old son Wesley turned unexpectedly perilous when an uncontrollable animal exhibited an unwelcoming gesture towards the child.

Just a fortnight past, a seemingly harmless canine took a bite out of my beloved boy – no provocation, just sheer randomness! The dog was securely leashed at the time.” (Instagram caption, Aug 4th)

The 35-year-old woman, who has children Tobias (10), Micah (4), and Alaya (2) with her husband Adam Dirks, expressed her feelings of dissatisfaction towards dogs and dog owners. She emphasized the importance of responsible pet socialization among caregivers to ensure their pets are well-behaved and considerate around others.

Previously, my dogs exhibited unpleasant behaviors which I overlooked. I strongly advise, if your dogs are aggressive or ill-tempered, please keep them at home. Similarly, if your senior dog is becoming cranky, it would be best to leave them behind.

Following her account of the event, Bethany was met with encouraging messages from her audience, yet there were a few who expressed differing opinions on her remarks.

As a devoted follower, I’d like to share that in reply, she reassured us that she instills in her children the importance of being attentive to a dog’s signals and body language. To add, when one becomes a parent, their perspective tends to shift dramatically.

Certainly, Bethany hadn’t had her first frightening experience with wildlife when a shark attacked her in Hawaii back in 2003. Her left arm was severed during that attack. Amazingly, she resumed surfing only a few weeks later and published her memoir the very next year. This remarkable story served as the basis for the 2011 movie “Soul Surfer.

Twenty years later, Bethany looked back at that difficult time, considering it one of the most significant and influential events in her life.

In October 2023, she posted on Instagram that she hadn’t woken up thinking she was invincible and ready to surf again after being in the hospital. Instead, she felt a spark of inspiration, which led her to visualize, change her perspective, and be open to doing something unconventional. This was a test of faith for her, and she’s grateful that she dared to try her hardest!

For more celebrity health scares, keep reading.

Back in 2014, the year I proudly celebrated my beloved Lupita Nyong’o’s Oscar win for her exceptional role in “12 Years a Slave,” she was faced with a challenging health issue – uterine fibroids. These are benign growths that can form within or near the uterus, and unfortunately, she had to deal with them that same year of her triumph.

Yet, it wasn’t until the year 2025 that she revealed her diagnosis, sharing on Instagram that she had endured in secret for over a decade.

In her words, “Reaching puberty, women are often taught that menstruation brings pain, and this discomfort is just an inevitable aspect of femininity. Unfortunately, many of us endure this issue on our own without proper support.

 

In July 2025, the member of Daisy Jones & The Six band revealed that she was admitted to the hospital because of a hernia, which is typically a tear or weakness in the muscle wall, often occurring in the abdomen or lower body region, resulting from the prolonged wearing of tight-fitting clothes.

She posted on the platform, previously known as Twitter, saying, “‘You don’t tweet much anymore,'” but added, “Remember when I wore such tight pants 6 months ago that I had a hernia? I’ve been hesitant to tell you about it because I was scared.

Back in April 2025, an alumnus of Beverly Hills, 90210 shared that he was on the mend following a surgery due to a near-burst appendix.

A week ago, Brian mentioned in an Instagram post that he began experiencing abdominal discomfort. This led him to visit the hospital emergency room where it was discovered that his appendix was about to rupture, but hadn’t quite yet.

He added, “I’m on the road to recovery. It’s not an easy process. This is my first major surgery.”

Adam Devine revealed that the injuries he suffered at age 11, following an accident involving a cement truck, continue to impact him up until now.

Devine stated on an episode of the In Depth With Graham Bensinger podcast in 2025 that it had been a difficult ordeal for him. He has been experiencing spasms everywhere, and not too long ago, doctors informed him that he was close to death-specifically within the past year.

He mentioned that pain fluctuates, also expressing that his body sometimes functions irregularly or incorrectly.

Previously from Bachelor Nation, he divulged that intense back pain forced him to seek medical attention while crawling on the floor, a discomfort that worsened during a journey in an RV with a companion.

