Ben Abercrombie’s Road to Recovery

As a multisport star at Alabama’s famed Hoover High School, Ben Abercrombie was used to winning. His dedication on the field and in the classroom opened doors to the Ivy League, where he accepted a football scholarship to Harvard University. After a severe spinal cord injury suffered in his first collegiate game he faced a whole new kind of battle.

After his initial surgery, Ben was transferred to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, one of the nation’s leading non-profit spinal cord injury recovery facilities. The Shepherd Center provides nearly 900 individuals with inpatient therapy annually. Through countless hours of hard work, Ben’s condition steadily improved.

During his therapy and rehabilitation, local business and the Harvard community raised money for Ben. One of those businesses was El Jefes, a famous Mexican restaurant near Harvard. Their Ben Abercrombie night helped raise funds for his family to retrofit their home, making it wheelchair accessible.

In January, Ben returned home to Alabama after spending three months at the Shepherd Center. He is happy to be back with his family, but still faces many challenges in his recovery. As he continues therapy at the Spain Rehabilitation facility in Birmingham, Ben is also working with MobilityWorks for his transportation needs.

Though he has an uphill battle ahead of him, Ben remains optimistic. He hopes to return to Harvard as early as next Fall and continue his education. His plan for his life may have been drastically altered on that September day in Rhode Island, but Ben Abercrombie has no intention of letting that stop him from succeeding.