Teen's 'promposal' is a viral sensation
A magical moment at a high school pep rally is winning over the hearts of millions across the country.
It came on Friday in the gym at Everett High School in Lansing, Mich., with hundreds of students packed into the bleachers.
It was a moment senior Vee Nguyen, 19, had been planning — and one her friend Ben Davis, 16, never saw coming.
Davis — a special needs student — was taken onto the gym floor where a small group of students walked up to him, carrying a large box with tape across the top.
"It says, 'I'll ask you to prom when pigs fly!' " the announcer boomed. The students cut the tape, allowing three balloons to fly out, all decorated to look like a pig's face. The crowd screamed as Davis' face broke into a big smile.
He turned around to see Nguyen, smiling; she then asked him to join her at her senior prom.
What was his answer?
You guessed it, he said yes.
Since its posting Friday, the video has been shared more than 57,000 times and viewed more than 2.7 million times.
For Nguyen, asking Davis to the prom in a public setting was important to her.
"I thought doing it at the pep rally where there are a lot of students would be a great idea to spread the message and to let others know that no one should be treated any different," Nguyen said in an email to the Detroit Free Press.
Nguyen's relationship with Davis kicked off at Davis' freshman orientation in 2014 while Nguyen was working with the school's Navigators program. The program supports and serves special needs students.
Davis has a rare condition known as Pantothenate Kinase-Associated Neurodegeneration (PKAN), which is caused by mutations in the PANK2 gene. According to NBIADisorders.org, the PANK2 gene provides the instruction for making an enzyme called pantothenate kinase. The missing enzyme damages nerve cells in the brain and causes iron to build up.
"I started talking to Ben and seeing him everyday. I would eat lunch with him and we would have short conversations since it's hard for him to speak," Nguyen said.
Nguyen has received an outpouring of positive messages on Facebook since the video went viral.
It's a reaction she never expected, but it carries a powerful message she hopes will spread beyond the walls of Everett High School.
"Appearance will eventually get old but personality is what make a person beautiful," Nguyen said. "And if everyone could look past the physical appearance every time they meet someone, this world would be a better place."
The prom is May 13.