“It was the biggest secret of our lives because we couldn’t tell anyone,” Ana Wodek said.

A few weeks prior, the Wodek siblings had sent an email to “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” asking for help with their mother’s financial situation. The next thing they knew, the family was in Los Angeles, planning the surprise of a lifetime.

“It all happened really quickly, and the show worked with us, and we were able to make it out to LA,” Ana Wodek said.

After a divorce, Robin Wodek began working three jobs and about 60 hours a week. Despite the difficulty, Ana Wodek said her mother always remained positive.

“Even though she works so much, she never gets down about it,” Ana Wodek said. “She has her moments, but she always turns it into a positive.”

Ana Wodek said it was her mom’s positive attitude in times of struggle that inspired them to make good things happen for her.

“As a single mom, she has only given us kids the world,” she said. “She’s not going to go out there and try to make a miracle for herself, so (we) kids took the initiative.”

While on the show, Ellen gave Robin Wodek $10,000 to help with food and gas and an additional $10,000 to help with her mortgage. She also gave the family a vacation that was fully paid for. Robin Wodek said she is proud to have such caring children.

“They’re really the story,” Robin Wodek said. “They’ve always been my story. Any parent would appreciate their child doing this for them. I think sometimes young people get a bad (reputation) for being selfish and self-absorbed, and this is so beyond that.”

But in the end, Ana Wodek said just seeing her mother get this appreciation was enough. Her sister, music education senior Allison Wodek, said when it was all said and done, the experience brought her relief.

“I think that it instilled so much in all four of us kids,” Allison Wodek said. “It was just a sense of pride for my mom — just that the world can see how she is as a person, just the kind and caring person that she is.”