In his podcast episode from March 2025, he remarked: “At this moment, my toes to knees are numb and it’s quite unusual.” To provide some context, let me clarify that just recently, about two to four weeks back, I was managing to squat around 295 pounds. Now, I’m unable to do a simple squat on one leg without losing balance. It feels as though I’ve had some sort of incident similar to a stroke.

But with the help of a back specialist and some steroids, he added, “We’re on the mend.”

Back in March 2025, Gina Kirschenheiter from ‘Real Housewives of Orange County’ disclosed that her former spouse, Matt Kirschenheiter, had experienced a heart attack. Fortunately, he made it through this challenging incident.

30 Rock’s lead actor experienced a health emergency during a New York Knicks match at Madison Square Garden in March 2025, which necessitated his removal from the venue in a stretcher.

On the next day, the comedian posted an update on social media explaining it was a case of food poisoning and he was recovering.

In February 2025, an actress from the series Even Stevens disclosed that she got shot in the face during a trip where they were shooting clay pigeons to celebrate her husband Brendan Rooney’s birthday.

During the gathering, another individual mistakenly discharged their firearm recklessly and it struck me in the face. Instantly, @thebrendanrooney reacted swiftly, evaluated my condition, and rushed me to the hospital. I was wounded in five spots, with one bullet grazing me just under an inch from my right eye.

The former star of “Kim Possible” added, “Regrettably, a piece became stuck near my eye, and it’s not safe to extract it through surgery right now. My doctors are keeping a close watch on me, but I can see fine for now.

She expressed her heartfelt gratitude for being alive and shared that she deeply cherishes her daughters, husband, family, and friends. She recounted a moment when she felt like she was reliving her life in a blink of an eye, emphasizing the importance of embracing those close to us often because life can unexpectedly take a turn.

Amy Schumer is thankful that the internet, despite not always being a friendly space, provided her with answers in this instance. She reminisced about the intense scrutiny she faced following several media appearances, saying on an episode of Call Her Daddy in January 2025, “Everyone was getting worked up, and I was like, ‘Alright, everyone calm down.'” However, medical professionals chimed in with comments suggesting she might be suffering from Cushing syndrome. Amy humorously commented, “I’m getting trolled by doctors?”

After these doctors pointed out potential signs of Cushing syndrome, such as high cortisol levels or steroid injections, Amy realized that her symptoms could be linked to the steroid injections she had been receiving for scar treatment. She explained, “I’ve been having these steroid injections because I’ve had a breast reduction, a C-section, and other procedures. So it turns out, these injections gave me Cushing syndrome, which I wouldn’t have known if the internet hadn’t piled on so heavily.”

Now, Amy is simply grateful to be in good health. As she shared in her February 2024 News Not Noise newsletter, “Discovering that I had a type of Cushing syndrome that would resolve itself and left me healthy was the best news I could have asked for.

In a hockey game in December 2024, an AHL player got hurt when another player’s skate accidentally sliced him open. He needed 25 stitches to heal. After his son had fully recovered, New Jersey Devils General Manager Tom Fitzgerald expressed his gratitude to ESPN, saying, “We feel incredibly fortunate. I wouldn’t want that experience for any parent.

Hailey Bieber experienced one of the most terrifying moments in her life when, during breakfast with husband Justin Bieber in March 2022, she began exhibiting symptoms similar to a stroke. As she struggled to respond, she couldn’t speak properly, and half of her face drooped.

In her own words, shared on YouTube a month later, “Justin asked if I was alright, and I didn’t respond because I wasn’t certain. He questioned me again, but when I tried to answer, I couldn’t.”

Despite the facial drooping ceasing and her speech returning, Hailey decided to visit the hospital for a check-up. Medical tests revealed she had experienced a small brain clot, known as a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA).

Later, during further examination at the University of California, Los Angeles, it was discovered that Hailey had a heart condition called patent foramen ovale (PFO). The blood clot had made its way into her heart, escaped through this hole, and traveled to her brain, resulting in the TIA.

