NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It's a good thing that Marquita Stevens loves meeting new people because she never knows who she'll meet when she drives for Lyft.
"Sometimes a blessing is sitting beside you and you wouldn’t even know it," said Stevens.
That's exactly what happened, last month, when she picked up a guy headed to the airport.
"And I said c’mon you can sit up here with me and we sat and we talked for almost 40 minutes — and that was the best talk I’ve had in a long time," she said.
That guy happened to be Titans Public Address announcer Matt Rogers.
"We hugged, we cried, we prayed, we sang," said Rogers. "I don’t like to leave the people the same as when I found them — you know what I mean? So if there’s an opportunity to do something, I will."
That opportunity came when Stevens brought up her pride and joy — her eight-year-old daughter Ramia.
"She has spina bifida," explained Stevens. "She has the tracheotomy for laryngomalacia."
That situation instantly pulled at Matt's heartstrings.
"Three of my four kids were born with a rare genetic disease called cystic fibrosis so I know what it’s like to be a dad in the hospital for weeks at a time," said Rogers.
So Matt decided to do something a little crazy. He started a live video on his Instagram page, with an altar call of sorts.
"This is Marquita, she’s my Lyft driver taking me to the airport today," Rogers said on the video. "We’re going to see how much we can bless this best mom in the world over the next 24 hours."
Matt and his wife got things started with pledging $500, and like a biblical parable, the blessings multiplied. Even Matt's father in California sent in $100.
By the time Matt returned to Nashville from his travels, he had quite the surprise.
"$6,348 plus my dad’s $100 bill," said Rogers on another Instagram video. "I’m like, are you serious?" recalled Stevens.
Nearly $6,500 is a game changer for Marquita, and in a way, for Matt too.
"Getting my credit fixed and moving forward to getting an apartment," said Stevens.
"It might change her life, which makes me think — dang, I could do a lot more than I’m currently doing," said Rogers.
The scenario only proves that Marquita picked up way more than a passenger that day. She picked up a future, forever friend. "He will forever have a place in my heart," said Stevens.
Stevens says the donation has put a major dent in her outstanding debts and she hopes to build upon that money by eventually getting her own apartment and moving herself and Ramia into their own apartment.
