My God Is Faithful: The Hud’s Heart Story

In this deeply moving episode of Unrelated Sisters: Truth & Grace Conversation, Shannon joined by special guest Haley, the founder of Hud’s Heart, a non-profit serving families walking through congenital heart defects and unimaginable infant loss.

Haley’s story is one of heartbreak, hope, and unwavering faith in the goodness of God—even when life breaks your heart. As she shares the “why” behind Hud’s Heart, you’ll hear how God turned pain into purpose, and how His faithfulness became her anchor in the storm.

Whether you’ve experienced loss, walked with someone who has, or just need a reminder that God is close to the brokenhearted, this episode will stir your soul and remind you—He is still faithful.

📖 Psalm 34:18 — “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

📍 Learn more about Hud’s Heart:https://hudsheart.com/
 📩 Prayer request or testimony? Message us or email: unrelatedsisterspodcast@gmail.com

We want this to be truly interactive podcast. Please go in the fan mail at
https://unrelatedsisterspodcast.buzzsprout.com and tell us your stories and let us know if it’s okay to share (no names). Let us know if you need prayer or how we can support you in your journey. Thank you so much for taking the time to listen. Follow us on Facebook @Unrelated Sister's: Truth & Grace Conversation Podcast or Email us at unrelatedsisterspodcast@gmail.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:14

Amen. Amen. My God is Faithful We're honored to welcome a dear sister in Christ and powerhouse of purpose, Haley. Haley is the founder of Hud's Heart, a ministry born from both heartbreak and God's deep faithfulness. She's here today to share her story, her why and how God meets us in our deepest pain with the kind of love that holds us together. What is faithfulness? Let's anchor this conversation in scripture. Second Thessalonians three, three says, but the Lord is faithful and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil ones. Faithfulness doesn't mean steadiness, loyalty or truth. And God's faithfulness is most powerful in its most fragile moments. It's good. Haley, thank you for being here today. Uh, You can start by whatever you feel led to tell us.

SPEAKER_00: 1:54

Well, first of all, I'm honored to be on your podcast, and I couldn't wait to share our story after you asked me. I guess I will start from the beginning of our story, really. In 2021, I was pregnant with our third child, Hudson. I worked in labor and delivery, so I have a medical background. I went to my regular checkup for our 20 like our anatomy scan at 20 weeks and they found a congenital heart defect that doesn't come from either of our families and so we were kind of lost on you know what that looks like for us after we got multiple opinions from medical professionals here there and everywhere We decided that we had to get to Choa to be able to give our son Hudson the best option as far as like what would be next for him. We knew that he was a very sick little boy and that ultimately it was probably one of the hardest points of my life because I've always had faith in God. I've always trusted him and his faithfulness, but this was something beyond my control. which is really hard when you like to take the reins a lot. Yes. So I feel like the Lord really had to do a work in me and just teaching me like, hey, you have to trust me. And so after we got all of the options and they laid it all out for us, I mean, they gave us every option under the sun, starting with abortion at 23 weeks. We quickly were like, no, no. That is not what we believe. I know that God has a purpose for this baby and whatever that looks like, that's what we're going to do. And so we ultimately went with the stage surgeries. So we knew that he would have three stages of surgeries. And so the first one would be on the day he was born, which was really hard because he was our third child and we had never even had a NICU baby before. So for us to give birth and then immediately hand our baby, our newborn, over to a team of surgeons for them to save his life was really hard for us. It was super challenging. And so we really had to find our deep root and our faith through that. So my entire pregnancy, I felt like the Lord was preparing me for something, but also it was in the middle of COVID, so... My husband, who doesn't come from a medical background, he was kind of in the dark on a lot of things. He couldn't go to any of the appointments, inside any of the appointments with me. Wow. Yeah. It was disheartening. So he kind of didn't have any clue of how sick Hudson was. And he kept saying, well, I just believe he's going to be healed. And He didn't really want to talk about it. We are very strong in our faith. We raise our kids in church. Now, we are both on staff at our church. We are very deeply rooted in our relationship with the Lord. I guess that he just didn't realize just how serious that Hudson's condition was. Ultimately, Hudson was born. He was the most beautiful baby. They immediately intubated him. They flew him to Choa. So I didn't deliver at the hospital that I worked at. So that was really sad too, because I wasn't with my people that were familiar. I had to choose another OBGYN. So it wasn't with the people that I am familiar with. So when Hudson was born, they flew him to Choa. He had immediately had open heart surgery at four hours old. And I was at a completely other hospital. So my husband had to go be with him. So he left me right after a C-section. That was also really hard. And that's when we had to trust God the most. I remember just as soon as they pulled him from my belly, I remember just praying out loud and just crying over him. And so Joey left, and he went to be with Hudson. And then... Hudson did good through the night, and then the next day, I had already spoken to my OBGYN. I was ready to get discharged, and then I got word from Hudson's nurse that he wasn't doing the best. They were kind of battling some blood pressure issues with him. And so as soon as we were pulling out of the hospital parking lot for me to go to Choa to see him, really for the first time because I didn't really get to see him when they pulled him from me. they called and said that he had coded. And so they were doing everything that they could to work on him. They got him back. They placed him on ECMO. So he was on ECMO for four days, which is a really long time to be on ECMO when you're that sick. So

