Sep 17, 2015 | By Tim Stoddart

Homeless Man Playing Piano Goes Viral – Then He Goes To Rehab And Makes It To The Big Stage

Addiction & Recovery News

Image source: Daily Mail

On June 30, Donald Gould sat down at a public piano in Sarasota Fl. His life changed that day.

Donald Gould became an internet sensation after a video of him playing the piano went viral. The music was so beautiful that it captivated much of the country. When the video was posted it got 2 million hits in the first two days. Since then the video has gotten more than 13+ million views.

Watch Donald Play Here…

After the video continued to circulate, a Go Fund Me was started to help get Donald back on his feet. Donald is a former U.S Marine who succumbed to an addiction after his wife died suddenly in 1998.

Donald started playing clarinet at the age of 3. When Gould entered the Marine Core he continued to play.

After leaving the Marines, Donald enrolled into college to learn music theory. He is classically trained and attended Arbor University in Michigan. He says he wanted to be a music teacher.

“I took music theory and ear training, and I had to learn how to play every instrument from the piccolo down to the tuba. I can write parts like a handbook.” – Donald Gould

Life was going great for Donald. Unfortunately, he had to drop out of school with just three semesters left. But he met the woman of his dreams, got married and had a child. Tragedy struck and Donald’s wife died suddenly which sent him into a downward spiral of depression which eventually led to addiction.

For years, Donald has been homeless on the street. He has had no contact with his son. The video set his recovery in motion.

Recently, Donald spent 2 months in rehab. He is now clean and sober and he looks like a totally different person.

Also, Donald was awarded a scholarship to Michigan Springs Arbor University. He only needs a few credits left to earn his degree.

‘I’m living the dream right now it looks like,’ said Gould, as he prepared to enter rehab with his fellow homeless musician Paul Lenardo. ‘We’ve got everyone behind us now, all of a sudden, and apparently we’ve made an impact on all the homeless people out there.’ [via dailymail.co.uk]

Now for the amazing part. Donald got to play the National Anthem on his piano at the Monday Night Football Game.

What an amazing story. It’s really unbelievable to see the change that is possible in the human spirit once we escape the grip of addiction and find recovery. It’s beautiful.

Donald has since reunited with his son for the first time since custody was taken away. Donald has a long journey ahead of him and we hope that he will be able to maintain his recovery. Good luck to you Donald. We believe in you.