The internet has a lot of love for a Corpus Christi teen who took his mother to his prom.
Joe Angel, a senior at Collegiate High School, posted photos with his mother at his prom on Twitter. The photos have since been shared over 25,000 times and "liked" over 150,000 times.
My mom had me at the age of 17 she dropped out of high school to focus on giving me her all. Last night I gave her the prom night she never had. pic.twitter.com/obsGzYxX8K
— Joe Angel6?? (@joeamoreno8) April 14, 2018
"My mom had me at the age of 17 she dropped out of high school to focus on giving me her all. Last night I gave her the prom she never had," Joe wrote on Twitter.
Twitter reacted in true Twitter style: Memes galore.
Bless your heart omg ???? pic.twitter.com/sN4VuLHEFo
— Kelsey ???????? (@SnelseyGlenn) April 15, 2018
Dude.. that’s the cutest most respectful thing a man can do. Your momma raised you right, despite her being young and what people probably told her. ?? pic.twitter.com/Oaq75tOTaa
— •?jenay?• (@jcjjcjjcjjcj) April 16, 2018
— Hugo Mannings (@hugomannings) April 16, 2018
The person that was most touched by the gesture? Joe’s mother, Vanessa.
Vanessa says she always imagined she would experience milestones like prom and graduation, but when she got pregnant at a young age, she knew that living the typical teenage life was no longer an option.
"It was a sacrifice that I had made. My sacrifice was to give my children my all. I put everything into him. I push them to become everything they can," Moreno said, speaking of her son Joe and his siblings. "It was something I felt I had to sacrifice so that I could work and give to my child without anyone else helping me."
Vanessa said that Joe has promised to take her to prom since middle school, knowing she missed out on hers. She said she didn’t think by the time Joe’s senior year came around, he would still want her to be his date.
"Senior year came up and he brought up prom and I kept asking who he was taking, and he kept reassuring that it was me," Vanessa said.
Vanessa said that once prom week came, she felt like a teenage girl again while shopping for a prom dress. Joe picked up his mother the night of the prom with a corsage in hand.
"We danced and danced… it was great," Vanessa said.
Shortly after prom, Joe posted the photos on Twitter and immediately received an overwhelming response.
"Mom you won’t believe this, look at this!" Vanessa recalls Joe saying after realizing thousands of people shared his tweet. "I was trying to make you feel special and it touched so many people," Joe told Vanessa.
Vanessa said that every day mothers make sacrifices for their children, and it is an overwhelming feeling to be recognized for making those sacrifices.
"Sometimes people don’t know the sacrifices us mothers make. We just hope that it does get seen, and I am so glad my son did see my sacrifice and wanted to give back. It meant the world to me."
