Happy New Year! We are kicking off 2026 with a story that will squeeze your heart in more ways than one.

Imagine welcoming a perfectly healthy baby boy, only to be told ten days later that he has suffered heart failure after catching a common virus. That was the reality for Catie. Her son, Tom, was just a precious little newborn when an infection left him fighting for his life.

The trauma that this caused to his heart meant he had to be kept alive for months by a huge 160kg machine known as a Berlin Heart while they waited for the impossible: A donor match.

But waiting for a heart transplant is a unique kind of limbo. You are waiting for a miracle for your own child, while knowing another family has to face tragedy for it to happen.

In an emotional episode of our Well Summer Series, Catie joins us to share the harrowing harrowing yet incredibly hopeful journey of the boy that they call Tiger Tom, the life-saving reality of organ donation, and what life looks like now for this precocious nine year old boy.

And if you’re looking for more to listen to - every Mamamia podcast is curating your summer listening right across our network from pop culture to beauty to powerful interviews there’s something for everyone, explore here. We’ll be back to regular programming Thursday15th January.

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CREDITS

Hosts: Claire Murphy and Dr Mariam

Guest: Catie Eccleston

Senior Producers: Claire Murphy and Sally Best

Audio Producer: Scott Stronach

Video Producer: Julian Rosario

Social Producer: Elly Moore

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Information discussed in Well. is for education purposes only and is not intended to provide professional medical advice. Listeners should seek their own medical advice, specific to their circumstances, from their treating doctor or health care professional.

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