Suddenly, there was a flash of gray. Bethany felt a lot of pressure and a couple of fast tugs. It was all over in a few seconds. That’s all it took for the 15-foot tiger shark to bite off her left arm, nearly to the shoulder. Bethany watched in shock as the water around her turned bright red. Somehow, she managed to stay calm. “It’s funny,” Bethany says, “you would think having your arm bitten off would really hurt. But there was no pain at the time.”

Bethany said in a loud but not panicky voice, “I just got attacked by a shark,” and started paddling toward shore. It was a quarter of a mile back, but one thought kept repeating in her head: “Get to the beach.” (The shark that bit her was later caught.)

Bethany’s friends reached her quickly and helped her to shore. Her arm was bleeding badly, but that didn’t stop her from praying fervently. One of them tied a shirt around the stub of her arm as a tourniquet. It was during the long paddle back – nearly fifteen minutes – that fear began to wash over her. Bethany pushed the negative thoughts away with a prayer, “I’m in God’s hands.” She was lapsing in and out of consciousness, and the pain in her arm became very apparent.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the emergency vehicles came. Bethany says she remembers one paramedic. He spoke softly to her and held her hand as they were pulling out of the parking lot. He whispered, “God will never leave you nor forsake you.” Bethany says he was right.