More than a decade after a college video showed her vowing to name her firstborn after her mother, a woman kept the promise – surprising her mom with the news and bringing her to tears.
Danielle Risorto, 32, from Union County, New Jersey, said her mom and first-time grandma, Maria, 62, has always been her best friend.
With three brothers, Danielle is the only daughter in her family, so she and her mom formed a bond that would see them go on girl dates to Broadway shows, on shopping trips and vacations together.
It was during her time in college that Danielle was captured on video after a night of fun, saying how much her mom means to her and how, if she were to have a baby daughter, she would name her after her.
That clip was taken in the spring of 2012, but when Danielle – who had forgotten about the video – fell pregnant more than a decade later, she still felt exactly the same way about her naming choice.
The 32-year-old never told her mom that she wanted to name her daughter Maria, and the only time she brought the name choice up was when she was around her husband.
Then, on February 8, 2023, after baby Maria had been born, Danielle’s mom was captured on video holding her first grandchild, when Danielle said, “This is Maria Ellie Risorto,” through floods of tears.
The gesture and her daughter’s emotional reaction brought new-grandmother Maria to tears, too – but it wasn’t until after the birth that Danielle discovered the old college clip.
She decided to edit the two together, before sharing them on social media to a viral response and more than two million views.
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Viewers commented about how lovely the gesture was, saying they could feel Danielle’s emotion from the tears she was crying and the cracking of her voice as she told her mom the news.
Danielle said: “Most of the college video is absolute nonsense, but at some point, we started discussing future baby names.
“It wasn’t until after my daughter was born that I even realized the snippet of naming my future child was in there.
“I honestly don’t know how long before that video I decided I’d like to name my future daughter Maria, but it came out when we were chatting and it’s been in my head ever since.
“Telling my mom the baby’s name was everything I always hoped for when I dreamed I would have a daughter one day.
“I’m not sure if she feels this way, but I always felt like the best way I could honor my mom and have her know just how lucky I feel to be her daughter and acknowledge everything she has always done for me was to name my daughter after her.
“From the video you can hear how I start to get choked up saying the name out loud.
“Seeing the shock on her face was so amazing because in her selflessness, she never ever imagined that was what we were going to do.
“I start to cry even thinking about the moment each time now.
“It makes me so happy to know there was something I could do to have my mom understand just how much I love her in such a monumental way of naming my child after her.”
