February 11th was a regular Friday evening when Caryn Herbert Sullivan had placed a DoorDash order for a pizza. Sophia Furtado was the driver that accepted the delivery. The address was in West Island Fairhaven, approximately 20 miles to the southeast of Fall River.[1]
However, Furtado was in for the surprise of her life when she reached the delivery address at about 10 P. M.
A Shock For The DoorDash Delivery Woman
Upon arriving at Sullivan’s home, she saw Sullivan sprawled across the ground in front of her home. Her head had sustained a heavy injury and was bleeding. Fortunately, for Sullivan, Furtado was not any old DoorDash delivery woman – she had prior training as an Emergency Medical Technician.
Furtado immediately analyzed how far Sullivan’s blood had congealed. She concluded that Sullivan had been in that state for at least 15 minutes. Then followed a few frantic moments of Furtado trying to do all she could.
In an interview with CNN, Furtado remembered the dire situation she found Sullivan in: “Caryn was unresponsive, and her eyes kept rolling to the back of her head. I felt like I was going to lose her.”
Furtado called out for help and awoke Robert, Sullivan’s husband who was sleeping inside. She then instructed him to provide her with a few supplies while she called 911. The heroic Furtado then talked with the operator while providing Sullivan with first aid.
Jillian Jodoin, an officer in the Fairhaven Police Department, said that Furtado had acted as a part of their team during that moment. Jillian had asked Furtado if she could ensure that Sullivan’s neck remained stable. Furtado simply replied that she had no intention to leave her.
A Hero’s Delivery
The DoorDash delivery woman stayed with Sullivan until medics arrived and took her to the hospital. It took two weeks for the hospital to finally discharge Sullivan. She had suffered 2 critical brain bleeds. The situation was so critical that her husband and daughter had to wait till 2 A. M. to know if Sullivan would pull through.
As for how the incident occurred, Sullivan had already suffered an arm injury. She also had a troublesome knee. On that night, she had been standing outside waiting for the DoorDash delivery. However, when she turned, her knee and arm gave out. As she fell, Sullivan hit her head. After that, she could only remember laying there on her driveway thinking about how it was the end.
It wasn’t until March that Sullivan could come back home. Even then, she could not drive, write, and could just about walk. By March’s end, the doctors told her she had completely recovered. However, Sullivan continues to struggle with a few changes such as losing more than half of her hearing. Nevertheless, she can drive short distances.
Throughout this traumatic ordeal, Sullivan is thankful for being able to meet her “guardian angel” Furtado. Their families have met since, and Sullivan gave Easter gifts to Furtado’s 2 children.
Read: Over 900 cars paid for each other’s meals at a Dairy Queen drive-thru
A Reward From DoorDash And More
DoorDash also recognized Furtado’s heroics and awarded her $1,000 as an educational grant. A spokesperson from DoorDash said that they remained extremely grateful for Furtado’s critical and heroic intervention. As such, they were honored to be able to show her their appreciation.
Furtado also received a lifesaving award from Fairhaven Police. Furtado, on her part, found the awards to be a pleasant surprise. She said that she would have done the same for anyone.
Even though she had received EMT training, she had failed the national selection exam. So she resumed working as a DoorDash delivery in January. Now, she hopes that she can go back to EMT school once she can ensure her family’s financial state. Of course, Furtado and Sullivan continue to meet up as long as possible.
Keep Reading: Woman captures struggling delivery driver, takes to social media to help him
Source List:
- “‘She’s my guardian angel’: DoorDasher saves Massachusetts woman’s life while delivering pizza.” CNN. Sara Smart. May 2, 2022
