Bethany Hamilton pleaded for a medical miracle after her 3-year-old nephew, Andrew, was found unconscious in a bathtub during a drowning incident.
The pro surfer took to Instagram Saturday to explain the accident occurred on Friday night and the toddler was airlifted to a hospital in Oahu, Hawaii., via a helicopter the following morning.
“He still has a heartbeat and has fight in him,” she wrote alongside a photo of her nephew holding a surfboard.
“We are wrecked,” the shark attack survivor added. “But I know how proper medical support can make or break someone’s chance of survival.”
“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,” Hamilton, 34, continued.
Bethany’s brother, Noah Hamilton, also referred to his nephew as a “resilient kid” and an “amazing swimmer,” according to the Daily Mail.
“He’s three-and-a-half going on five,” Noah said. “He’s a strong resilient kid and an amazing swimmer. He was found not breathing in shallow water of bathtub. His vitals were enough to get him to Oahu.”
Bethany later gave an update to her followers, explaining she was able to get in contact with Dr. Paul Harch, a hyperbaric oxygen therapy clinician (HBOT).
According to Mayo Clinic, Harch’s practice “is a well-established treatment for decompression sickness, a potential risk of scuba diving” and “involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized environment.”
Per Harch’s website, he’s used the treatment to help children who have drowned, and in 1997 he successfully cured an “unconscious drowned child” who drowned at the bottom of a pool.
On Sunday, Bethany took to her Instagram Story to thank her fans for their support, saying she didn’t plan on going public with the news but knew it could lead to more knowledge.
“I don’t plan on posting a lot,” she wrote. “And will be off this space for the most part.”
Bethany inspired the 2011 movie, “Soul Surfer,” starring Anna Sophia Robb.
The movie told the athlete’s story about how she lost her arm after being attacked by a tiger shark off the coast of Kauai in 2003 when she was 13 years old.
Bethany, however, didn’t let the setback stop her from competing in surfing competitions and won the Best Comeback Athlete ESPY Award a year later.
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