Everything happens for a reason.
Kids are probably one of the most (if not the most) adorable creatures on this planet, wanna bet?
But apart from their cute little faces, kids could also unknowingly touch a person’s life using their own simple and innocent ways.
Not just to their parents who consider them their bundles of joy and sources of their strength – but also to strangers.
On February 15, 2020, Lindsey Sheely from West Warwick, Rhode Island, had an incredibly touching experience when she ordered from her favorite restaurant, Wicked Good Pizza.
When she paid for their food upon receiving it from the delivery guy, her then two-year-old son, Cohen, ran after the delivery guy and said “Bye-bye!”
Just as when the man was about to step out of their porch, the toddler stretched his right hand out and invited the man for a hug.
The sweet interaction was caught by the doorbell camera and Sheely decided to share the clip on Facebook and Instagram.
“We thought it was so sweet and funny,” she wrote. “I hope it gives you a laugh and warms your heart like it did for us.”
Little did they know, what they thought was just a sweet simple gesture from Cohen touched the innermost part of the delivery guy’s heart.
Soon, Sheely received a message from a man named Ryan Catterson. She was told by Catterson that he saw the adorable video online and that he was that delivery man whom her son had a sweet interaction with.
After looking up the delivery guy’s Facebook profile, Sheely was shocked to see a GoFundMe set for the funeral expenses of Catterson’s 16-year-old daughter, Alyssa.
Unfortunately, the family unexpectedly lost her just a week before.
“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,” Catterson told WLNE about Cohen’s actions.
“Just that it was the perfect timing for it, I had been telling my kids and the whole family how much I needed hugs before they came and then that sweet little boy gave me one,” he told NBC 10 News. “It was almost as if the universe or my daughter had known and sent it to me.”
To help them with their fundraising, Sheely updated her then-trending Facebook post and included Catterson’s GoFundMe link for Alyssa.
“I couldn’t believe that this guy was going through the most devastating thing, but his life was still going on. His life had to go forward, and he still had to work and to do his job,” she told the outlet. “You never know what people are going through. This is such a good example of that.”
According to reports, Alyssa struggled with mental health problems growing up. It’s just one case among many others proving that mental health is important and shouldn’t be ignored.
“If I could tell the world one thing, it’s to make sure you check on your kids constantly, because you never know what they might be struggling with internally,” Catterson said in a written statement to Sheely.
Cohen’s hug to Catterson might’ve cut deep into the emotion of the grieving father, but he wouldn’t have that night any other way. He’s beyond thankful for that sweet little gesture.
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