Toddler Hugs the Pizza Delivery Man Who’d Recently Lost His Daughter

Since the epidemic, the number of delivery workers has skyrocketed, from grocery to takeout to the typical delivery: pizza. And, at least among adults, these delivery persons aren’t always acknowledged, or at least it’s not the standard for consumers to think about delivery people’s private lives–their pleasures and problems. That leads us to the touching moment when a child hugs the pizza delivery man, which was captured on tape.

How it Happened: The Pizza Delivery Man Hugs the Toddler

The sound and sight of the delivery man coming to the door, passing over the pizza, and the toddler’s mother thanking him were captured on the home’s front door camera. The audio captures the toddler thanking the delivery man, and then Cohen, the 2-year-old, goes up to the man as he walks through a gate on the porch, and you can see the kid hugging the pizza delivery man.

Some speculate that the kid picked up on something in the pizza delivery man. It’s unclear whether he did, but the embrace meant a great deal to the guy, who had recently lost his own daughter. According to ABC News, the mother, Lindsey Sheely of Rhode Island, had placed an order for pizza on a Saturday night. The pizza delivery man, Ryan Catterson, was the lucky one who got to deliver it.

Ryan was in the process of grieving the death of his 16-year-old daughter at the time. Ryan was allegedly in a lot of pain at the time of the delivery because of the loss. That’s why Cohen’s beautiful hug meant so much to him and was so heartwarming to the public that the video went viral. When the youngster hugged Ryan, the pizza delivery man, he hugged him back. Lindsey had not anticipated her kid bolting out like that. They had no idea who Ryan was or what his position was.

That’s why Lindsey chased after her son, hoping to stop him. However, she then noticed the kid hugging the pizza delivery man. It was because of this occurrence that a discussion erupted. Ryan expressed his gratitude for the embrace. It meant more to him than any tip he could have received, he added.

“It hit me because it seemed like she was there,” Ryan revealed after losing his daughter last week. “It meant a great deal to me.” It’ll be difficult not to be able to embrace her again,” he says of his daughter, Alyssa. Ryan said he’ll always remember the scene in the video where the child hugs the pizza delivery man–him–because that’s it made him feel closer to his daughter.

Lindsey published the video on social media, and it quickly became a global sensation.

The Mother of Alyssa’s Reaction

Danielle McCord, Ryan’s ex-wife, was also affected by the encounter, and she posted a news piece with the footage on Facebook. “It took me hours to even allow myself to see this,” she added. She added that she was hesitant to release the video since she and her family are extremely private and it wasn’t her time. Regardless, she chose to share the wonderful moment with her friends and family on Facebook after much thought.

“I’ve been more open than I’ve ever been in my life during this process because…honestly, the support of everyone, even total strangers, has helped us all so much,” Danielle added.

She added that it took a lot of courage for her to even watch the video, much less post it. But, in the end, she hoped the film would inspire others, and she thanked Lindsey Sheely for her unwavering support for her family. “Again, I want to thank Lindsey Sheely for being so supportive of us,” she stated. We’re complete strangers, yet you’d never guess it based on her love and support.”

The child hugging the pizza delivery guy had no idea how his actions would affect not only Ryan, but also Danielle and many others who saw the video. “It’s so easy to ignore individuals and their underlying sorrow,” Danielle observed as she pondered on the situation. Even with our kid, we were unaware of her suffering. I can’t help but be glad that someone saw his suffering and was able to help him.”

Despite the fact that the incident occurred over two years ago, the family set up a GoFundMe page, and $31,012 was collected to assist pay for Alyssa’s service and her family’s travel expenditures related to her death. The fund for Alyssa, who apparently had mental health concerns, received more than 100 gifts.

Let’s take a page from the toddler’s book.

The lesson of the story is to remember that everyone you meet has issues and challenges. We have no way of knowing if they are dealing with mental health concerns like anxiety or despair. These have hit the world hard in the aftermath of the epidemic, as indicated by the influx of calls to counselors and counseling facilities all across the world. However, acts of compassion in the community might have an influence. We may shed God’s light into a dark world if we all slow down and realize that everyone we encounter is an image-bearer. Kindness, like that of the tiny child who hugs the pizza delivery man, can make a huge impact!

Today, who can you contact? How can you share Jesus’ light with a stranger in the course of your daily activities? “Truly, I tell you, unless you change and become like small children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven,” Jesus remarked in Matthew 18:3. So, let’s take a page from Cohen’s book. A simple smile or the avoidance of impatience might make all the difference in someone’s life. If you have any suggestions on what you could do, or if you have witnessed someone being impacted by kindness, please share them in the comments section below. Better still, if you’ve been touched by compassion, tell us about it here!