When a Massachusetts woman ordered a pizza on a routine Friday evening, she had no idea the quick thinking and kindness of her delivery driver would change her life that night. Caryn Hebert Sullivan put in the call for a late pizza dinner on February 11.

DoorDash driver Sophia Furtado was bringing the order to the address in the small community of West Island Fairhaven, located on Buzzards Bay. However, when she arrived at the house around 10 p.m., she spotted Sullivan lying on the ground outside, bleeding from her head. Sullivan had a previous arm injury and a bad knee and had been waiting outside for the delivery. As Sullivan turned around, remembered that her arm and knee gave out leading her to fall and hit her head on the way down.

Furtado had previous medical knowledge from her time spent training as an Emergency Medical Technician however she had failed the National Registry test. When she arrived at the destination she immediately noticed Sullivan’s blood was congealing and estimated she had been lying outside for about 15 to 20 minutes. “Caryn was unresponsive, and her eyes kept rolling to the back of her head,” Furtado stated, “I felt like I was going to lose her.” 

Sullivan’s husband was asleep in the house at the time of the incident but awoke to Furtado’s calls for help. She directed him to go get supplies while she called 911. According to Officer Jillian Jodoin of the Fairhaven Police Department, Furtado was giving Sullivan medical attention while she was on the phone with 911.. “At that moment Sophia became a part of our team to aid Caryn.” Jodoin told CNN, “I asked her if it was possible for her to keep stabilizing Caryn’s neck to keep her spine safe, her answer was, ‘I’m not going anywhere.”

Soon after officers and medics started arriving at Sullivan’s house. Furtado stayed with her until Sullivan was transported to the hospital. After her time in the hospital, Sullivan arrived back home in March. While she was deemed fully recovered at the end of March, she’s still working on some daily functions. After losing 60% of her hearing, she is now able to drive short distances. Despite the terrifying experience, both Sullivan and Furtado gained friendship during the trauma.

They have since both met each other’s families and Sullivan even gave Furtado’s two children Easter gifts. Furtado was recognized at a ceremony on Wednesday, where DoorDash awarded her a $1,000 educational grant. The Fairhaven police also presented her with a lifesaving award.