Hero at the door: Catholic Meals on Wheels driver saves woman’s life

Alekzander Dzivak is seen at the Watauga Active Adult Center, where he picks up meals to deliver to clients on his Meals on Wheels route, on May 12, 2026. (NTC/Juan Guajardo)

FORT WORTH — March 10, 2026, should have been a normal Tuesday for 19-year-old Meals on Wheels driver Alekzander Dzivak. He was delivering lunch to the last client on his first of two routes of the day, a routine he’d been doing for nearly three months. Of course, with every visit he’d follow the same ritual: knock at the door, greet the person with a smile, ask them how they were doing, and talk about the weather.

But this time things were different. 72-year-old Mrs. Lana, as she’s asked the media to call her, was not answering the door. Dzivak waited a few minutes, and then suddenly heard her scream through the Ring camera. Because of a diabetic episode, she had fallen on the floor and was unable to move.

“My heart was beating a million miles a minute,” Dzivak recalled.

Thankfully, she had her phone on her, and was able to speak to Dzivak outside. However, the Ring microphone wasn’t picking up his voice, and he had to communicate by nodding and shaking his head.

After realizing her serious condition, Dzivak immediately dialed 911 and stayed with her, keeping her calm until the paramedics arrived.

“When I heard the sirens, my heart sank, and then I felt really happy they were here," Dzivak told CBS News. Shortly after, they treated her, and no hospital visit was necessary.

While Dzivak has been hailed a hero across local news outlets and by the Fort Worth City Council, his actions aren't surprising considering the altruistic background instilled by his upbringing and Catholic faith.

Stellar record of service

Dzivak was bitten by the volunteering bug early in his days as a student at St. John the Apostle Catholic School in North Richland Hills.

A former teacher of Dzivak, Nina Kalianivala, remembered bringing the class during recess each week to the St. John Outreach Center to bag food for clients. “I am not surprised that Alekzander is continuing to do good work for the community,” she said, recalling that the “caring young man” worked “efficiently and diligently” and without complaint.

Dzivak volunteered for other activities with social ministries of St. John the Apostle Parish including writing letters to nursing home residents and singing and socializing with members of a local senior center.

As a member of the National Junior Honor Society chapter, Dzivak had a unique opportunity to clean the Trinity River with a few of his classmates.

While Dzivak always enjoyed taking part in something bigger than himself, he credits his passion for volunteering partly from the urging of the church and his parents.

Last December, his mom, stoking his passion even further, told him that organizations would be looking for helpers over the holidays and suggested Meals on Wheels.

“I didn’t even look them up,” Dzivak said. “I drove [straight] down to their Tarrant County Office, talked to them, looked out the routes they had available, and registered.”

Fortunately, he received training in the last orientation of the year.

Amazing timing

Recently, Dzivak has reflected on the incident through the lens of his Catholic upbringing.

“If I decided to do my second route first, I could have showed up when it would have been too late,” Dzivak said. “Had I called in [as unavailable] that day, maybe no one would have shown up at all … so it was just really amazing timing.”

More than a coincidence, Dzivak believes he was “meant” to be there, and Mrs. Lana agrees, saying in an interview with CBS, that if it hadn't been for Dzivak’s actions, she would be dead.

“God works in mysterious ways, and I definitely believe that was one of them,” Dzivak said.

Since then, Dzivak and Mrs. Lana have become friends. Though she’s been in-and-out of the hospital after suffering a bad fall, Dzivak’s been able to deliver her meals in recent days.

“I was very happy to see her back,” he said.