High School Principal Caught Working At Walmart Gives Heartbreaking Explanation

Anyone who visits the Walmart in Charleston, South Carolina, at night will probably run into a hard-working employee named Henry Darby. But what most unsuspecting shoppers probably wouldn’t realize is that Henry is also the principal of a local high school. And when the truth about his confusingly busy schedule came out, it rocked the community to its core...

Keeping quiet

Henry has always been a private person. So, not many people knew that he was balancing two jobs at once. “I don’t think that I’ve done anything really of distinction to warrant the attention,” a humble Henry commented during an interview. But, if that was the case, then why was he suddenly in the media spotlight?

The graveyard shift

Well, for one thing, his schedule seemed superhuman. From 10:00 p.m. until 7:00 a.m. three nights a week, Henry tirelessly toiled away at his local Walmart. And while his coworkers probably headed straight home after the overnight shift, Darby didn’t have that luxury. He had his other job — not to mention his role as a community leader — to take on.

Molding future leaders

After finishing his Walmart shift, Henry would travel to North Charleston High School, where he was the beloved principal. Henry maintained personal relationships with his students and kept close tabs on their well-being. Sadly, though, many of these kids faced grueling challenges.

Understanding the students’ hardships

North Charleston High School was not one of those schools that’s located in a well-to-do area. In fact, over 90 percent of its cohort come from families who live below the poverty line. And when asked about his students’ struggles, Henry couldn’t hold back the tears in his eyes.

A harsh reality

During a pressing interview, Henry revealed the harsh conditions under which many of his students suffered. While some found themselves sleeping under bridges, others ended up sleeping in cars, as their families were unable to afford proper homes. Astonishingly, this wasn’t the full extent of the issues faced by North Charleston’s attendees.

House visits

Henry enjoyed checking in on his students at their homes, where he talked to them about their lives and made sure that they were in a safe environment. During these visits, he entered houses where there were curtain-less windows and bare mattresses laying on the floor with no other furniture around. Understandably, these conditions inspired Henry to lend a helping hand. Though things were about to get a lot more complicated.

The pandemic strikes

When COVID-19 swept across the globe, having little to no money was not these kids’ only issue. Now, students’ health and social lives were about to be impacted as well. Henry knew he had to do something.

Coming up with a plan

Henry was clearly very dedicated to his students, but the COVID-19 pandemic had changed life as they’d known it. It meant he wouldn’t be able to visit and coach students in their own homes anymore. The principal was forced to think of new solutions, and it wasn’t long before he had a plan.

Taking action

Remember how Henry called himself a fairly private person? Well, one day, he came up with a secret solution to help his students. Henry applied for a night shift position at Walmart, not even mentioning to the store manager that he was also a school principal. At that moment, Henry began to show the true extent of his generosity.

Henry’s nonstop work

Three days a week, Henry would drive from his day job as a principal to his night job at Walmart, where he would stock shelves on the graveyard shift. In a true act of kindness, Henry would dedicate every single dime of his Walmart income to his students by purchasing whatever supplies they lacked. But it would only be a matter of time until word of his double life got out...

Making an impact

Even before Henry’s secret was revealed, Walmart manager Cynthia Solomon knew that there was something special about him. “I would be so happy to have Mr. Darby for as long as he will have us as a part of his family,” Cynthia said. But what inspired the principal to express such kindness and tireless dedication toward his students?

A reflection of himself

When Henry saw his students, he was immediately reminded of his own childhood struggles. Having lost his father at a young age, he’d had to seek alternative ways to make ends meet. He remembered going with his mother to collect milk and soda bottles from the curb, while also visiting the dump to see if there was anything that could help them get by.

Getting creative

Henry remembered how one day at the dump, his mom had reached into all the gunk and fished out a white cloth. From that piece of fabric, she had been able to make Henry a shirt to wear to school. But, sadly, tragedy would eventually strike.

Fulfilling a dream

“My son is going to become a teacher,” Henry’s proud mother would say. She never managed to see her boy fulfill his goal, though, as she passed away while he was still in college. Henry never forgot his mom’s sacrifice. “I am very appreciative of my mother, who had no shame in helping her child to become a teacher,” he told NPR in February 2021.

Henry's kindness is revealed

Driven by the memory of his mother, Henry worked tirelessly at Walmart to support his students financially while also providing them with an education during the day. That is, until the community discovered his double life. Truly taken aback by Henry’s absolute selflessness, his Walmart family decided that it was high time to provide the principal and his school with a much-deserved reward.

The gathering

One day in the chilly winter, the staff at Henry’s Walmart decided to call him to a gathering on his school’s football field, where a large group of his students waited to greet him. It was there that Henry was interviewed by reporters from The Today Show, who were touched by his selfless acts of kindness. But what Henry didn’t know was that a surprise was waiting for him.

The build-up

As Henry started his heartwarming interview, his Walmart manager, Cynthia, stood by his side along with the rest of his Walmart associates. Soon enough, the interviewer called Cynthia to center stage, where she stepped forward with a blue Walmart bag in her hand. And what lay inside would change the lives of Henry’s students forever.

The gift

Once Cynthia and her staff had found out about Henry’s double life, she explained, they desperately wanted to help him uplift the students of North Charleston High School. And after Henry opened the bag, his jaw dropped to the floor as he saw a check for $50,000. But he knew — even as his students erupted in applause — that his job wasn’t over yet.

Continuing his mission

Even with North Charleston receiving such a large donation, Henry was determined to keep working night shifts at Walmart and sending all his wages to his students. There was just one thing that he requested from his students in return, however.

