Some parents walk into a diagnosis. Others are thrown into it without warning.

In this powerful two-part story, Johanna and Peter sit down with Susie, mom of three and mother to Zayn — her brave "heart warrior" born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). Part 1 walks listeners through the moment everything changed: an unsettling 18-week ultrasound, a devastating phone call during their gender reveal, and the first terrifying weeks inside the walls of Boston Children's Hospital.

Susie shares what it was like to navigate pregnancy in the height of the pandemic, advocate alone for her son, and fight through the fear of hearing, "he has the worst heart defect a child can have… and he's probably not going to make it."

Her voice brings forward a truth so many heart families hold: you can't see all disabilities, and you can't see the strength it takes to keep showing up.

This is Part 1 of an extraordinary journey that continues next week.

• The blended family that became the foundation of Zayn's fight

• The ultrasound that "didn't look right" and the 45-minute wait that changed everything

• The moment a doctor said Zayn had "the worst defect… and he's probably not going to make it."

• Navigating pregnancy alone because of COVID restrictions

• Choosing hope when others pushed for termination

• The first time hearing the words "hypoplastic left heart syndrome."

• Emergency cath procedures, intubation, and a 14-hour open-heart surgery at two days old

• The trauma of watching a newborn re-intubated repeatedly

• The moment a nurse said, "I'm pretty sure Zayn's having a seizure," leading to the discovery of his stroke

The story continues as Susie walks through multiple surgeries, months-long hospital stays, feeding challenges, advocacy battles, and the unexpected miracles that shaped Zayn's life.

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