If you traveled near East Limestone High School this week, you might have noticed additional traffic as the medical community said goodbye to one of its own and a school community came out to support two of its members.

The parades were held Monday and Thursday. The first was organized by nurses in the emergency department at Madison Hospital after they received news that their former charge nurse, Penny Helton, was struggling in her fight against stage 4 cervical cancer.

“I was talking with Christie (Schreiner) and we were saying how much we would like to go and see her, but with everything going on, we just weren’t able to,” Alina Hall, a registered nurse who worked with Helton, told The News Courier.

So, they decided on a “Penny Parade.” Penny Helton and her husband, the late Sammy Helton, were each longtime members of the North Alabama medical community before illness gave them no option but to quit. Sammy was a HEMSI paramedic for the better part of two decades, and Penny had served in the ERs of Athens-Limestone Hospital, Huntsville Hospital and Madison Hospital.

Hall and Schreiner first shared their idea for a drive-by parade to support Penny via work email at MH, then through a Facebook event. Within 48 hours, staff from Madison Hospital, HEMSI and other local emergency response agencies were gathering to drive ambulances, fire trucks and their personal vehicles by Penny’s house.

“I’m so glad they did it, because I think it’s one of the last things she was really around for,” said Penny’s best friend, Terra Jarrell. “… She hated having to quit work. That was her sanity when everything else was chaos.”

Due to her health, Penny had to stay inside and watch the parade through a window. Many of the parade participants parked their vehicles and walked into the yard to hold up signs or visit through the window.

Ginger Day, Penny’s mom, stood next to her inside as everyone came by. She said the two of them “were squalling our eyes out.”

For many, it was a chance to say thank-you and goodbye to a woman who left an unforgettable impression on them. One coworker, Michele Tisler, described Penny on Facebook as “one of those nurses you work with that really impacts you. … She was a force of nature, but a great listener and so supportive. It is truly a great loss to myself and anyone who had the pleasure of working with her in the ER.”

“This has been really hard for us, on top of everything with COVID-19,” Hall said. “Not being able to be with her has been even harder.”

Terra said for Penny, the parade was one more sign that everything was going to be OK. The longtime nurse, mother of two and friend to many died Wednesday, just two days after the parade.

Supporting the kids

Those closest to Penny say there was only one thing she wanted more than to be an ER nurse, and that was to have a family. Terra introduced her to Sammy in 2006, and by the end of 2008, Penny and Sammy were married and expecting their second child together.

“I knew he was perfect for her,” Terra said.

Sam, their oldest, is often called “mini-Penny” by older family and their friends because he looks so much like his mother, even though he’s built like his dad. Now 12, he’s a 6-foot, 300-pound Boy Scout and member of the gifted program at East Limestone High.

“He always has a smile on his face,” Terra said, “and he is so smart. … He will be able to do everything he sets his mind to.”

His younger sister, Sadie, is an 11-year-old lover of animals and adventure who is finishing up her final year at Creekside Elementary.

“She’s full of energy and has to be entertained,” Terra said with a laugh. “Sam likes his video games … but Sadie always has to be entertained and then after about 10 minutes, it’s on to the next thing.”

Last week, Terra’s husband, Thomas Hunt Jarrell, started a gofundme to support the children as they once again dealt with the loss of a parent. Known to most as Hunt, he has posted regular updates, and on Thursday, he shared a second parade had been held in front of the kids’ home in East Limestone — this time, coordinated by Sam’s gifted education teacher, Melanie Perry.

It’s estimated more than 50 vehicles filled with students, parents, teachers and staff from East and Creekside took part. They filled the neighborhood with signs and even stood next to their vehicles to sing “Amazing Grace” at one point.

“I am continuously stunned by the outpouring of love and support from this community,” Hunt wrote in a gofundme update after the event. “Thank you all.”

House plans

Terra said from the beginning, there was a mutual agreement that if anything happened to her and Hunt or Penny and Sammy, the surviving couple would raise the late couple’s children. As sad as she is to be losing a best friend, she said she’s grateful to be able to keep her promise.

Funds raised through the gofundme will pay to finish the basement of Terra and Hunt’s home so their residence can house six people instead of four. The plans include adding another set of washer and dryer hookups, a window, two bedrooms and “an open area for the kids to be kids and their friends to be friends,” according to the gofundme site.

They planned for Hunt to do most of the work himself, but life had other plans, including a fungal lung infection for Hunt.

“I have never felt more useless,” Hunt wrote on the gofundme site. “I’m usually the fixer; I fix things. I’m at a loss.”

Luckily, the community has rallied to help. The fundraiser went live April 10, and within a few days, $10,000 had been raised. By The News Courier’s press deadline Friday, more than 250 people had donated $20,821 to the family, but there is still a long way to go.

The fundraising goal is set at $50,000 so the couple can pay for professional assistance and get the home ready for Sam and Sadie to move in. Anyone who wishes to contribute can visit the gofundme to donate, share or look for updates. Terra said they plan to continue sharing updates on gofundme and Facebook throughout the renovation process.

“I’ve had a lot of her friends add me on Facebook, so any time I see ‘Mutual Friend: Penny Helton,’ I accept it,” Terra said.

Anything not spent on the basement will go to a college fund for the children, she said, adding it’s exactly what Sammy or Penny would have done.

“(Penny was) the first person to drop everything she’s doing to help somebody else, whether it was with her time or financially,” Terra said. “… I really hope I don’t let her down.”