Vanderbilt's Tim Corbin Proves There Is More To Life Than A Baseball Game With One Small Act Of Kindness

Vanderbilt head baseball coach Tim Corbin found himself lying in bed on Saturday night thinking about the family of Asher Sullivan, a 10-year old Smyrna, Tennessee, boy who is fighting for his life at the university's medical center. 

A tragic situation has left many in the middle-Tennessee area in a constant cycle of prayer. Following a significant amount of rain that fell on the Nashville area last Wednesday, 10-year old Asher was swept into a storm drain amidst the flooding. Now he's fighting for his life inside the Vanderbilt hospital, just blocks from the baseball stadium. 

Declan Sullivan, Asher's older brother, has been at the hospital with his family since the tragic incident. The brother, a leukemia survivor, has spent time with the Vanderbilt baseball team and head coach Tim Corbin, having attended baseball camps over the years. 

But as Corbin laid in bed on Saturday night, with his team facing a must-win game against Tennessee on Sunday afternoon, the Vanderbilt head coach had the Sullivan family on his mind. Trying to think of ways to help ease Declan's pain for just for a few hours, Corbin texted Asher Sullivan's father with an idea that would allow him to just be a kid for the afternoon while his little brother was fighting for his life. 

"I just was laying in bed last night and thinking about if there was anything that personally we could do to help a healing process just in the short term," Tim Corbin said postgame. 

Once his team wrapped up batting practice before facing Tennessee, Corbin and his wife hopped on their golf cart and rode a few blocks to the hospital located on campus to pick up Declan. As Corbin explained, he thought it would be a good way to take his mind off the terrible situation for just a bit, so they picked him up and headed back to the ballpark for what would turn out to be a monumental win for the Commodores. 

"I texted Jimmy, it was late, around 10:30pm," Corbin recalled postgame. "It was a small change, but I asked him if we could take Declan for the afternoon and bring him over to the ballpark, and he texted me right back and said ‘Let’s do it'. Picked him up right after batting practice brought him back and had a great time with him."

What we saw during the game was an older brother sitting in the dugout with the head baseball coach at Vanderbilt, enjoying just a few hours of life outside the hospital room where his younger brother was fighting for his life. 

It cannot be understated how big that moment was for the Vanderbilt baseball team to be thinking of someone else, while their season hung in the balance. Knowing that just a few blocks away, a 10-year old kid was fighting for another day, but the Commodores knew that this small gesture might be able to help the family in some capacity. 

Update On Asher Sullivan, Fighting For His Life At Vanderbilt Hospital

Just an hour after the game had ended, Asher's father, Dr. Jimmy Sullivan, sent out a message to supporters, updating the status of Asher, which no parent should have to go through. 

"Asher had a really really rough night. Neurological signs we were seeing as positives have stopped. He had some real tough moments with pulse, blood pressure, and breathing," according to a statement given to FOX 17. "MRI shows part of the brain herniating into his brain stem, and severe damage to just about all areas of his brain. Despite what we were seeing with Asher each moment, we still were hoping against all odds. Unfortunately, the worst case scenarios seemed to have come true. He’s not in imminent danger at this very moment, but recovery does not seem possible. Kaycee and I have some impossible decisions to make in the next few days that no parents should have to face."

Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin invited Declain Sullivan to the baseball game against Tennessee, while his younger brother was fighting for his life at the medical center Courtesy of Vanderbilt Athletics

For four hours on Sunday, Tim Corbin did everything he could to ease the heartache of an older brother who was hurting. There are certainly more important things than a game, but hopefully Declan Sullivan realized while sitting in that dugout with the Vanderbilt baseball team that he and his family have a whole bunch of folks by their side. 

Sometimes a silly game can bring out the best in people, and bring a moment of peace to a family going through so much. 

Our thoughts are with the family of Asher during this time.