Sometimes, individuals deal with sorrows unknown to total strangers. Even the smallest gesture can go a mile in a person’s life. On a regular, hungry night in a West Warwick, Rhode Island household, Lindsey Sheely orders delivery pizza to enjoy with her son.
Generally, pizza deliveries are quick, fleeting events with little interaction. The customer expects a brief exchange, while the delivery man has more orders to run. To the deliverer, they are completely routine affairs – and that’s how this one starts.
The pizza delivery man makes his way to Lindsey’s home, featuring a large wooden patio and metal entrance gate. He presents the food to the prospective customer, as usual. After payment, the delivery man turns to exit the patio’s gate – another completely normal encounter and drop-off, so far.
The pizza man has already made his way to the edge of the patio, now almost on the other side of the welcoming gate, when a previously unseen child – Lindsey’s young son Cohen – comes blazing out of the house door before the deliverer’s final goodbye. He approaches the pizza man and looks up at him.
The pizza man looks back and notices the child, who opens up for a hug. In a heartwarming, spontaneous act of love and kindness, the two share a moment of embrace, and although it’s hard to tell, the child kisses him on the cheek.
Lindsey soon reaches out to Cohen, ushering him back into the home. They say goodbye to the deliverer, sending one last wave as he departs. I’m sure she’s proud of her son’s affection and empathy. A lot of people (and children) are skittish or shy around strangers, but definitely not Cohen.
After the encounter, Lindsey realizes that her doorbell may have captured the whole scene on video, and she was right. She proceeded to write on Instagram, “We thought it was so sweet and funny. Then realized that our doorbell might have caught the interaction on camera—and it did!!”
The video became a huge internet hit, unbeknownst to the pizza man. But eventually, the video made its way to his web-doorstep (in this case, his timeline), prompting him to reach out to Lindsey. He introduced himself – the pizza man’s name is Ryan Catterson.
Sadly, Ryan recently lost his daughter. He admits that life has been a struggle since. He explains that Cohen’s small gesture of openness and love means a lot to him.
He goes on to tell WLNE, “After losing my daughter this past week, it touched me because it was like she was there. It really just meant a lot to me.”
That’s horribly sad, making the magical moment even more touching. The viral exposure comes with its benefits, as Ryan’s GoFundMe initiative to raise donations for his daughter’s funeral has significantly eclipsed expectations, totally over $28,000.
Life is fleeting and sometimes routine, just like a regular pizza delivery. But a small act of kindness can make all the difference.
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