Bonnie Raitt’s Grammy-winning song mirrors story of Massachusetts heart transplant recipient

Millions of Americans suffer from heart failure, many of them needing a life-saving transplant.

Singer Bonnie Raitt chronicled this heartwrenching situation in her song, "Just Like That," which won Song of the Year at the Grammy Awards on Sunday. In the song about a fictional mother whose son donates a heart, Raitt sings, "it was your son's heart that saved me, and a life you gave us both."

The song resonated with Maine resident Charlene Slaver-Roosevelt, whose son Joey died in an accident in 2016. Joey was an organ donor and Hamid Mahdavy, a patient at Tufts Medical Center, received his heart.

Slaver-Roosevelt said on Greater Boston that Joey was an old soul who enjoyed the simple things in life such as playing chess and spending time with family.

Mahdavy, 66, had struggled with worsening heart failure for nearly 10 years before getting the transplant in 2017. He recovered from surgery and started working on a letter to send to the family of his donor.

"I wrote it a number of times, I tore it up, I had my wife read it, my daughter read it," Mahdavy said on Greater Boston, not wanting to stir up grief for Slaver-Roosevelt with his letter.

But Slaver-Roosevelt quickly wrote back. She said the letter was a blessing and helped her in the process of healing.

"I remember feeling joy and just wanting to talk to him and wanting to get to know him on a deeper level," Slaver-Roosevelt said.

The two families met in person and formed a bond. Mahdavy even walked Slaver-Roosevelt down the aisle at her wedding. They are in touch nearly every day now.

"Hamid is an amazing man, and I really believe the heart chooses the person. And they are so much alike," Slaver-Roosevelt said.

WATCH: Bonnie Raitt’s Grammy-winning song touches local heart recipient, mother of heart donor