SPEAKER_01: 7:08

for us that don't have a medical background, what is ECMO? So

SPEAKER_00: 7:12

ECMO is like a heart and lung machine. So basically it pumps all of the blood out of the body, oxygenates it, and then puts it back in the body. So they put you on that. to give your heart and lungs a little bit of rest, and that's what he needed at the time. For us, it was absolutely devastating to see his chest be open. This is our newborn baby that we love so much and we have prayed so hard for, and he's got all of these wires and tubes coming out of him. And I just remember just saying, like, Lord, I don't know what you're going to do, but I know it's going to be big. Another thing is that we're like super private with all of our things. Like we don't, I just am not an overshare unless you're just in my tight circle. And so I remember before HUD was born, I was driving to work one day right after his diagnosis and the Lord said, I want you to share this story. And I was like, Lord, are you serious? Like I grew up Baptist and I know what people are going to say about me. Who is sinning in your house? We know that, That's not the truth, but... That's just how I was raised.

SPEAKER_01: 8:23

We talk a lot about the early Baptist churches being raised in hellfire and brimstone, not able to come back from backsliding. We talk about a lot of that on this podcast. It's

SPEAKER_00: 8:37

okay. I really wrestled with the Lord. You want me to do what? You want me to tell my story on social media? I wasn't so sure about it. Finally, He's like, no, I need you to do this and so I made a private or I guess it was public a little Facebook group and so people could keep up with our updates and things like that sent us encouragement and because we had no idea there was nowhere that we could go and say what do we do how do we handle this there was there's no local resources or there was no local resources close to us that you know we could that could help us, guide or direct us. It was just us and the Lord. And so I created the Facebook group. So on the day that Hudson was born, we probably had three or four thousand people praying. It was really crazy. And so just over the course of his life, I mean, people that I didn't even know, they would share and they would be praying and they would say, I have him on this prayer list and, you know, just people that we didn't even know. So it was really incredible what the Lord did through that. So it was really an up and down roller coaster for 13 days. I mean, he would get better and we would think we were one step closer to coming home. And then he would have a couple of setbacks. And then ultimately, I remember on the 13th day, they came in and they told me that he had a pretty significant brain bleed. And I remember the neurologist, she says, do you know what this means for your child? And I said, you know, no, I don't. And She had already kind of rubbed me wrong, and I had already had to step up a couple of times and say, I understand from a medical terminology what you're saying to me, but my faith is bigger than what you're telling me. And so they already kind of knew that's where I stood, and I was very strong in that. You're not going to tell me that I have to pull all the wires or anything like that because we're not to that point yet. Um, and so the neurologist told me on day 13, she said, you know, your son has a very significant brain bleed. And I said, you know, she says, do you know what that means? And I say, no, I don't know what that means, but I know the one who does. And so she tried to, you know, tell me that Hudson will never be normal. Well, I don't care if he's normal, you know, like it's not, this is, this baby was born for a purpose. And like, I know that the Lord has a plan. Um, and so, He was going into like a small surgery. And so I had to leave the room. And then I was only gone maybe 45 minutes when they called me that he wasn't doing well. So I told my husband, I said, this is it. Like, we're going to lose him. And so my husband was like, you're crazy. He's going to be fine. HUD passed away. And through that, Even being the most broken that I have ever been in my life, I just knew that the Lord had a plan and that He was going to see us through this. I didn't know what it looked like, but I just knew that He was going to be faithful to us and that He was going to give us back everything that we had lost. And so, I mean, we were broken. We had to... go home and plan a funeral and all of these things that we had never planned to do and it was just absolutely devastating to just I just remember sitting there and just holding him and just thanking God for the time that we had with him but also being a little a little bitter because I'm thinking like the future like I'll never get to plan his birthday or things like that and so that was that was the hardest part um But we all know that some of the most beautiful things are birthed out of tragedy.

