Ellen DeGeneres Surprises Survivor Of Orlando Shooting

Ellen DeGeneres decided to give a victim of the Pulse nightclub shootings, Tony Marrero a surprise he would never forget. Neither would Katy Perry.

Marrero was on the Ellen show talking about how Perry’s music – especially the song “Rise” - had inspired him to make it though his darkest times. Then, out of nowhere Ellen asked if he would like to met the star. That’s right when Perry started walking toward Marrero tearing up the whole way.

After an heart felt and emotional embrace, Marrero explained that Perry’s music helped him day after day in the hospital. Perry was so happy to be the light and help out in such a unique way. Then, to everyone's surprise – even Ellen Degeneres – Perry announced that she would cover Marrero's first year of tuition for film school.

Marrero is one of the lucky ones, the Pulse shooting claimed 49 lives and left 53 people injured, which made it the deadliest mass shooting in the history of the United States.

The feminine name Ellen is taken from the Medieval English name Helen, which comes from the English version of the Greek name Helene meaning “corposant” or “torch”, or even related to Selene or “moon”. According to Greek mythology, Helen was the daughter of Leda and Zeus, who was kidnapped by Paris and resulted in the Trojan War. The name became popular among Christians back in the 4th century to honor Saint Helena, who was the mother of Constantine the Roman emperor.