Magical Surprise Promposal for Texas Special Needs Student Goes Viral
Luis Velasquez asked Tiffany Gay to be his date to the May 23 prom.
— -- It was the most magical moment for unsuspecting Texas sophomore Tiffany Gay when she walked out the doors of Natalia High School for what she thought was a routine fire drill.
Instead of a fire drill, though, Luis Velasquez, a junior and Gay’s knight in shining armor, was waiting for her with roses in hand at the end of a long line of her fellow classmates cheering her on, to ask her to prom.
“He met Tiffany back in the seventh grade,” Velasquez’s mom, Jessica, told ABC News of their budding friendship. “Since then, Tiffany has had the biggest crush on my son. And since the beginning of this school year, Luis said he’s taking Tiffany to prom.”
Gay is a special needs student who battles Prader-Willi syndrome, a rare genetic disorder of the 15th chromosome, scoliosis of the spine and diabetes. Despite all that, “When you meet her,” Jessica said, “she has that infectious smile and you’re just like, ‘Oh, my God, I want to hug you.’”
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Velasquez is highly regarded around his Natalia, Texas, high school as being “one of the most giving students I’ve ever met,” said Alpha Gomez, the school’s attendance clerk. “We don’t have a problem with bullying but let me tell you what; we all appreciate Luis because he doesn’t stand for anyone to be bullied.”
He has always had a special place in his heart for Gay, and when it came to prom, asking her was a no-brainer.
“He’s a good kid,” Jessica said. “Not because he’s my son, but he is really a good kid. He has that nurturing, fathering personality. He’s always had it.”
As Gay exited the school for what would soon become the biggest surprise of her life, Velasquez had her favorite song, “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars, playing. He also had a bouquet of pink roses, her favorite color, to give her as he led her toward huge signs that read, “Prom?” with a another sign that read, “Yes,” for her to indicate her answer.
The magical promposal was caught on camera and has now gone wildly viral with nearly 3.5 million views since it was posted Tuesday.
“In the evening my brother sent me a text that my video was going viral,” Jessica recalled. “ I was like, ‘What are you talking about? And then I checked and said, ‘Oh, my God.’”
People from around the country have now been reaching out and making comments on the video wanting to help donate funds to ensure the happy high schooler’s upcoming prom May 23 is the most amazing experience ever.
“It’s all for Tiffany,” Jessica said.
A GoFundMe page has been set up in honor of the occasion. Jessica says any funds that aren’t put toward prom will be given to Gay’s family to help with her upcoming surgery and medical bills.
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