Debby, I'm so sorry this happened to you. Can you maybe quickly make her a pillow from the scraps of the quilt, that she could have with her when she has her surgery?
I've (unfortunately) encountered lots of shipping problems, probably because I ship so many packages. Usually they get delivered just fine but when things go wrong... wow. Sometimes even a signature won't save the day. We routinely require signatures on all packages valued at over $150, and if it's going to an apartment building or to the New York City or Miami areas, we get that signature for anything over $100. But last fall we sent a $300 package to a residence outside Pittsburgh PA, by FedEx, requiring a signature. The driver obtained a signature from a woman who happened to be standing on the porch when he came by. But apparently that was not the customer/addressee, because the customer called the next day to say that she had not received the package even though it showed up as having been delivered AND signed for, with her own surname.
If it's a very valuable or irreplaceable package... the ONLY way to go is USPS restricted delivery. They will require government-issued ID and will release it to the address only. It is very expensive. So are your time and tears.
Sure wish this type of thing never happened to anyone!