Bethany Hamilton is asking for help and prayers after her young nephew, Andrew, drowned — and survived.
The professional surfer, 34, shared news of her “sweet” and “precious” nephew’s situation on Saturday, Oct. 12, revealing in an emotional Instagram post that he drowned in the evening of Oct. 11.
In the morning of Oct. 12, Andrew was medevaced to a hospital in Oahu, Hawaii, she shared, seemingly referring to Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women & Children in Honolulu.
At the time she penned the post, Hamilton said that Andrew “still has a heartbeat and has fight in him.”
The famous athlete, who lost her arm in a shark attack while surfing at 13, also asked for help finding experts who can help provide the child with the “best chance” at surviving.
“We are wrecked,” she wrote. “But I know how proper medical support can make or break someone’s chance of survival and in this case we’re asking for help from anyone who has information of what we can do to give my nephew the best chance.”
Through her post, the pro surfer was able to get in contact with one of the medical professionals she tagged, Dr. Paul Harch, she announced in an update to the original message,
The Louisiana-based doctor is an expert in hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), which he has used to successfully treat patients — including drowned children — according to his website.
HBOT is “a well-established treatment for decompression sickness, a potential risk of scuba diving,” according to Mayo Clinic. The treatment itself “involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized environment.”
Bethany Hamilton.
BRIAN BIELMANN/AFP via Getty
Hamilton, a mom of four, ended her post by asking anyone with “timely information on other treatments” to contact her brother, Noah, before concluding, “Please pray. THANK YOU!” She did not clarify whether Noah is Andrew’s father.
In another update, the pro surfer also shared that she and her family are “hopeful” after they were able to communicate with Harch.
“Update: We are hopeful 😭🙏🏽✨,” she wrote in the comments. “Thank you for your prayers and support. We are in contact with Dr. Harch and many helpful individuals.”
“We trust that God has Andrew in his hands,” she added.
