TODDLER HUGS PIZZA DELIVERY DRIVER GRIEVING HIS DAUGHTER
Two-year-old Cohen Sheely ran out of his Rhode Island home to give a big hug to a pizza delivery driver who was secretly grieving the unexpected death of his 16-year-old daughter. The toddler’s mother, Lindsey Sheely, caught the sweet moment on her doorbell camera and shared it online, not knowing how much the gesture meant to driver Ryan Catterson.
On February 15, 2020, Catterson was making deliveries for Wicked Good Pizza in West Warwick, Rhode Island. He dropped off a pizza and ranch dressing at the Sheely family’s house.
As he turned to leave, young Cohen had other plans.
“As Ryan was walking away, my son just bolted past me, ran out the door, and put his arms up and just gave Ryan a big hug,” Lindsey told FOX 17.
The footage shows Cohen giving Catterson a tight squeeze and then waiting with puckered lips to offer a kiss. Lindsey quickly ran out to bring her son back inside, while Catterson told them to enjoy their pizza and left.
Lindsey thought the moment was funny and sweet. She checked her doorbell camera, found the footage, and posted it to Facebook on February 16, 2020.
“Last night when we got our pizza (and ranch) delivered, Cohen ran out to hug the delivery guy and tried to give him a kiss, too!” she wrote in her post, according to the Daily Mail.
A much-needed embrace
The video began to spread online. Someone who saw it recognized Catterson, and the delivery driver eventually reached out to Lindsey.
That was when she learned the heartbreaking context behind her son’s innocent action. Catterson was mourning the loss of his 16-year-old daughter, Alyssa.
Alyssa lived in California with Catterson’s ex-wife, Danielle McCord, and had struggled with her mental health before passing away unexpectedly.
Catterson was missing his daughter and grieving heavily when he arrived at the Sheely home.
“After losing my daughter this past week, it touched me because it was like she was there,” Catterson told ABC 6. “It really just meant a lot to me.”
He explained that it was going to be tough not being able to hug his daughter again.
“It was almost as if the universe or my daughter had known and sent it to me,” Catterson told Turnto10.com.
He added that many people commented on the video suggesting Alyssa might have been looking out for him.
“Those words mean something,” Catterson said. “Maybe she’s there.”
Alyssa’s mother was also moved by the toddler’s actions.
“It’s so easy to miss people and their internal pain,” McCord told ABC 6. “Even with our daughter, we didn’t know her pain. I was grateful that someone saw his pain and could be there for him.”
Lindsey updated her social media post to share the emotional story with her followers. She called the hug a blessing.
“I believe in divine appointments and know that Ryan was the one to deliver our pizza for a reason,” Lindsey wrote.
Catterson’s family set up a GoFundMe campaign to help cover funeral expenses and travel costs so their relatives could be together.
After Lindsey shared the link, donations poured in, echoing the community support for a viral Red Baron worker, and pushed the total past its goal to over $6,000 by February 19, 2020.
Lindsey also reflected on her decision to let the interaction happen.
“If I had been afraid to let Cohen run out the door because we don’t know this man, and that’s the world we live in, then we would’ve missed out on this entire touching moment that truly impacted not just Ryan’s life but his entire family and mine,” she said.
Catterson’s relatives contacted Lindsey directly to thank her for her kindness and for sharing the video.
The bond between the two families did not end at the front door. Lindsey and Catterson remained in contact after the viral hug, according to TODAY.
