After months of waiting, a transgender teen’s request to legally change her name was finally approved. To celebrate the big moment, her mom organized a special surprise on Saturday.
The announcement left 16-year-old Gabrielle Diana Gladu utterly "speechless."
In the video above, watch as Gabrielle’s mom, Rose Gladu, unveils a cake emblazoned with a special message.
"It took me a moment to process what it said on the cake," Gabrielle, who lives in Ontario, told BuzzFeed News. "It said, 'Congratulations, you are now Gabrielle!'"
Rose says she wasn’t expecting the teen’s emotional reaction.
"I came up the with idea of the cake as a vehicle to celebrate her name change while having an informal family dinner with those that support, love and care for her," Rose told Buzzfeed. "I was not expecting her to get so emotional that she became speechless. My daughter is never speechless. I knew at that moment my child came back to me. She was on her way to who she had been from birth."
For the past year, Gabrielle has been documenting her transition on her YouTube channel.
In an August video, Gabrielle shared a letter to her younger self that urged her to "take chances" and be courageous. She also encouraged herself to come out to her parents sooner rather than later.
“At first, mom’s not going to take it very well. She’s going to be confused and she’s going to be scared. But I promise, in time, she will come around and she’ll be one of your best supporters ever,” the teen says to the camera.
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