Fund in Memory of Robbie Kaas

He came into the world as a complete surprise and unexpected miracle on January 28, 1977. “He was the greatest gift I’ve ever received in my life, says his mom, Jaclynn Vines. Born of her heart, Rob came to our family through the selflessness of a beautiful adoption. Rob was a cherished member of our family from the moment of his birth. He was sealed to us when he was 6 months old.

Rob was a natural athlete from the age of six months. Even then he could hold a miniature basketball. He loved all kinds of sports and, at around the age of 12, he fell in love with skateboarding. My mom worried about him, but he managed to talk her into it. It didn’t take long before we became regulars at the local skate­boarding ramp. I got a call one night at work from my mom who was in hysterics because Rob had gotten into a terrible skateboarding accident. She told me that his face was blown up like a balloon, because he had landed on it. I remember following the trail of blood into our condo when I got home later that night. But, no amount of discouraging could keep Rob off of his skateboard. He was back on it again before his wounds had healed. Rob’s sports passion turned to golf just a few years after that. His determination to make it in the golf world was the most recent example of this fierce independence. I think he knew he was going to wear the green jacket someday and he was willing to work as hard as he had to in order to get there.

On June 28, 2005, Rob was looking forward to a playing in a golf tournament. His roommates recall that he came down from his room to get some yogurt and a banana and took it up to his room to finish. His dog Jake; his loyal and beloved companion was in his room. Rob turned on the shower and his roommates, Dan, Jeff and Larissa left. Jeff, a fellow golfer and good friend of Rob’s, headed out to the same golf tournament that Rob was going to.

Rob never made it to the golf tournament that day. When Larissa came home, she could hear the shower on in Rob’s room and she could hear Jake barking. She had been home for a while when she spoke to Jeff on the phone. Jeff mentioned that Rob had not shown up for the tournament that day and asked if Larissa had seen him. Starting to sense that something was wrong, Larissa encouraged Jeff to come home soon to check on Rob in his room.

When Dan went into Rob’s room, he found Rob lifeless on the floor outside his shower. Jake was anxious. He had never left Rob’s side all day.

Rob never made it into the shower that day. We believe he laid down on the floor, because he felt like he was going to pass out. (Rob had recently been diagnosed with Vasovagal Syncope .) Simultaneous with this fainting spell, we understand that his heart must have experienced some arrhythmia. His heart never started beating again.

Rob and his mom were diligently going to doctors, trying to understand Vasovagal Syncope , and trying to protect Rob’s health. He hated to pass out. He resented the way it made him feel afterward. He refused to let it slow him down. On the night that he passed away, the Sheriff gave Rob’s wallet to his step-father, Ron, to take care of. When Ron got home, he recalls that the wallet was very dif­ficult to open. Inside the wallet, Rob had taped a number of messages to himself. They read, “Your efforts will be worthwhile.” “You will soon gain something you have always wanted.” “Success is your fate.” “Relax! Smart golf. Focus! Smart golf. Tempo!” And finally, “Luck is coming your way.” Rob never had any idea that his life would be cut short. No one did. If we had had time on our side, we know that finding out more about SADS would have given us the information we needed to save Rob’s life. The Fore a Good Kaas Foundation was formed to honor Rob’s memory by helping others avoid his fate. We are honored to help the SADS Foundation in their quest to save lives.