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She started filming her mom with Alzheimer’s expecting no recognition—but the mom's response stunned her

The daughter later revealed that she often recorded videos with her mother, but she had never captured anything quite like this before.

BY AMPLIFY STAFF

PUBLISHED FEB 28, 2025

(L) Women taking selfies while sitting on shore; (R) Mother and daughter in a park. (Representative Cover Image Source: Pexels | (L) Kampus Production; (R) Andrea Piacquadio)

Watching a loved one battle Alzheimer’s can be heartbreaking, especially when they no longer remember who you are. But sometimes, even in the midst of memory loss, there are moments of clarity that remind families that love never fades. That’s exactly what happened to Kelly Gunderson, who was lying in bed with her 87-year-old mother Daphne Tresher, who had Alzheimer’s, and decided to film their conversation, as per TODAY. She didn't expect her mother to recognize her. But to her surprise, she remembered her, saying "Kelly" and even recalling that she had named her. She shared the video on her YouTube channel, @kellygunderson7766, which went viral with nearly 10 million views.

Elderly woman holding hands of younger woman. (Representative Image Source: Pexels | RDNE Stock project)

As the camera rolled, Gunderson and Tresher started talking like they often did. After a couple seconds, when Gunderson asked Tresher if she recognized her, she affirmed and said, "Kelly." Gunderson immediately lifted her head in shock, saying, "Yes, Mama! Yes, I am Kelly." Tresher then asked, "Well, I love Kelly, and didn't I name you Kelly?" Gunderson, surprised, responded, "Yes, you did." Tresher then said, "Well, I love you, Kelly," to which Gunderson added, "I love you, Mama.

Women hugging each other. (Representative Image Source: Pexels | cottonbro studio)

Later, Gunderson asked her mother what she was thinking about. She responded, "Well, I'm lovin' you." Gunderson then said, "I'm lovin' you, too, Mama." "Oh, well, we're both doin' the same thing, aren't we?" Tresher added. "Yeah, we are," Gunderson said. Tresher happily asked, "Isn't it wonderful?" Gunderson joyously replied, "Yes, it is." People on the internet were moved by the raw and emotional moment between the mother-daughter duo. @babyteeth4 wrote, "I would give anything to have a moment like that with my mother again. Thanks for sharing with the world!"

@Ben-xb5yg shared, "I watched Alzheimer's tear my grandmother's brain apart, and my dad is probably next. I'm never going to be ready to buffet his unraveling brain. I'm so afraid of when that day comes." @ranchand58 commented, "Both you and your mother are absolute sweetness...God bless you both." @ShooterIsHere said, "This genuinely made me cry." Gunderson later explained that she often recorded videos with her mother but had never captured anything quite like this before. "I had been taping her, just asking her questions or singing, 'Jesus Loves Me.' That morning, I was just lying in bed with her, and we were just talking, and I decided to do a selfie video," she told TODAY.

She further said, "I never know what I'm going to get when I'm talking with her. I was just enjoying it. And then, when she said my name—and I have an identical twin sister—so, when she said 'Kelly,' it just caught me off guard." Also, Gunderson said she had learned to accept the disease for what it was and to love her mother, who was diagnosed with it in 2003, through it. "In the early stages, [people with Alzheimer's] repeat themselves, over and over again, and they've got that short-term memory where they don't remember your conversation that you just had," she explained. She also noted, "It's a little aggravating because you don't realize [they have the disease]. Then, when you realize it, in the late stage, that's the new normal, and you just deal with it. Love them anyway, and love them through it."