SPEAKER_01: 12:51

They are.

SPEAKER_00: 12:51

And so, um, about three months after Hudson went to heaven, we, uh, we do a corporate fast every year for our church. And so we were doing the fast and my husband was very angry because like I said before, like he didn't really realize how serious the HUDS condition was until after he was born. Um, And so we were on the fast, and I remember just praying, like, Lord, if I have to live with this pain, this brokenness, like, help me use it for your good. And Romans 8.28 has been, like, my life verse for as long as I can remember. Like, in all things, God works for the good of those who love him according to his purpose. And so I was just praying, like, Lord, just help me use this for your glory, right? And so I felt like the Lord was like, I want you to start a nonprofit. And I'm like, okay, but like, what does that look like? Like, what does that look like, Lord? And so I kept worrying about it for a couple of days. And about maybe a week into the fast, I approached my husband and I said, the Lord wants me to start a nonprofit. And he wants us to do this for heart families and for families who face loss. And he's like, Haley, I don't think I can. And he's like, I'm not ready for anything like that. And I said, well, you just pray about it for a couple of days and you just let me know how, you know, how you feel. If you feel like the Lord is speaking to you. He came right back and I mean, it was probably a day later and he says, I think you're right. We're supposed to start a nonprofit. Um, so we started doing research on how to do that. Um, and we formed HUD's heart. So HUD's heart, um, We give multiple times a year to CHOA, to the people who are inpatient there receiving care, because when you have a cardiac baby, when you have a baby with any type of heart condition, it's very limited when they will be in and out of the hospital, and you never really know how they're going to respond, things like that. We knew that right off the bat that HUD would be there for eight to ten months. I mean, he was going to be there through the first surgery and the second surgery. And so we both had full-time jobs and two other kids. And so one of the things that we always battled was how are we going to do this? And so being able to donate to the hospital to just make the load a little lighter is definitely one of the things that we love to do. We also put together care packages for local hospitals. heart families who get a new diagnosis or who are going in for a surgery or anything like that. Um, we are, uh, very open with that. And so anytime that anybody with, I mean, we've even serviced people in like Kentucky, Alabama. So I say local, but like, we really don't discriminate if you come to us and it's a need, like we're gonna fulfill it. Um, but we have, been blessed to be able to service people straight from our community, which is like the biggest blessing to me, I think, because like I can be able to love on them and, and just show them the love of Jesus and just be a light in a very dark moment for them. Um, we also service people who have faced loss, um, which was like, I was always around that working in labor and delivery. And so like, it was, um, I always approached it a lot differently because that was a part of my life and not everybody had felt that way. And so we do service those who have faced loss because not everybody can make the same decision that we made. And so we get to walk alongside both sides. We do several different things, but those are the main things that we do. It's also in the far future, I guess I should say, that we feel like we're called to have a retreat center. I don't know how or when that's going to happen, but hopefully the Lord will continue to open up those doors because I know what He's shown me, but it's how do you get there. Right.

SPEAKER_01: 17:23

Right.

