Forgotten packages and delivery notices are collecting at the front door.
The lawn service came and went.
FedEx was here, and the mail is piling up.
It's all evidence of lives put on hold.
Marty and Sherri Abercrombie left their home on Lake Crest Circle in Hoover suddenly last week. In an instant, everyday things became meaningless when their son, Ben, a freshman playing football for Harvard, suffered paralysis during a game from a neck injury.
Imagine the anguish the Abercrombies experienced in an instant. The flash of pain. The blinding sorrow.
What Ben Abercrombie lacked in size on the football field, he made up for with smarts and determination. He scored a 30 on his ACT. He woke up at 5 a.m. every morning for workouts. That willpower placed him in the most prestigious university in the world.
And the world was at his feet. Then, with one tackle, horror.
Two weeks ago, Ben was preparing for his first collegiate football game. Now, the family is hopeful he'll be breathing on his own this week.
This story isn't going to end in sadness for Ben Abercrombie. The people who know him already know that. He's more than a fighter, says his former position coach at Hoover. He's the "ultimate warrior." Right now, though, the Abercrombies need help. With their lives suspended in a nightmare, the family needs support.
Hoover High School and its community are responding.
Last Friday night, Hoover principal Don Hulin and his athletic department organized a fundraiser before the Buccaneers' homecoming game that raised $4,177. On Monday, businesses in and around Hoover are raising money for the Abercrombies, and here's what you can do to help.
Just eat a meal, or two, at one of the participating restaurants. Bring your cars or trucks, or both, to the carwash. Take your family to get haircuts. Go the pharmacy and buy some candy for Halloween. Here's why. Over 50 businesses in Greater Birmingham are donating 10 percent of their sales on Monday to the Ben Abercrombie Fund.
The fundraiser is called "Stand up for Ben." Social-media tag: #standupforben.
Ben is in a hospital in Rhode Island, and he could be transferred to a Boston-area hospital this week. From there, the family will decided whether to remain in Boston for Ben's rehabilitation or return to Birmingham. Rehab could take nine months. Everyone is hoping for a full recovery, but, according to coaches at Hoover and family friends who have been in contact with the Abercrombies, it is too early to determine anything.
"I think God is going to use Ben in ways that he never even imagined God would use him, and I think that long term God has a wonderful plan for Ben Abercrombie," said Chris Cole, a friend of the family whose son, Devin, played baseball with Ben. "We're not sure how that's going to end at this point in time, but God has an absolutely wonderful plan for Ben Abercrombie."
Ben was the heart and soul of two football state championships for Hoover, and he also won a state championship with the baseball team. He graduated near the top of his class as one of the school's most accomplished athletes. As the school's principal told his student body last Friday during the pep rally, "Ben Abercrombie was the best of Buc Nation."
Hulin, the principal, choked back tears as he informed his students, teachers and parents of the community-wide fundraising effort organized for Monday. Christ the King Lutheran Church started the Ben Abercrombie Fund, and donations can be made directly to the church or through all branches of Regions Bank.
Or take a trip to Tip Top Grill in Bluff Park on Monday. The locally famous hamburger joint is just one of the many eateries participating in the fundraiser.
Ben's nickname at Hoover was "Abs" because of the thousands of sit-ups he would do daily. At Harvard, he had already picked up another nickname because of his relentless work ethic. Teammates there dubbed him "Badger-crombie." As a sophomore on special teams, Abercrombie blocked two punts in one game against Miami Central. As a junior and senior, he started at safety and made "play after play after play," according to one of his former position coaches.
More importantly, said Hoover assistant coach Gabe Rodriguez, Ben just wanted to be a part of a team. He just wanted to help.
A tough football coach who got his start at Auburn with coach Gene Chizik, Rodriguez gave a poignant speech to Hoover's student body during last Friday's pep rally. He couldn't hold back his emotions.
"I guarantee you," Rodriguez said through his tears, "if it was anyone in this situation right now, Ben would be doing the exact same thing for you. He'd be donating. He'd be fighting like heck. And he's going to continue to fight, all right. So, you continue to pray for him with everything you got. Because they need it. We all need it."
Joseph Goodman is a columnist for Alabama Media Group. He's on Twitter @JoeGoodmanJr.
Businesses participating in Stand up for Ben fundraiser
Wing Zone-Hoover
Newk's-Hoover
Newk's-Downtown
Newk's-Inverness
Newk's-Mountain Brook
Beef O Brady's-Hoover
Beef O Brady's Helena
Moss Rock Tacos
Vecchia
The Boot at the Grove
Moe's BBQ Patton Creek
Moe's BBQ-Lakeview/Southside
Zaxby's Highway 150
Zaxby's Valleydale Road
Whole Scoop-Hoover
Chick Fil A-Highway 31
Chick Fil A-Galleria
Chick Fil A-The Grove
Yogurt Mountain-Hoover
Shooter's Grille-Inside Hoover Tactical
Tip Top Grille-Bluff Park
Anthony's Car Wash on Highway 150
Hoover Hometown Pharmacy-Highway 150
Baha Burger-Chase Lake
Baha Burger-Vestavia
Brixx-Patton Creek
Extreme Pressure Washing-Hoover
Sneaky Pete's-Oxmoor/Homewood
Sneaky Pete's-Greensprings Highway
Katsdelivery.com
LakeCrest Chiropractice-Highway 150
Buffalo Wild Wings-Hoover
Buffalo Wild Wings-280
Buffalo Wild Wings-Alabaster
Jim N Nicks-Riverchase
Tropical Smoothie-Inverness
Mugshots-Vestavia
wemakecarmats.com
Vestavia Barber Shop-Highway 31
Cajun Steamer
Full Moon BBQ-Pelham
O'Henry's Coffee-Brookwood Mall
O'Henry's Coffee-Downtown Homewood
McDonald's-Grove
McDonald's-Galleria
McDonald's-Morgan Road
McDonald's Valleydale Road
Zoom Express Car Wash-Bessemer
Zoom Express Car Wash-Moody
A to Z Vacuum-Pelham
Buff Park Hardware
Cajun Cleaver
Bluff Park Diner