The 87-year-old said he had taken up DoorDash work to help pay off debt and cover essential expenses, including medication.
VANCOUVER, Wash. — What began as a wrong turn during a food delivery turned into an unexpected lifeline for an 87-year-old man from Washington state working to make ends meet.
Joe Symonds, who has spent the last year and a half delivering for DoorDash, said he never imagined the chain of events that would unfold after he mistakenly arrived at the wrong home during a recent delivery.
“It’s mind-blowing, the whole thing,” Symonds said, reflecting on the moment that would soon change his life.
The delivery brought him to Alyona Dikiy’s home in Vancouver, Washington. Dikiy, who was cleaning her garage at the time, quickly noticed Symonds appeared disoriented and was possibly struggling. She struck up a conversation with him and was stunned to learn Symonds was 87.
“You couldn’t imagine that being your own grandpa or grandma who is doing that,” said Dikiy.
Symonds explained he had taken up DoorDash work to help pay off debt and cover essential expenses, including medication. While he said he appreciated the work, he noted it had not been easy, especially the physical toll of climbing stairs during deliveries.
“I’ve had a few issues on flat ground where I’ve managed to trip myself and fall down,” said Symonds. “Fortunately, nothing serious has happened.”
Moved by his story, Dikiy gave Symonds $100 in cash and urged him to take the rest of the day off. With his permission, she also recorded a brief video, which she shared online, and started a GoFundMe aimed at helping him retire.
“Once it was at $400, I was like, ‘Joe, we’re at like $400! You can take a couple days off!'” recalled Dikiy. “Then it just kept going up and up and up.”
By Monday, the fundraiser had surpassed $30,000, with donations pouring in from around the world. The rapid growth stunned both Dikiy and Symonds, who said he was deeply moved by the generosity of strangers.
“I think you’re the kindest, most fantastic people that I could imagine,” he said. “I never thought there were people like that — people who would donate to a complete stranger they had never met.”
Dikiy said the experience has reinforced her belief in the goodwill of others.
“I think that a lot of people have really good hearts,” she said.
As for Symonds, he sees Dikiy as more than just a stranger he met on a delivery route.
“She’s my angel,” he said.