SPEAKER_00: 17:24

So I guess I will end my story by telling of his faithfulness through all of the brokenness. And so after HUD passed away, we started the nonprofit. It had probably been, it was around March. So he passed away in November and this happened in March. So I woke up one morning and I felt the need to take a pregnancy test. And I'm like, Lord, I'm not ready. I cannot go through this again. And So sure enough, it was positive. And so I called my friend who is an OBGYN that I work with, and I'm just sobbing. And I tell her, I can't go through this again. Like, I can't. I don't know what the statistics are after you've had a cardiac baby, but I can't go through this again. And she's like, Haley. you know, I'm not God, but I don't feel like that you're going to have to go through this again. I think that this is going to be the redemption of a very hard story that you have. And so I was on eggshells. I mean, you can ask anybody who was close to me during that time. I was crazy. I was like, I wouldn't drink certain things. I wouldn't eat certain things. Like, you know, I just, I was crazy. Um, just because like what i had went through i just wanted to be extra cautious um i know that i'm not god i know that i can't protect you know do all the things but at the same time i just i guess i just needed a control moment um so we did all the things we went to the specialist we went to the cardiologist i remember actually the cardiologist that we saw during hudson's um When I was pregnant with him, I saw him in the cafeteria one day and I was probably only six weeks pregnant. And I ran up to him and I say, Dr. Sabino, I'm pregnant and I'm terrified. And here I am crying these big alligator tears in the middle of the cafeteria. And he's like, we'll see you in the office as soon as we can. And I swear, I didn't even know what, what the baby was at this point. I was only like 12 weeks and the baby's heart was probably the size of like a seed. And he's like, we'll get you in the office just to do a first look. So they looked at the heart. There were all four chambers. Everything seems normal, but we weren't out of the clear yet. So we went to all the appointments. Everything was fine. Um, I started getting a little anxious around Hud's birthday, which was in November. We do a 5K every year, and so it was around the 5K. I just started feeling off, and I would mark it up as, like, anxiety. Like, this is a big thing for me. Like, it's Hud's birthday. His anniversary of his passing is coming up, and I'm pregnant. And so it was hard for me, and I remember my kids. They were eight and... four at the time, they would just cry and they would say, we want you to bring the baby home now. And I would say, I know we have to keep praying. And so it was just hard. It was very hard on how to navigate that. And a four-year-old and an eight-year-old, they have a lot of questions, a lot of questions. Some questions that I didn't feel qualified to answer and I just had to do the best of my ability. So Hudson, his birthday passed. It was on November 11th. So 13 days later would have been his anniversary of his passing. So I woke up one morning, it was on the 23rd and I just didn't feel right. I just, I could feel from the pit of my stomach that like something just wasn't right. So I called the physician that was at the hospital at that time. And I said, you know, I just, my heart rate is like one 50. I just feel restless. I don't. Yeah. I did not feel myself at all. Um, I just felt restless. Um, I was hurting like in my abdomen. And so the physician tried to say it's anxiety, you know, like it sounds like cardiomyopathy. You might need to go to the ER. Um, So I'm like, no, I'm not going to the ER. I'll just wait it out at home. So finally, the pain got so bad, I went to the hospital. And so the physician that was going to deliver me wasn't there. So I sent him a text and I'm like, hey, I'm at the hospital. He's like, keep me updated. I'll call the nurse. So he called the nurse, ended up coming to the hospital to deliver me. So our rainbow baby was born five weeks early, 35 minutes before HUD's one-year anniversary in heaven. Wow. Yeah. So I sat in the NICU on that day. He did have to go to the NICU for a couple of days. But overall, he was extremely healthy. And a NICU stay where I can hold my baby is far better than the one we had just went through. And so... I held him on that day and I remember singing goodness of God to him and just all my life you've been faithful. He is faithful in every season even when we feel like he's not there or not listening or silent. He is faithful and he will prove that time and time again even if it's not on our time or what we feel like it should be. I wrestled with him a lot, you know, like, why HUD? Why us? And now that we've walked through what we have and we've been able to be a part of all of the families that we have, I still have people that come up to me. This actually happened just a couple of weeks ago. A lady came up to me and she said, you don't know me, but I prayed for you. I prayed a lot for you. And just knowing that you know, my baby had that impact on the, on the kingdom of God. Like it's, it's insane. Um, and so even when we go through trials, like God will use them, he will every time. And so I take heart in that. And I know that like one day we will be with HUD again. Um, but there's still work to do in HUD's name. There is. And so that's what, that's what we do. We, We try to be a lot to the lost and the broken and not everybody has the faith that we have. And specifically, you know, being in the hospital, the nurses see all kinds of things. And so I remember they were arguing over who was going to take care of HUD one day. And I said, why are y'all arguing over him? Because in my neck of the woods, like this is a train wreck. Like he's got a lot going on. And they both said, well, we don't get patients like you and dad every day. You know, like it's not every day we can walk into a room and it feels peaceful. It feels calm. And it's like God is here. And so just that kind of wrecked me because then I realized like not everybody comes into this hospital with the fate like we have.

SPEAKER_01: 24:47

Right.

SPEAKER_00: 24:48

And so that was like my personal goal is to in every HUD box that we have, every time we deliver to the hospital, we put something faith-based in it. And, you know, it's very controversial, especially in Atlanta and, like, big cities like that, about your faith. But they know when it comes from us, it's going to have something with Scripture in it. Right. And they know that it's always going to point to Jesus.

