Community Corner

'An Exceptional Heart and a Well-Being I Never Thought Possible'

Sick for years, Michael Slama is still reaping the benefits of Joshua Bent's heart. Bent, a Masuk graduate, died in a car accident five years ago.

A light rain fell from the white cloud covered sky Saturday afternoon, but teams of golfers still hit drives down the fairway on the wet grass at Whitney Farms Golf Course, made their putts ... and sometimes chipped their balls out of the rough. The Joshua Bent Memorial Scholarship Fund's 4th Annual Golf Tournament soldiered on.

Joshua Bent was only 27 when he lost his life in a car accident in Massachusetts five years ago, but his donated organs saved the lives of nine other people, who benefited from receiving his lungs, kidneys, heart, liver, corneas, pancreas, intestines and skin.

Frank and Johanne Bent of Monroe keep their son's memory alive with the tournament, while raising funds for scholarships for deserving Masuk High School students who want to study architecture like Joshua did, and for financial aid for students in need of assistance at Wentworth Institute of Technology — Joshua's Alma mater.

Find out what's happening in Monroewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

On Saturday, Michael Slama, 61, made the trip from his home in Malden, Mass. He drove the course in a golf cart, stopping to greet teams competing in the tournament and snapping photos for next year's event brochure.

Slama had experienced illness and surgical procedures from heart disease since 1965, before receiving Joshua Bent's heart five years ago, which gave him a new lease on life.

Find out what's happening in Monroewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"It's just been wonderful," Slama said. "I went from being completely out of breath to being able to workout for 20 minutes on a stationary bike and 60 minutes on a treadmill."

Slama appeared healthy on Saturday. "I've had no rejection," he said of his body's acceptance of Joshua's donated organ. "It's just amazing. When I mention to people that I've had a heart transplant, they sometimes say, 'The whole heart?' I get a kick out of that!"

Slama volunteers doing speaking engagements for the New England Organ Bank. He and Nancy, his wife of 36 years, became close friends with Frank and Johanne Bent, which allowed Slama to learn more about Joshua, who he calls his hero. He has attended all four charity golf tournaments as a featured speaker.

The following is the speech Slama gave at the dinner on Saturday:

Thank you all very much for participating in and supporting the 4th Annual Joshua Bent Memorial Scholarship Fund Golf Tournament. Nancy and I also want to specially thank our family and friends who are here, and not here, for their support and generosity for this very special event.

Having survived 45 years of complications with a severe heart condition called Cardiomyopathy, thru continual advancements in Cardiac care at the Mass General Hospital Heart Center, and having received Josh’s heart on May 30, 2007, we have now been together for five years.

I can remember before my heart transplant saying many times to my wonderful wife Nancy that — "for two weeks I would just love to feel like a healthy human being".

Little did I know that I would eventually get five years like a healthy human being. I still find it amazing going from being completely out of breath to riding 20 minutes on a stationary bike and walking 60 minutes on a treadmill and lifting 30 minutes of light weights with no shortness of breath at all.

In the past year Josh and I have walked the hills of Montreal, Quebec City and San Francisco. He has givin' me an exceptional heart and a well-being that I never thought possible. When I mention to someone that I've had a heart transplant, sometimes I get a reaction of "a whole heart". I get a big kick out of that reaction.

From the first time that we met at the New England Organ Bank, when Johanne put her hand on Josh's heart and Nancy handed Frank a roll of life-savers, we have bonded seamlessly with the Bent family. Frank and Johanne are the most compassionate, caring, resilient and genuine people we have ever met. On April 1st, Palm Sunday, Nancy and I attended Josh's fifth year memorial Mass at Sacred Heart College. I was asked and honored to carry the Offerings to the altar with Johanne and Frank.

In March we vacationed together in Key West, Florida. We all enjoyed the great food, sightseeing, Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville, and believe it or not, jet skiing for 18 miles. Actually, I felt like I was at home the whole trip because we searched Key West for five days looking for Frank's lost eyeglasses. We also have a lot of laughs together.

In May we went to Washington, DC for a long weekend. What a great city! Having brought his high school history students to Washington for many years, Frank was our perfect guide. At the Civil War section of the American History Museum the mystery was finally solved. We saw “The Famous Frank Bent Moustache/Sideburns” on the picture of Major General Ambrose Burnside of the Union Army.

Somtimes, I feel Josh's uneasiness. He was branded a turncoat by Frank, Johanne and Matt for changing his allegiance from being a Giants/Yankees fan to being a Patriots/Red Sox fan like myself. Josh and I watched the 2012 Super Bowl in Houston, Texas with my friends from grammar school and high school. It was a wonderful weekend renewing old friendships. I assured everyone of a Patriots win, which would coincide with the great weekend that we were already having.

Ouch! Deja-vue! After the game I called Frank and congratulated him and Johanne for the Giants win. Josh and I wish to publicly congratulate the very, few Giants fans that are here tonight.

I am looking forward to many more years with my wife Nancy and Josh's heart. I consider the first five years with Josh’s heart as my freshman portion of post-heart transplant and looking forward to our sophomore portion of post-heart transplant — the next five years. Our ultimate goal is making it to the master’s portion of post-heart transplant – 21 years.

I am so grateful to my wife Nancy, family, friends, Josh Bent and his family, the Mass General Hospital, the Mass General Heart Center, the New England Organ Bank, the American Heart Association, everyone who has touched my life, every life that I have touched, and to have been givin’ a second chance at life.

As of June 7, 2012 there are an ever increasing 114,638 people, nationwide, who are on the transplant waiting list for organs and tissue. Nineteen people die each day waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. As I speak a dear friend’s niece, Ashley Diaz, is at the Cleveland Clinic waiting for a life-saving double-lung transplant. As you can tell there is an urgent need for organ and tissue donation.

It seems that every other day there is a story about organ and tissue transplantation in the news such as: heart, lung, liver, pancreas, living-donor kidney transplant chains, cornea, face, double-forearm transplants, to name a few. Anyone can be an organ and tissue donor regardless of age or medical history. The only people that cannot donate are people with "actively spreading cancer (except for primary brain tumors that have not spread beyond the brain stem)”.

Josh Bent has a legacy forever of saving nine lives and enhancing the lives of many more. Please consider becoming an organ and tissue donor by going online to donatelife.net and select your state of residency, or go to your local Registry of Motor Vehicles. If you do choose to become an organ and tissue donor, please make sure that all your family members are aware of your wishes.

Thank you.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here