Toddler decides to hug the pizza guy randomly — then his mom found out he had just lost his daughter

Children are a blessing, they say. This pizza delivery man from Rhode Island became a testament to that blessing when a toddler named Cohen thanked him with a hug. While a mere embrace may seem indifferent, the gesture from the two-year-old kid miraculously came at a time when the man was struggling with deep grief over his daughter’s loss. Touched by the pure act of kindness, the delivery guy, identified as Ryan Catterson, went home a happy man only to find out later that he was all over the internet. Lindsey Sheely, the boy’s mother, who bore witness to the heartwarming moment, could not resist sharing it with the world and posted footage of the encounter on Facebook. 

Soon after it unraveled, Sheely figured their doorbell camera may have captured the interaction. Quite luckily, it did. In the 23-second video, which was viewed 518,000 times, the man shows up at the door delivering a pizza to a family in West Warwick, Rhode Island. As soon as he turned around to leave, a little boy rushed out the door and into the frame reaching out for a hug. Catterson did not hold back and, although hesitantly, wrapped his arms around the 2-year-old. “Hey bud! Enjoy your pizza,” he said, bending down for an embrace. 

Yet that was not all, the kid then pursed his lips to kiss the delivery man until the boy’s mother, Sheely interrupted him from continuing to bother the man. However, the adults were, evidently, touched by the little one’s kindness and the heartfelt encounter. A brief moment of laughter and "Good night!" wishes followed. The instance stayed with Sheely but was not aware of the impact it had had on Catterson’s life. “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 the post.

A part of the elaborate caption, the boy’s mother wrote, narrated how the video had reached the guy himself. According to her, someone showed Catterson the precious video on social media following which he and the mother connected on Facebook. Sheely eventually discovered that the man was dealing with the heartbreaking loss of his teenage daughter recently and Cohen’s spontaneous embrace was a blessing in disguise. “I believe in divine appointments and know that Catterson was the one to deliver our pizza for a reason,” she noted. The mother then urged people to contribute whatever they could to help fund the funeral of the man’s daughter on a GoFundMe campaign.

Meanwhile, netizens acknowledged the post with heartfelt reactions. “Lol how precious,” wrote a person (Sherry Spohn) while someone else (Kristin Finley Viken) chimed in with, “Aww, sweet!” interestingly, the delivery guy (Ryan Catterson) also left a little note in the comments. “Thank you so much for posting this! This week has been a rough one and that really put a smile on my face. He is such a sweet little guy.” “Awwww that is so amazing! I love how God uses everyone who is willing,” wrote another Facebook user (Lana Wirfel). Catterson later admitted that the road ahead would be "tough" without the presence of his daughter, whose hug he craved, per 6ABC. 

You can follow Lindsey Sheely on Facebook for more updates.