Instacart Shopper Notices Her Customer Seems Unwell. What She Does Next Saves His Life (Exclusive)

• On Jan. 31, 2022, Jessica Higgs was working a shift as an Instacart shopper when she noticed a specific order pop up on her screen
• The Dalton, Ga., local recalls the order sitting there for a little while. After completing the rest of her orders, she decided to take it, hoping to make some extra money, which she needed at the time
• She picked up all the items on the list, which she learned were for a woman’s elderly dad, and headed to deliver the order. But as she pulled up to the house and was greeted by the man, she quickly noticed something was off

It was Jan. 31, 2022, and Jessica Higgs was working a shift as an Instacart shopper when she noticed a specific order pop up on her screen. The Dalton, Ga., local recalls the order sitting there for a little while. After completing the rest of her orders, she decided to take it, hoping to make some extra money, which she needed at the time.

Higgs prides herself on always going above and beyond when shopping for customers, and this time was no different. She diligently picked up all the items on the list, which she learned were for a woman’s elderly dad, and headed to deliver the order.

But as she pulled up to the house and was greeted by the man, she quickly noticed something was off — she felt the man looked sick. So, she decided to go out of her way and help bring the groceries into his house. Although she says Instacart policy doesn’t allow shoppers to go inside a customer’s house, it felt like the right thing to do at the time, she adds.

That’s when, upon going inside, she noticed a propane tank, which was used to provide heat. She immediately felt dizzy, and the smell was strong. At the time, Higgs, a single mom who solely relies on Instacart for income, says she felt she needed to message the man’s daughter to tell her something was wrong. However, she was scared of losing her job.

“But I came to realize someone’s life is more important than my job,” Higgs, 27, tells PEOPLE exclusively, adding how she messaged the woman. “I took the risk, and I’m happy I made the right decision.”

“Then, I completed the order, and not long after, I got a notification that my tip had been upped to $100,” she adds. “I was immediately emotional. As a single mom trying to pay her rent, it meant everything. I instantly called my family to explain.”

But the story developed further the next day when Higgs went to check the notes her customers leave for her after delivery. That’s when she came across a message from the woman saying she had saved the lives of her father and son, who was also in the house at the time. She explained there had in fact been a propane tank leak, and had Higgs not said something, the men might not be here today.

Instantly, Higgs grabbed her phone and, although she was crying, took to TikTok to share what had unfolded, hoping to spread the word that if you “see something, say something.” Since then, the video has gone viral, amassing almost 20 million views and 186,000 comments.

She says that although three years have passed since this life-changing encounter, every year, on the anniversary of the incident, she shares the story on TikTok again.

“The more people that see it, the better,” she says. “It’s not for me. Not for the comments or likes. It’s for the message. The message is strong. And a tearjerker. I read every single comment. Every single message sent. And it still brings tears to my eyes. I still watch it myself.”

“It gave me a purpose and a completely different outlook on life,” she says. “Because you truly just never know.”

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Higgs adds that despite how much time has passed, she hasn’t been able to get in touch with the family again, but thinks of them frequently.

“I remember him to this day and think of him often,” she says. “How he’s doing? And if he’s still doing okay? When you do something like this, it sticks with you. Always.”

“My email is in my bio, and I hope that one day they will reach out,” she adds.