About Us

On August 2nd, 2022 our family lost my son Gil to suicide. He was 17.

Gil was battling depression…many years of which he did so in silence before we became aware of it. His mental health struggles robbed him of so much, yet his last few months had been some of the happiest he had spent in a long time. Things seemed to be getting better and he had plans for the future. A future that would include music.

Gil started playing the drums at age 10 and music quickly became his passion in life. He tried sports and did other activities when he was very young, but he was always a perfectionist and became easily discouraged if he wasn’t good at something right away. Yet music just resonated with him in a way nothing had before, and he never gave up on it. Ever the perfectionist, he’d spend hours upon hours practicing and perfecting his craft…and then his natural talent came through, and hearing and seeing him play was GRReatness!

When we moved a few years ago, we built him a music studio in the basement, complete with soundproofing so he could play to his heart’s content. He joined the School of Rock in Fairfield soon after his first lessons and his hard work and dedication quickly paid dividends as he became one of the youngest members of their House Band. Music was where he had found his home. He was a phenomenal drummer who also wrote and mixed his own music and was learning to play the bass as well. His genuine smile, engaging personality and caring attitude helped cement him as a leader and mentor to the next generation of musicians…even if he didn’t see it or believe it himself.

Believing in himself was always something Gil had a hard time doing. He didn’t really enjoy school and always thought he was a failure, even though he was actually an excellent student and maintained a high average even while juggling AP classes, working, and his music commitments. He also often lamented that he didn’t have many friends and wasn’t really liked in school. Yet he had an amazing core group of friends that loved him like a brother and an ever expanding group of musician friends he loved to hang out and jam with. He also had a blossoming relationship with his first true love, his girlfriend Luna. Despite all these successes, it was the simple mistakes in life and self-doubt that stole his happiness. Most of the time his depression kept him from seeing all the amazing things he was and had…Family, friends, intelligence, incredible talent, love…Greatness! If only he could have seen himself through the eyes of those around him.

When Gil passed, all our beliefs in that greatness were not only proven to be true, but magnified tenfold. The outpouring of support from the community and their heartbreak was incredible and inspiring. We heard from so many families that knew Gil growing up and even though the kids may have drifted apart over the years, and may have run in different circles, they still fondly remembered their time together when they were younger and expressed how much he would be missed. For days his closest friends came to the house not just to comfort us and each other, but to put together photo boards, playlists and videos to honor and remember Gil. The day of his service the entire funeral home, which has 2 large rooms to normally hold multiple services at once, was not only packed but had a line extending outside. We heard countless stories from his teachers, his peers and classmates, and his closest friends of what a kind and caring person he was and how much of an impact Gil had in their lives and what an inspiration he was to them. One touching story was from a friend who was being bullied, and how Gil was always there to stand up for them. How even when they were doing remote learning during Covid, Gil would touch base with them every day just to make sure they were ok. Another story told of how Gil was an inspiration to their son…a young musician that had seen Gil play, and had gotten some words of encouragement from him at a rehearsal. That’s just the kind of person Gil was. We knew then that his caring and desire to help and inspire others was something we needed to continue, and is why we started “Believe Your GRReatness”.

It is our hope that this foundation can help others like Gil to see how exceptional they really are. To help them believe that life is worth living. To aid in the fight against depression and suicide that is plaguing our towns and communities.

If you or someone you know in CT is interested in learning more about us, learning music, scholarship information, donating an instrument or volunteering as an instructor, please contact us or email us at believeyourgrreatness@gmail.com