Bethany Hamilton defends unusual public appearance after nephew's death

Bethany Hamilton opened up about why she chose to compete on The Masked Singer just weeks after the tragic drowning death of her 3-year-old nephew.

The surfing legend, who lost her arm in a 2003 shark attack when she was just 13, said she was 'grateful' for the opportunity to appear on Season 12 of the Fox hit, as it gave her a platform to share a powerful message of perseverance.

'Anytime I go in the public eye, it's to remind people of overcoming the hardships in life,' Hamilton, 34, told People , as she was unmasked as the character Macaron on the Nov. 13 episode.

Hamilton's decision to participate came shortly after the tragic loss of her nephew, Andrew, who passed away on October 19 after being found unconscious in a bathtub in his home in Oahu, Hawaii .

Reflecting on her reasons for joining the show, Hamilton said, 'We all will face hardship at some point or another in our life, and I really just wanted to encourage people to know that they can endure and persevere, and so much good and beauty can come from some of the most awful things in life.'

She also admitted that she had never watched the popular singing competition series before being invited to take part.

'When I first got invited, I thought that they were going to bring me on as a judge — I literally had no clue,' said Hamilton.

On October 20, Bethany posted a heartfelt tribute on Instagram saying her family will miss Andrew and thanked fans for their support in praying for a medical miracle.

'The Lord has receive my sweet nephew Andrew into his beautiful care. While my family and I will miss him dearly, we trust that his joy is full with Jesus,' Hamilton said.

'Here is a prayer of faith that was prayed by my brother, and our whole family, this last week. This prayer paints so incredibly what it is to have faith. Faith is to trust that God's will for our life is greater than our own.

'Thank you all for the love, prayers and support is this trying time. Be blessed.'

Fans posted their condolences for the Hamilton family's loss.

One fan said: 'My sincerest condolences and prayers to you and your family. Andrew is on his new path with a greater purpose and while his time here was shorter than desired it was so precious. Until you meet again.'

Former Hawaii U.S Representative Tulsi Gabbard chimed in with support for the family.

'Thank you. We are lifting up Andrew and the whole family up in our prayers as you find peace and shelter in the warm embrace of God's unconditional and eternal love,' Gabbard said.

In his message announcing Andrew's passing, the boy's father said it came only after 'all of the best life-saving interventions had been exhausted.'

'It hurts terribly and we miss Andrew more than words can express,' his father said in a heartbreaking Instagram post.

He said he will be mourned by his many loved ones, and 'by his family in Christ', whose 'steadfast prayers at Andrew's bedside and preaching of God's Words to our broken hearts has sustained our souls this past week.'

'It hurts terribly and we miss Andrew more than words can express,' he continued.

Andrew was found unconscious and not breathing inside a bathtub on October 11.

His parents soaked him in Epsom salts and six inches of water after he came down with a fever.

The boy was 15-feet away from the kitchen and living room when they found him unconscious, which they wrote was 'baffling' since he was a 'amazing swimmer'.

After they were able to get a heartbeat with chest compressions he was brought to the hospital and later medevacked to Kapiolani in Oahu on the morning of October 12.

Bethany , a renowned shark attack survivor, told her fans after Andrew was hospitalized: 'We are wrecked. 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.'

Bethany's brother Noah, who is not Andrew's dad, also asked people for prayers - calling his little nephew a 'strong, resilient kid' and an 'amazing swimmer.'

He wrote: 'Join us in prayer for my brother's fifth youngest child Andrew as he was life-flighted to Oahu in the middle of the night.

'He's three-and-a-half going on five. 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.'

On Saturday the family revealed Andrew had succumbed to his injuries after exhausting all 'life-saving measures'.

Bethany is best known for a shark attack at age 13 that nearly derailed her career.

In 2003, while she was surfing off the coast of Kauai with a friend's family, a 14ft tiger shark bit off her left arm just below the shoulder.

The others were able to swim her back to shore and put a tourniquet on, but she had already lost 60 percent of her blood by the time she arrived at the hospital.

A tiger shark that was caught and killed shortly after the attack had pieces of a surfboard lodged in its jaws, and it was later determined to have been the attacking shark.

Despite her devastating injury, Bethany took less than a month to recover before returning to surfing, and she had her first professional contest after the attack in 2004.