For the longest time, Rockstars were unfairly discriminated as rebellious and malicious individuals, clad in tattoos and dark makeup. However, this twisted perception has long been smashed by the former Poison band member Bret Michaels who proved that he is not just a talented metal artist, but also a kind-hearted soul.
To prove just how much he loves giving back to the people, the artist and his band flew to Iraq in 2007 to show support for the Armed Forces Entertainment at the US military base. The 56-year-old even has his own foundation, Bret Michaels Life Rocks Foundation, that helps a multitude of causes.
Charity of Choice
Recently, Bret impressed us yet again with his generosity after he made a major announcement for a college athlete.
It turns out, the musician had been paying close attention to the College World Series and after the Vanderbilt Commodores reigned supreme against Michigan by 8-2, the singer offered to pledge $10,000 to any charity the winning team’s pitcher, Tyler Brown, supports. This heartfelt move was in honor of the athlete’s daughter who has Down Syndrome and a heart condition.
In an Instagram post, Bret expressed how he much he admired Tyler, who finished the game strong despite everything he had been through in his personal life.
The athletes’ hardships were revealed on-air during the series as his team advanced in the championship. Indeed, it is inspiring how the pitcher shifted his focus from his rough life and just how he epitomizes perseverance.
Rough Childhood
While fans may see the Vanderbilt standout as a very smart and strong individual, his story is one that can tug at anyone’s heartstrings.
Tyler’s childhood was marked with tragedy; his mom Cindy was diagnosed with myeloma, which strained her relationship with her husband, eventually resulting in a divorce.
Later on, his mom suffered two strokes after going into remission, and she eventually lost the battle against cancer when the athlete was at a tender age of 13. But the one thing he promised his mother before her death was that he would grow up to become successful and kind. It’s safe to say that he honored his vow.
The death of his mother was a huge blow to the young athlete because he found himself going from one place to another before he was adopted in 2014, around the same time when he was being recruited.
Things started to turn around for Tyler, but in 2015 he broke his right elbow, which forced him to take a break from sports as he had to undergo a surgery.
For over a year, he was out of the game, and unfortunately, according to reports, college coaches stopped recruiting the player. But when everyone turned their back on him, there was one person who believed in his potential to become a great athlete. Tim Corbin, the Vanderbilt coach, saw his raw talent and decided to take him under his wings.
Isabella
But just when you think life was done testing Tyler, the football star discovered that his daughter Isabella was born with Down syndrome and a debilitating heart condition. Isabella even had to miss her dad’s most recent match because she just had surgery and her mom Jocelyn was taking care of her.
When she was just 5 months old, little Isabella underwent heart surgery and another one was done just in April when she was 13 months old.
But, apart from Bret’s big announcement and winning the game, Tyler was treated to a back-to-back-to-back good when he learned that his daughter, who just had her checkup, gained weight and won’t be needing another procedure any time soon.
