At 28, Marcio Donaldson had to choose – to live an easy life or do what was right.
Marcio grew up in Compton, California.
It wasn’t easy for Marcio to grow up surrounded by hate, poverty, gang crimes, and drugs.
Still, the young boy and his sister held on because they knew their mother was doing her best to provide for them.
Sadly, even though she tried her best, their mother fell deep into drug addiction.
One day, Marcio understood that their life would be different.
The two kids went to foster care.
Marcio discovered his passion for music, and it helped him surpass all the hardships he had to face.
Unfortunately, Marcio’s sister had a hard time.
She didn’t have an outlet to help her, leading the cycle to start again.
Like their mother, Marcio’s sister became an addict.
Soon, she got pregnant and gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. Due to her addiction, she wasn’t fit to be a mother, and Marcio saw that.
One day, Marcio opened their door, and the memories came flooding back again.
There they were, the police, telling him that they would need to get the baby.
His heart was broken.
He saw himself back in the day when he and his sister had to go to foster care.
“The police came to my door and said ‘You have to decide if you will keep this child or if he’ll go into the system'”, Marcio told Idols Global.
He only had a few minutes to decide.
Marcio was a young man filled with dreams. He wanted to audition and succeed in his music – now it seemed impossible.
He was back in the same situation.
The police told him that if he can’t take care of the baby, they would surrender him to foster care. So many questions, but the clock was ticking.
“I’ll take him,” Marcio said.
He knew his life had changed the moment he took that innocent baby in his hands.
“I didn’t want him to go through what I went through,” he continued.
That was enough to give him a reason to do everything he could to raise that child – his child.
He named him Rashad.
True enough, Marcio had a hard time learning everything about parenting, but it gave him new meaning and purpose.
Then Marcio arrived at the stage of “American Idol,” holding his baby nephew, who was now six months old.
Luke Bryan asked if he could hold the baby, and Marcio gave him to the judge.
The baby didn’t cry.
He was very calm as his uncle went up to the stage to perform.
“I’m not only performing for me. I’m performing for my son. I want to show him what a man could really do when you step up to the plate. I want to give him a better life,” Marcio said.
He sang Labrinth’s song, Jealous.
The judges said that his voice wasn’t perfect, but it was real, and he was too. He was a good person, a good uncle, and an amazing father.
That’s when Marcio cried.
He went home holding his son, saying “Daddy’s going to work.”
As of now, Marcio is living the dream.
He just launched his single Casualty of Love, and he is enjoying every experience of every life goal he’s achieving.
Marcio never gave up on his dreams.
He wanted to change his life. Now, he did it, along with his son, they will show everyone that it’s not too late.
Even when you’re at your darkest, you can still shine.
View this post on Instagram
Hear his full story and catch his audition in the video below!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