Hailey underwent a successful PFO closure procedure and reported feeling well afterwards.

In the same year Hailey went through a health crisis, Justin Bieber also faced a health challenge. Specifically, in June 2022, Justin announced that he had been diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which caused temporary facial paralysis and led to the cancellation of the rest of his Justice World Tour. He described the condition as an attack on the nerve in his ear and facial nerves, causing one-sided paralysis of his face. In an Instagram video, he pointed out that he couldn’t blink one eye, smile, or move his nostril on that side of his face. He also shared that eating became progressively harder for him, but the paralysis eventually subsided. Hailey later confirmed on Good Morning America that Justin was doing well and recovering nicely from the unexpected situation.

During an April 2023 hospital stay, Jamie Foxx originally chose not to disclose much information. However, in his 2024 Netflix special titled “What Had Happened Was…”, he shared the ordeal he experienced. On a particular day in Atlanta, he complained of a severe headache and asked for an aspirin. Before receiving one, he fainted and lost consciousness for about 20 days.

Initially examined by a doctor who administered a cortisone shot and sent him home, his sister Deidra Dixon became worried and drove him to another hospital. There they discovered that a brain hemorrhage had caused a stroke. Following a surgery on the same day, Jamie woke up in a wheelchair on May 4 unable to walk. He then traveled to Chicago for rehabilitation and therapy.

“I want to express my gratitude for every prayer,” he said, “because I felt each one of them during my recovery.

Actress Emilia Clarke, famously known for her role in Game of Thrones, penned an essay titled “A Battle for My Life” in 2019. In the piece, she recounted a severe headache she experienced at the gym that led to vomiting profusely and intensifying pain. She suspected her brain was injured.

Rushed to the hospital for a scan, she was diagnosed with a subarachnoid hemorrhage, a life-threatening type of stroke caused by bleeding in the space surrounding the brain. The Emmy nominee explained that she had an aneurysm, an arterial rupture.

She underwent immediate surgery to seal the aneurysm, describing the pain as unbearable. During her recovery, she experienced aphasia, uttering nonsensical words. A week later, the aphasia subsided, and she was discharged from the hospital after a month-long stay.

In 2013, during a routine brain scan, she learned that a growth had doubled in size, necessitating another surgery. Upon waking from the procedure, she was in agony. The doctors informed her that her chances of survival were precarious if they didn’t operate again, and this time they accessed her brain through her skull.

Fortunately, Emilia is now reportedly in perfect health.

Snoop Dogg’s daughter, Cori Broadus, expresses her gratitude towards her family after experiencing a severe stroke in January 2024. When she informed them about the incident, everyone rushed to support and aid her. “I sent them a text and picture saying I just had a stroke,” she shared with TopMob News correspondent Will Marfuggi in December 2024. “Everyone came to my rescue.”

Initially expected to leave the hospital after the stroke, Cori stayed longer due to other health complications related to lupus. “I could have returned home after my stroke, but my lupus wasn’t cooperating,” she explained in an interview for ‘Snoop’s Fatherhood: Cori and Wayne’s Story’. “My kidneys were failing. I had a lot on my plate.”

Currently, Cori is recovering well. “I’m doing well now,” she stated. “I needed to work on some motor skills, but other than that, I was fine.

During her twenties, the well-being of Shailene Woodley was not ideal. At one point, she started losing her hearing, couldn’t walk for extended periods without needing to rest, and found nearly everything she ate upset her stomach. As different doctors provided conflicting diagnoses, she referred to this period as a “conflation of issues.”

To seek answers, Shailene, who has a background in holistic medicine, decided to consult both traditional medical professionals and independent healers. This quest for understanding took ten years. During that decade, her physical discomfort led to fears about food, which in turn caused mental struggles such as body dysmorphia, confusion about identity, and feeling unsafe in her own skin.

However, after addressing both her physical and mental health concerns, Shailene is now healthy and happy. She shared, “It was a journey that ultimately resolved physically, and I am very healthy.

Read More

2025-08-05 16:47