As you might have noticed, there have been a lot of feel-good news stories circulating about delivery drivers lately. And with good reason. We've always been thankful for the men and women who get us the things we need when we need them, but in the age of COVID-19, when the bravery of essential workers is pretty incredible, a much-needed spotlight is getting shone on delivery workers in particular. This week, the story of Monica Salinas, an Amazon delivery driver in Idaho, is really tugging at our heartstrings.
Salinas was delivering food to a home in Nampa, Idaho, when a family's RING doorbell camera caught her, according to KTVB.
The home belongs to Raquel and Derek Pearson, a couple Salinas knows fairly well from her regular delivery route. The Pearsons are also parents to 8-month-old Lucas, who has a genetic heart condition that leaves him immunocompromised.
Lucas' health conditions are what put him at an increased risk of becoming severely ill if he contracts COVID-19.
According to his mother, the virus has been a major concern within their home since it first made its way to the US, which is why the Pearsons have remained isolated within their home and rely on deliveries coming to their door rather than going out.
"He needs special thickeners to be able to eat, otherwise he aspirates his milk, so we really depend on getting all of these supplies online so we don't have to go out to the store and bring a virus home," Raquel told the news outlet. "We just want to minimize exposure to coronavirus."
Not everyone knows about Lucas' health risks, but the Pearsons put a simple note on their door to make delivery workers aware.
"We have a sign on the door letting the delivery drivers know we have a high risk child, and we thank them for putting themselves out there in the mix every day," Derek explained to KTVB.
Clearly, the message struck a chord with Salinas.
Raquel told KTVB it was during a delivery Salinas made last week that she noticed the woman had paused on her front step.
"I noticed that she was standing there, and I didn't really realize what she was doing until I saw her doing the sign of the cross," Raquel said. "I was like 'Oh my gosh, she was praying.' I kind of choked up a bit."
In the short clip, Salinas stands silently for 15 seconds, with her head bowed in prayer, until returning to her vehicle.
But the small moment was undeniably powerful for the Pearsons.
"There's a lot going on in the world right now but we believe in the goodness of humanity," Raquel wrote on a Facebook page the family made for Lucas called Strong Like Lucas. "This is the moment we captured Monica praying for our sweet boy. This video is a good reminder that although it may feel lonely, we are all in this together and we are never alone."
We certainly aren't.
In the last few days, news of the sweet story has been sweeping the internet and warming hearts everywhere.
The Pearsons are happy that it's earning Salinas a much-needed round of applause, and they hope that it serves as a reminder of how careful families with immunocompromised children have to be right now.
"I just wish they understood how scared we are as parents, and how scared other people are," Raquel told KTVB. "We really depend on them doing their part as well."
"It's been really hard to get through this," she said of the pandemic, "so I'm really touched that a stranger would take time out of her day to wish our son well like that."
But Salinas says she's the one who was touched.
"There was a note and it said their baby's food was essential, and every time I see that note, it just touches my heart," she told KTVB. "I just stopped to do what my heart told me to do — to say a prayer for the baby and for the parents — because that's got to be very painful for all of them to see their baby hurt and struggle.
"I just prayed that they can make it through another day," she added, "one day at a time."