SPEAKER_01: 25:19

You know, in this day and time, you have to... Ben Fuller sings a song, you know, and he says that you can... It's not even Ben Fuller. I don't know who sings it now. But... You can, you know, it takes a thousand ways to hit rock bottom, but it only takes one way up, you know, and hitting rock bottom, whether it's through addiction or through loss or trauma or through just finding your faith. And that's, you know, that's why this podcast got started is because I want everybody in the world to feel his grace, to feel his grace one time and And we talk about faith, and people talk about it like it's dealt, like we're playing cards. And it's really not. It's really not that way. And you inspire me. We were just having this conversation, because your faith... you know, I tell people all the time, I was like, if I could just have faith, just, just a mustard seed of the Haley's faith, you know, can I, can I, can I see what, you know, can we imagine what could happen? But then anytime you have an idea, you're running to me and we're like, and I'm like, okay, we'll just do this. And you're like, okay, let's go. You know, and, and I've told this story a few times, but, My first year at Rock Mart, you were the first nonprofit that I was introduced to when at my store. And that first year, I got my bonus as the store manager, and it was a very significant bonus. And I just knew my path in life was I was going to get started in nonprofit. I've always had a heart to help people, and that's what I was going to do. And then... Every time I tried something, every door I knocked on, every phone call I made, people didn't return my phone calls. Like, it was just, I was like, are you serious? Like, for the first time ever, I can afford to do whatever I want to do to a point, you know. And I was like, and it kind of disappointed me. And I was like, dude, I'm jumping out here. What do you want from me? And he said, nope. You're just going to wait. And I was like, I am not good at waiting. Like, I am not patient and I am not good at waiting. But then every time I every time I would be like, OK, fine, you would come up and say, hey, Shannon, I need you to help me do this. Or, hey, Shannon, I need you to can you help me do that? You know, and I was like, OK, I'm listening. I see you like I see you, God. Right. It's not my turn. Right? And the nonprofit's not for me. And I do truly believe that we were brought together to make a difference somewhere.

SPEAKER_00: 28:16

100%. I agree. Yeah, I do. It was total divine that we met and are able to collaborate in the ways that we do. And you honestly are such a big help to HUD's heart. And you just benefit us in so many ways, not just... financially or anything like that but just your prayers and your heart behind it and your will to help we couldn't do it without you

SPEAKER_01: 28:47

so well well you know so i thank you for being here today and i thank you for taking the time to share your story with us um i believe that hud's heart's It's a story that people should hear. I do. And I hope that in your grief or in your time of loss that you can think back or go back and listen to this podcast of where Haley came from. There will be in the description, I will put a link to the Hud's Heart website. And you can donate on there, correctly? Correct? So you can donate on there to help with her vision and to help with their story and to help continue to fund what they do. Grief doesn't always get the space it needs, but God meets us there. And, you know, it's amazing how he meets us there. In 2 Timothy 2.13, if you are faithfulness, he remains faithful, for he can't deny himself. Right? So good. Right? Like, faithfulness, and he remains faithful. And, you know, it is what it is. At the end of the day, God's faithfulness and all he wants is for you to spend some time with him.

UNKNOWN: 30:15

Yes.

SPEAKER_01: 30:16

Right? Like, that's all He wants. He doesn't demand you to do this or to do that. All He wants is for you to say, hey. Every now and again, you know, say hey. But whenever you're right, say this. Whenever you want to, you say this with us. These are some declarations that can help you through things. My God is faithful. He is close to the brokenhearted. His promises are still true. He brings beauty from ashes. Even in grief, I am never alone. We will post those in the description below along with a prayer if you are having trouble praying to God. But Ms. Haley, will you pray us out for today?

SPEAKER_00: 31:01

Of course. Father, thank you for being the God who stays. For the woman grieving right now, wrap her in your presence. For the family carrying heartbreak, send peace and provision. Thank you for calling women like me to be a light in the darkest places. May your faithfulness shine through every tear, every story, every step. In Jesus' name,

SPEAKER_01: 31:24

amen. Amen. There will be songs and prayers in the description of the episode. Please follow us on TikTok at Unrelated Sisters Podcast and hashtag us at using MyGodIsFaithful hashtag Hud's Heart.