Kalani David, Hawaii surfing and skateboard prodigy, is dead after suffering a "massive seizure" while surfing. The 24-year-old was surfing off the Costa Rican coast when he suffered a seizure.
Wolf-Parkinson-White syndrome
As David had Wolf-Parkinson-White syndrome, which affects one and three out of every 1,000 people globally, – he could have been suffering from a very fast heartbeat (tachycardia). This is a congenital heart condition where an extra electrical pathway can cause an abnormally rapid heartbeat. In some cases, the seizure may not be fatal but result in loss of consciousness.
David suffered his first seizure in August 2016. He was skating with friends at a park in Oceanside, California. David shared on Instagram that when he was 18 year-of-age, he fell facedown and woke up in an ambulance.
This incident had briefly stopped his heart and triggered three more seizures in the hospital. David shared that he was grateful to be alive. The surfer had another seizure in Oahu, Hawaii just before Christmas. He had also shared this episode on Instagram saying that he was lucky to be even alive after seizing for roughly six hours before friends found him. This incident had him in a medically-induced coma for two-days, and a surgery to get an extra muscle on his heart removed.
Kalani David was a Rising Star
Fellow surfer Kelly Slater said David was one of the most talented surfer/skater on Earth. Taking to Instagram, Slater revealed that he constantly pushed the limits every time he was on his feet.
Patrick Eichstaedt, a photographer, said he met David when he was just a six-year-old boy and knew that he was a special human being with some of the raw talent he had ever seen. Peter King, a photographer, tool to Instagram to share his condolences and moments he had with the later sportsman.
"Oh man, Love you Kalani. Only God knows His timing, Life isn't easy. He said David passed away in Costa Rica, he had a massive seizure while surfing. The surfer had re-connected with family there and was having a great time.
