Heavy/HGTV/YouTube HGTV's Ben and Erin Napier
Less than one week after undergoing rotator cuff surgery, for which recovery can last months, HGTV‘s Ben Napier has already appeared in public, speaking at a fundraising banquet and visiting students at Mississippi College on April 4, 2023.
Ben and his wife — and “Home Town” co-star — Erin Napier made the nearly two-hour drive to the liberal arts college from their hometown of Laurel. But it’s not likely Ben did any of the driving, since rotator cuff surgery patients are typically not allowed to drive for at least two weeks after the procedure, according to WDBJ.
The Napiers’ appearance occurred just five days after Erin posted an Instagram photo of Ben propped up with pillows on their couch following surgery. Though hundreds of fans warned of a “painful” and “tough” recovery ahead based on their own experiences, Ben did not want to back out on their commitment to Mississippi College.
Ben appeared in photos at the private liberal arts school wearing an arm immobilizer, which is a special shoulder sling that keeps patients from moving their arms at all and which they typically must wear from four to six weeks after surgery, according to John Hopkins Medicine. However, Erin revealed the day after their trip to Mississippi College that her woodworker husband keeps removing his cumbersome sling.
Ben Napier Wears Immobilizer During College Appearances
It was such an honor and pleasure to meet Erin and Ben Napier, stars of HGTV’s Home Town tonight! They are so awesome! It was wonderful to have a conversation with them during the Mississippi College Spring Scholarship Banquet! Truly #MississippiStrong!
In a Twitter photo posted by local WLBT news anchor Maggie Wade, Ben appeared at Mississippi College wearing a button-down shirt with his immobilizer sling fastened to his left arm and around his body. In her news story about their visit, the couple could also be seen speaking to students at the head of a class. Wade called the couple “awesome” and said it was “wonderful to have a conversation with them” during the banquet, for which individual tickets cost $300.
According to Magnolia State Live, the Napiers were scheduled to participate in a question-and-answer session for students during the day and a “small presentation” at the MC Scholarship Banquet that evening. The event, which has raised $4 million in student scholarships since 2008, has featured a number of famous presenters over the years, including country star Reba McEntire, former NFL player Drew Brees, and Forbes editor-in-chief Steve Forbes.
But while Ben did wear his sling to the event, Erin has revealed he’s already growing tired of it. Following a rotator cuff surgery, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, a patient should use his or her immobilizer sling day and night for the first two to three weeks post-surgery, removing it only for gentle physical therapy exercises and showering. Patients are typically advised to continue using it at night and outdoors for four to six weeks. Johns Hopkins added that “the immobilizer functions to take the stress off of the repaired tendon and off of the muscles which had to be sewn back to the bone.”
However, the day after their trip to Mississippi College, on April 5, Erin revealed that her husband keeps removing his sling. In a photo posted to her Instagram Stories, Ben could be seen sling-free, walking outside carrying the sling in his right hand while holding a small thermos in his left.
Erin wrote, “hot dad alert” over the photo and then added, in smaller text, “@scotsman.co keeps taking his sling off, but I will allow it this time”
Ben Napier is Also Helping His Alma Mater With Spring Fundraising
On the same day the Napiers appeared at Mississippi College to help with fundraising for scholarships, Ben posted a video on Instagram that he narrated for his own alma mater, the University of Missisippi. While the couple met attending Jones Community College, they both transferred to Ole Miss and graduated in 2007.
In his post, Ben wrote about how important financial aid and scholarships were for him as a college student.
“For 2.5 years, I worked as hard as I could to earn a degree,” he wrote. “My last semester on campus, I asked Erin to marry me and a year later, we had our wedding on campus. It took financial aid of every kind in order for me to pay for school. I worked, scored free meals, took out loans, sold plasma, traded vehicles, earned scholarships, walked to school, sublet apartments, and anything else I could think of to make ends meet.”
In the comment section, Ben shared with a follower that he paid off his loans before he and Erin landed their HGTV show.
The fan wrote, “And I bet u paid back all your loans , and your degree wasn’t in some worthless mumbojumbo crap like underwater basket weaving 🤣” to which Ben replied, “I did pay them back, before we were on tv, and it’s a history degree… somewhat mumbo jumbo”
After college, according to HGTV, Ben went on to become a youth minister but left that job in 2014 to hone his skills as an expert woodworker.