A community is mourning the loss of Asher Sullivan, a 10-year-old boy who was swept into a storm drain during severe weather on May 8, 2024 in Christiana, Tennessee. Nearly ten days after the incident, Asher died from his injuries, leaving his family and neighbors heartbroken.
Asher was playing with other children in the water after a thunderstorm when he was caught in a storm drain and pulled under the street. According to his father, Jimmy Sullivan, the superintendent of Rutherford County Schools, immediate life-saving efforts were made to revive Asher. He was transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where medical teams attempted to treat his severe anoxic brain injury caused by a lack of oxygen.
Jimmy Sullivan provided updates on his son’s condition through social media, sharing the emotional rollercoaster the family experienced. Despite the efforts to save him, Asher’s condition worsened, and it became clear that recovery was not possible. On May 18, he announced that Asher had “officially passed away” at 1:20 p.m. CT. Sullivan explained that while discussing Asher’s condition with doctors a few rooms away, his son’s vitals crashed, and his one remaining brain stem reflex ceased.
“Our dear boy, true to his nature, put others before himself. Kaycee and I were spared from making an unbearable choice,” Sullivan wrote. “He took that decision upon himself while we were not there.”
The young boy’s family decided to donate his organs, a decision Sullivan described as “100% an ‘Asher’ type of thing to do in continuing to be selfless.” In the coming days, Vanderbilt will hold an honor walk at the hospital to celebrate Asher’s life and his contribution as an organ donor.
The severe weather that day had put parts of Rutherford County under a rare Tornado Emergency, the highest level of warning from the National Weather Service, due to a tornado near Eagleville. The same storm system caused significant damage, including a lightning strike that led to a fatal house fire in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, claiming the lives of three people, including a child and a pregnant woman.
Asher’s father, Jimmy, shared the depth of their loss and his son’s legacy through heartfelt messages on social media. “This feels unreal,” he wrote. We are heartbroken, angry, and overwhelmed with every emotion at once.”
The news of his passing came shortly after dozens of people, including Asher’s fourth-grade teachers from Christiana Elementary, gathered at a Murfreesboro prayer vigil to support the Sullivan family. Asher’s teachers described him as an exceptional student.
“We’ve talked a lot about Asher this week in the classroom,” said Amber Peneguy, one of Asher’s teachers. “The kids would tell you they loved his silly side and miss his funny, silly antics. He was the type of kid who would do something funny to cheer someone up if they were having a hard time.”
Asher’s teachers shared with the local media that despite his severe brain injury, his friends and classmates had still been hoping for a miracle.
“He became a writer this year and expressed a lot through his writings,” said Donna Damron, another teacher of Asher’s. “His classmates recently shared some of his writings as a way to rally behind him and show their love.”
The Christiana community, where Asher lived, has come together in support of the Sullivan family. “It has been incredible to witness our community come together to support the Sullivans with prayer vigils, neighborhood cleanups, and empathy for one another,” the Rutherford County Schools posted on Facebook. “We recognize that they will need ongoing support, and we are confident that our community will continue to embrace them with love and assist in bearing the weight of this loss.”
Though short, Asher Sullivan’s life was full of adventure and love. His father shared that Asher had visited all 50 states, played numerous sports, and had a close-knit relationship with his family. “Asher was obsessed with his mom and worshipped the ground she walks on,” Sullivan wrote, highlighting the deep bond between mother and son.
