Inspire 2018 FALL

Pali Momi: An Active Life

Surfing, jiu-jitsu, training professional surfers — Gerry Costa’s busy schedule is enough to make anyone’s heart pound.

“His retirement just didn’t work out,” Gerry’s wife of 40 years, Sussi Dahl, said laughing.

Friends know the 63-year-old as “Kid Peligro.” The Brazilian native certainly has the energy of a keiki. His typical routine starts when he wakes up at dawn to catch waves for an hour. Then, after a quick breakfast, Gerry heads out to condition World Tour Championship surfers like Fred Pattachia, Sunny Garcia and John John Florence in the art of Ginastica Natural — a type of jiu-jitsu-inspired training that uses a person’s own body weight to increase strength and flexibility. In the evenings, he trains kids and athletes in jiu-jitsu classes – he’s a fourth degree black belt and published author on the sport.

“Training with Kid has impacted my life and my professional career a lot because I was never into training before and it was a really fun way to start training and stay flexible to surf,” reigning world surfing champion John John said. “Kid and I have had so many good conversations and I’ve learned so much from him.”

"Kid is such a special person and he's just great to all of us," professional surfer Mahina Maeda said after a workout in his class. "I think it's just a huge opportunity for all the kids on the North Shore to work with him and possibly be the next John John."

As much as athletes look to Gerry as a model of good health, he faced his own medical challenges. Several years ago, he noticed his heart rate was speeding up. It went away. A year later it happened again, then again. Then the heart palpitations continued for more than a week. When his heart raced for nine days straight, the lifelong athlete knew something was wrong.

He called a friend, Dr. Spencer Chang from Straub Medical Center, who told the North Shore resident to get to Pali Momi Medical Center right away. Gerry and Sussi went to Pali Momi’s Emergency Department and the staff took action.

After undergoing tests, he was prescribed a blood thinner and referred to cardiac electrophysiologist Dr. Cyrus C. L. Szeto-Wong. Gerry and Sussi returned home and were planning to make an appointment in the next few days. But that evening, his symptoms returned and they immediately went back to Pali Momi.

“The staff truly cares for you and that makes a huge difference,” Gerry said. "At Pali Momi, there’s a sense of community.”

Gerry was diagnosed with an atrial flutter, which is an electrical “short circuit” of the heart that can cause the heart to beat abnormally fast at times. He had two options; take blood thinners and medication and avoid high-risk physical activities like surfing, or undergo surgery.

“His main concern was that he wouldn’t be as active as he was used to being,” Dr. Szeto-Wong said.

Gerry chose to have a cardiac ablation. The minimally invasive surgical procedure destroys the tissue in the heart that allows the incorrect electrical signals to occur.

It all happened in a matter of days, thanks to Pali Momi's state-of-the-art electrophysiology lab. The facility opened in 2017 with the equipment and specialized staff needed to perform cardiac ablations and other life-changing electrophysiology procedures.

Gerry went in for the ablation the day before Thanksgiving. By 4 p.m., he was on his way home.

“People like Gerry who are more active tend to be more aware of symptoms,” Dr. Szeto-Wong said. “Being aware of changes, like an elevated heart rate, can lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment. Probably the most dangerous thing about atrial flutter is that it increases the risk of stroke.”

Today, Gerry is back to his busy schedule. He does make annual visits to the cardiologist and makes sure to stay hydrated. He knows he was fortunate to have discovered the problem early.

"I surfed with him this morning and he was catching all the waves," professional surfer Zoe McDougall said. “Kid is so energetic and he motivates all of us. He's got endless energy that he just passes onto all of us. It was really surprising [when he had heart trouble] because we always think of him as the healthiest guy that we know. It just shows that it can happen to anyone."

“The main thing is getting your life back,” Gerry said. “You start thinking maybe I won’t be able to do jiu-jitsu or surf. To be able to come back — it’s like, wow!”