Ep 019: Susan Mazzella: How a Tiny Heart Rewrote Our Story, Part 1

Content warning: This episode contains discussion of infant medical trauma and child loss.

At 20 weeks pregnant, Susan and her husband learned their baby boy had a serious heart defect. They were given a plan and a path forward. Surgery would take place shortly after birth, and while the diagnosis was overwhelming, there was direction and preparation.

What they could not foresee was how quickly that path would change.

Just 45 minutes after Tommy was born, a nurse rushed into their hospital room with urgent news. In an instant, they moved from scheduled plans to a fight for their son’s life.

In this first part of our conversation, Susan shares those early days with honesty and depth. She speaks about sitting in uncertainty, hearing doctors prepare them for outcomes they never imagined, and holding faith alongside very real fear. She describes the profound peace that met her in moments she cannot fully explain, and the way her trust in God steadied her when everything around her felt fragile.

This episode traces the beginning of a story that would deepen her understanding of suffering, strengthen her reliance on God, and shape the way she walks through hardship today.

Part two will continue next week as we step further into what followed.

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