By Andy WalterMILFORD — Eric Bennett doesn’t know the name of the man who saved his life.
All he knows is that he was 31, stood 6-foot-3 and lived in Maryland.
And, when he passed away, his heart and kidney were the right match to replace Bennett’s failing ones.
Bennett, a former Milford High football player and wrestler, says he’ll never forget that anonymous donor.
“I think about that person every day,” he said. “I think about how the situation could easily be reversed and how hard it could have been on my family.”
Out of nowhere
Six years ago, Bennett couldn’t have imagined he’d find himself in a precarious, life-changing situation at such a young age.
He was seemingly the picture of health as a two-sport athlete his senior year at Milford. But then he started having trouble breathing.
Wrestling at 195 pounds, Bennett helped the Buccaneers win four DIAA Division II state titles. As a junior, he was a state and Henlopen Conference finalist in his weight class.
But Milford wrestling coach Don Parsley recalls thinking that something wasn’t right with the youngster in his senior season.
“I just remember, we were down wrestling Sussex Central, he came out and in no time flat he just was out of energy,” said Parsley. “My wife said, ‘Something is wrong with him. There’s something the matter with him.’
“And I’m like, obviously the kid works hard, he’s there every day, he does what he’s supposed to do. It doesn’t make sense. ... He struggled through the rest of the year. Ultimately, he was diagnosed with his health issues, which certainly were very, very concerning.”
Eventually, doctors determined that Bennett’s kidneys were failing. He was just 19.
Bennett said the only cause the doctors told him was that he had undiagnosed high blood pressure for much of his life.
For the next four years, Bennett was on dialysis. Then, however, his heart started failing, too.
The shocking diagnosis was that Bennett would need both a new heart and kidney.
By August 2023, Bennett was in the hospital at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He’d have to stay there until suitable transplant organs were found.
At times, things looked bleak. He suffered pneumonia and then a stroke in December.
He was only supposed to be on the machine that was helping his heart pump more blood for 30 days. After five months, though, the machine was starting to fail.
Because of Bennett’s blood type, O positive, suitable transplant organs are in high demand.
“There were some days it was OK because I had the support of my family and my wife and the nursing staff just keeping me positive,” he said. “But then there were some days you were just down and upset because you read stories and people wait years and years for a heart and kidney transplant.
“Things were starting to go downhill,” he added. “I got the call just in the nick of time. I believe that everything happened for a reason.”
The fact that it was Christmas Eve when Bennett found out a match had finally been found made the call seem that much more miraculous.
He received his new heart that day and then his kidney on Christmas Day.
“When I got the call, it was all a shock to me and my family and everybody who were around me, supporting me,” said Bennett. “It was definitely a blessing — a Christmas miracle. It was definitely one that I’ll remember forever and be thankful for.”
Forever grateful
The year that’s passed since Bennett came home on Jan. 12, 2024, hasn’t diminished those feelings at all.
“I was just sitting back, reminiscing where I was a year ago and how far I’ve come,” he said. “It was definitely exciting. I was happy that it all worked out for me.”
Once weighing as little as 150 pounds, Bennett is now back to his normal 205. There were no signs of rejection at his one-year checkup in December.
“They said everything is perfect,” said Bennett. “No problems. Everything is looking fine.
“I feel a whole lot better than before,” he added.
With every year that goes by and Bennett stays healthy, the doctor’s visits will become fewer.
But Bennett said his gratitude for getting a second at life, and spending it with his wife, Tovah, and their children, Layla and Maverick, will never go away.
Through the Gift of Life program, Bennett wrote a letter to the family of his donor. He hopes to hear from them some day if they want to talk to him.
“I just want to personally thank them for their ultimate sacrifice,” he said. “I know it wasn’t an easy decision.”
(Bennett has a GoFundMe page to help pay for his medical bills at https://www.gofundme.com/f/ybxku-eric-bennetts-fearless-fight).
