DoorDasher Discovers Their Delivery To A Hospital Was Someone's Last Meal — 'That Is Going To Stick With Me'
This delivery driver had the chance to truly make a difference in someone's life, which is something we can all strive to do.
antoniodiaz | Shutterstock So often, we think of our jobs as just that — jobs. They’re how we get paid in order to survive. Most rarely think of their jobs as something special that truly makes an impact on someone’s life.
One DoorDash driver was in this situation until they had a delivery they’ll never forget. The delivery was to a hospital — more specifically, the food was a last meal for a hospice patient in the ICU.
A DoorDasher found out just how important the meal they delivered was.
An anonymous user posted in Reddit’s “r/DoorDash” forum to share the story of a meal that changed their life and someone else’s. “Tonight I had a delivery that was going to a hospital,” they explained. “That’s not unusual. A lot of nurses and hospital staff order food.” They found out that this delivery was different, though.
“This one had a room number in the ICU,” they continued. “The hospital doesn’t allow room delivery or entry for deliveries so I called the customer to let them know I arrived.” That was when the person on the other end of the call said something that threw the DoorDasher for a loop. “They thanked me and told me someone would be down to get the order,” they said. “They then told me they really appreciated me because this was someone’s last meal.”
“I was surprised but told them I was very sorry to hear about it. After we hung up, I looked to see what the order was in the sealed bag. It was a Happy Meal,” they revealed. “I don’t know if it was a child, someone elderly, or just someone who wanted something familiar, but [expletive].”
Elena Medoks | Shutterstock
The DoorDasher explained just how deeply the experience touched them. “Tonight since that order, I’ve been feeling incredibly guilty about all the low pay or difficult orders I reject,” they said. “I’m being realistic and I know it’s not my responsibility, but the idea of someone in the ICU waiting for someone to bring them a Happy Meal that never comes is tearing me up. I’m way too inside my head right now.”
Fellow Redditors chimed in to share their own experiences and offer some encouragement to the driver.
“Your experience really touched a nerve,” one person said. “I was a critical care nurse for 20 years, and if I were taking care of this patient and family, and I heard about this delivery, I would have spent my entire shift in tears.”
“I’m a hospice chef — and just wanted to share that guilt and grief are heavy hitters, whether we expect them or not,” another person shared. “Food is one of the things we all have in common, and you did someone an absolute solid.”
Ivan Samkov | Pexels
One user shared their own story of being hospitalized frequently for a chronic illness, particularly as a child. When their mom’s boss came to visit them at the hospital during an especially rough patch, he asked if there was anything they wanted. They requested a Happy Meal, which he brought. “It was the brightest moment of the next several weeks and I remember and am very grateful for every second of it and to my mom’s boss for indulging me in such a silly thing,” they shared.
Others reminded the DoorDash driver not to be too hard on themselves about not always taking orders at hospitals or similar situations. It is, after all, their livelihood. It was just nice for them to have this opportunity to touch someone’s life in a special way.
We all have the chance to be there for someone else when they’re in need.
According to the National Society of Leadership and Success, “The average person influences 80,000 people in their lifetime, and the average life expectancy is 78 years. You have the chance to impact 2.8 people every day of your life.”
Whatever your job may be, or however ordinary it may seem, you always have the chance to do some good in the world, just like this DoorDash driver. Make every moment count and every interaction count.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.