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Tiny Little Hearts Podcast: CHD and Heart Mom Life
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Tiny Little Hearts Podcast: CHD and Heart Mom Life

Author: Katelyn McMahan

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© 2026 Tiny Little Hearts Podcast: CHD and Heart Mom Life

Description

Tiny Little Hearts Podcast is your honest, unfiltered space for the CHD (congenital heart disease / congenital heart defect) community. Whether you're a heart parent, a CHD warrior, or someone newly navigating a complex congenital heart diagnosis — this podcast was made for you.


Hosted by Katelyn McMahan, a mom of three girls whose world changed the moment she learned her youngest daughter had complex cardiac abnormalities. She searched for real stories — kids with complex CHD, single ventricle hearts, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, and other congenital heart defects— not the polished highlight reels, but the honest, raw truth of what this life actually looks like. She wanted to prepare her heart for the good, the bad, and the ugly. 


Each episode features conversations with heart parents, CHD adults, providers,  and others navigating the deeply real world of congenital heart disease, open heart surgery, and medical complexity. You'll hear practical advice, emotional honesty, and stories that remind you that you are not alone in this journey. Because this life is hard — and you deserve a place to feel seen.


Topics covered include: CHD diagnosis, heart surgery recovery, parenting a medically complex child, grief and resilience, NICU and PCICU experiences, fontan circulation, cardiac catheterization, and life after a congenital heart defect diagnosis.


Support this show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2464576/support


42 Episodes
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41. Adult CHD and a Life Without Limits: Fontan, Yoga, and Two Years in Spain

41. Adult CHD and a Life Without Limits: Fontan, Yoga, and Two Years in Spain

2026-11-0434:32

Courtney Merhab was born with a hypoplastic left ventricle, transposition of the great arteries, and double outlet right ventricle. Today, she lives with Fontan circulation and a pacemaker. She is also a certified yoga teacher who spent two years living in Spain. Her life is built around caring for her whole body, not just her heart. In this episode, Courtney shares: How her parents balanced encouragement and caution while she was growing upWhy she was taught that her body would know its limi...
40. Heart Mom with MS: Raising a Child with HLHS While Facing Her Own Diagnosis

40. Heart Mom with MS: Raising a Child with HLHS While Facing Her Own Diagnosis

2026-10-2127:19

What happens when the caregiver needs care too? Mandy West is a working mom of two girls. Her youngest, Talia, was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. In December 2023, two things happened in the same month. Talia was diagnosed with mild heart failure after her Fontan, and Mandy was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. In this episode, Mandy shares: Getting Talia’s HLHS diagnosis at the anatomy scanTalia’s three surgeries, including a Glenn recovery where Mandy watched her go into cardia...
39. How to Prepare Your Child for Anesthesia, with Pediatric Anesthesiologist Doc JC

39. How to Prepare Your Child for Anesthesia, with Pediatric Anesthesiologist Doc JC

2026-10-0724:41

Handing your child over before a procedure is one of the hardest moments a parent faces. Doc JC knows that moment from the other side. She is a pediatric anesthesiologist, a lifelong advocate for children, and the author of Adventures with Doc JC: The Unseen Planet, a children's book published in both English and Spanish that prepares kids for anesthesia. In her story, your child is not the patient. Your child is the superhero. Doc JC shares the two moments that shaped her work: hosting a fiv...
38. Pediatric Cardiology NP to Heart Mom: Sheradon Waits Story form Both Sides of the Bed

38. Pediatric Cardiology NP to Heart Mom: Sheradon Waits Story form Both Sides of the Bed

2026-09-2344:50

Summary: Sheridan Waits has spent 19 years as a pediatric cardiology nurse practitioner. She's cared for hundreds of heart families in the ICU. But 13 years into her career, everything changed when her own daughter, Mabry, was diagnosed in utero with heterotaxy — a rare condition including a right-sided stomach, double outlet right ventricle, TGA, multiple VSDs, and pulmonary stenosis. Overnight, Sheridan became both provider and heart mom. In this conversation, we talk about: The moment Sher...
37. Living with HLHS as an Adult: Mental Health, Clinical Trials and Community with Kelly DiMaggio

37. Living with HLHS as an Adult: Mental Health, Clinical Trials and Community with Kelly DiMaggio

2026-09-0946:53

In this episode, Kelly DiMaggio joins me to talk about her life living with HLHS. Her mom didn’t receive a prenatal diagnosis. At one point, her doctors gave her 24 hours to live. Nearly four decades later, she's living a full life — married, working in finance, and dedicating her time to moving the CHD community forward. In this conversation, Kelly walks through her early medical history, the mental health weight of being "the strong one" in her family, her role in HeartWorks' groundbreaking...
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