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'She's always been my daughter': Teen changes last name for stepfather

The emotional moment caught on video shows Alfredo Santoyo opening Giselle's gift. It was a legal document showing that Giselle took Santoyo's last name.

MCMINNVILLE, Ore. — A McMinnville father and daughter have found themselves at the center of a video that has gone viral.

The video starts by showing Alfredo Santoyo opening a birthday present. It will go down as the best gift he's ever received, but he didn't know it at the time.

“I see this box and I’m thinking accessory for a car,” said Santoyo.

He was wrong.

Santoyo, a 39-year-old married father of three, has an 18-year-old stepdaughter named Giselle. Santoyo met Giselle when she was just 5 months old.

"[I just remember] falling in love so fast with her,” he said. “First time I met her, she was full of spaghetti and spaghetti sauce on her face.”

That messy little girl turned into quite the young lady, raised by Santoyo as if he were her own.

“He taught me how to walk, ride my bike, drive,” said Giselle. “He’s really been there for every step... every moment in my life.”

It was perfect, but something was missing. The two did not share the same last name.

That brings us to the viral video that shows Santoyo opening Giselle’s gift. It was a legal document showing that Giselle took Santoyo’s last name.

“I wanted this and I know he’s wanted this,” said Giselle.

“It was just amazing,” added Santoyo. “Thinking and knowing she made that decision on her own.”

As great as the name change is, Santoyo and Giselle said it does not give them something they did not have before.

“She’s always been my daughter,” said Santoyo. “That’s one thing I’ve always said.”

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