Henry’s message to his students

“It’s quite simple,” he said. “Just learn to help others. That is one of the greatest things we can do in terms of human beings.” Through his loving kindness, Henry has proven this statement to be true. Only time will tell how much good his contributions will do, but as teachers will know, helping just one student even a little bit can make a world of difference.

Remarkable teacher

Though kindergarten teacher Nancy Bleuer didn't pull a second job like Henry Darby, she still spent more time huddled over children's books or cleaning up craft stains than she did at her own home. She always knew she was put on Earth to be of service to others, which is why she became a teacher. Still, she never expected one of her students would thrust her into the middle of a life-or-death situation.

Someone noticed

One of Miss Nancy's pupils was a 4-year-old named Camden Peterson. A bright, energetic, and social kid, he carried a secret with him that not even his intuitive teacher could figure out. One day at school, Miss Nancy noticed that Camden was acting strange, silent, and reclusive. Was he sick? Was something wrong at home? Was he feeling out of place? She was intent on getting to the bottom of it, so she monitored him carefully. 

Pulling him aside

After days turned into weeks with no improvement on Camden’s part, Nancy asked if they could talk in private. She didn't want to single him out in front of the other kids, and she was relieved when he said yes. They went to an empty corner of the room, and the truth poured out.

Not him

Nancy was worried. Camden was demonstrating telltale signs of a kid with a rotten home life. Her dedication to her students didn't stop in the classroom, so she carefully coaxed the truth out of her pupil. He was hesitant to speak at first, but after some careful guidance and effort, he confessed.

Darreld's dilemma

The source of his heartache was his father. See, while 34-year-old Darreld Peterson of Mason City, Iowa, kept the finer details of his life out of the public spotlight, one thing was perfectly clear to all who knew and met him: he loved his son. But Darreld wasn't doing well.

Like father...

Pictures of the father and his 4-year-old son decorated his social media profiles. In each one, the duo wore huge smiles across their faces, whether they were at a school event with inflatable slides or just in the car. During their escapades, Camden didn't know his father was dying.

Antibodies!

In 2010, just a few years before Camden was born, doctors diagnosed Darreld with Berger's disease. Antibodies called IgA, the experts said, were building up in his kidneys and slowly destroying the organs.

Future free

In other words, Darreld was on the fast track to renal kidney failure, a condition in which his deteriorated kidneys would no longer filter all the toxins out of his bloodstream. When that set in, he would die — leaving Camden behind.

Kidney failure

So after Camden was born in 2012, Darreld raised him knowing a fatal diagnosis was just one doctor's visit away. And in January 2016, the Sword of Damocles finally fell: his kidneys failed. He needed a transplant ASAP.

Donors

While doctors placed him on a kidney donor list, he also sought out donors himself. "I had friends and family come forward who wanted to donate," he said, "but these didn't work out, for medical reasons or other reasons." In the meantime, he started up dialysis.

Dialysis

The 34-year-old spent 4 hours three days per week hooked up to a machine that filtered his blood, during which he no doubt thought of little else but Camden. And for the four-year-old, even with his dad on dialysis, life continued.

Devastated

As Camden told his story, Nancy's jaw fell to the floor. The story he told was devastating. His father was seriously ill, and without proper treatment, he was likely going to die. The truth was an unbearable weight for a kindergartener, yet Nancy was determined to set everything right.

Trouble at home

So Nancy went to her files and pulled up the phone number for Camden's dad, Darreld. He, of course, had no idea that he was about to receive this call. When he first realized it was Camden’s teacher, he worried that his son had gotten in trouble!

Kidney failure

The teacher told the father that Camden had spilled the beans, and Darreld was embarrassed beyond belief. Nevertheless, he filled her in on all the details 4-year-old Camden wasn't privy to. His kidneys were functioning at below 20% capacity, and he didn't have a ton of time left.

Selfless

Many would argue that teaching is tireless and underpaid. It takes a giving person to be one, and that described 54-year-old Nancy to a tee. She wasn't getting any younger, and her kidneys were working fine. Maybe, she suggested, Darreld could use one of her kidneys! Immediately, Darreld declined. They'd have to think of another way.

Promised to help

But no matter what, Nancy was committed to helping. She pressed the issue further, explaining to Darreld all the reasons she would make the perfect donor, and eventually, the father relented. She had made a promise and had every intention to keep it, though it wasn't so simple.

Let the tests begin

Donating a kidney isn’t as easy as slicing someone open. Nancy had to take physical exams to make sure her organ would be compatible with Darreld’s body. The results were much better than they could’ve expected.

Genetic match

Not only was Nancy’s kidney in good health, she also had appropriate genetic correlations to donate to Darreld. It seemed like all the cards were in order, but there was one more test she had to pass. 

Psych exam

Before Nancy could be approved, she had to undergo psychological exams to confirm that she wasn’t donating her kidney because she was insane or under duress. The back and forth proved what everyone already knew: Nancy wasn't crazy; she just had a heart of gold.

Risky business

After a long period of tests, discussions, and “are you sures,” it was finally time for surgery. Transplant surgeons Alan Reed, Zoe Stewart Lewis, and Daniel Katz led the endeavor. They were qualified and experienced, but like any surgery, there was always a risk.

In the clear!

Luckily, Darreld and Nancy could both rest easy. The surgery was a great success! “She’s given me and my son a new opportunity at life,” Darreld said. He couldn't believe it.