With a new heart, 18-month-old Noah is finally coming home

Busselton family makes long road trip home after boy's lifesaving heart transplant Tue 4 Aug 2026 at 8:02am In short: At just six days old, Noah Forster was diagnosed with the same serious heart condition that had claimed the life of his older brother. After moving to Melbourne, and a nine-month wait in hospital, 18-month-old Noah has received a life-changing heart transplant. What's next? The family are now ready for an emotional 3,500km drive home to Busselton, in WA's South West. After enduring the unimaginable, the Forster family are set for an emotional cross-country journey home to Western Australia. Their 18-month-old son Noah has had a successful heart transplant, surviving the condition that claimed the life of his older brother Teddy. Sinead and Alex Forster's second son was just six days old when he was diagnosed with ventricular non-compaction dilated cardiomyopathy, affecting his heart's left ventricle. Teddy, the couple's firstborn son, died waiting for a transplant at 20 months old. "We didn't want the fear of what had happened to Teddy to stop us from trying again,"Ms Forster said. Ms Forster said the young family moved to Melbourne for medical care soon after Noah was diagnosed. It was a decision that saved his life, his mother said. "They wanted to get Noah in a place that could give him the best possible support before he got very, very sick," Ms Forster said. Call 'we never thought would come' Noah went into heart failure at seven months old, and was kept alive by a ventricular assist device. After nine long months, the family received the call that a suitable donor had been found. "You're waiting for this phone call that you never thought will come," Ms Forster said. "To receive that call and to be told that your child has a chance at a life, and you can move on from this limbo that you've been living in, takes your breath away." Joy after tragedy For the Forsters, the memory of their first son Teddy is ever present. "[Noah has] always got his big brother Teddy watching over him so he can accomplish anything," Ms Forster said. Noah was their "rainbow baby", their chance for a family after the devastating loss of Teddy, she explained. Ms Forster said cardiologists had told the couple they had a one-in-two chance of having another child with a similar condition. "We thought, let's take the chance, let's try and have a family," she said. "Being pregnant with another child and not knowing the future was very scary. "After such a long time of waiting and then still losing Teddy, this baby was going to be our second chance." The Forsters are also painfully aware, as they celebrated the life of their second son, that the family of their donor was grieving. "We will forever be thankful for that family, and for that child for this amazing gift that they've given our son," she said. "They've really given him a chance at life. Not even a second chance. This is a chance at life." Family's courage praised Heart Kids regional family support coordinator Ariana Potts met the Forsters after the birth of their first son Teddy. "They are the most compassionate and generous family and they have shown immense courage," she said. Ms Potts said the experience could be incredibly isolating, and creating a support network is very important. "It's an incredibly difficult time for all the families and I think they need as much support as possible," Ms Forster said. Long trip home Noah, now recovering from the surgery, is ready to return home. The family is choosing to drive, in a bid to protect his vulnerable immune system. The drive is also a chance for the family to make lasting memories. "Putting an 18-month-old on a plane, where we can't get him to wear a mask, we can't protect him from the germs around us," Ms Forster said. "This will be our last chance together before normal life begins." Noah had shown resilience, with a smile on his face, throughout the ordeal. "I know that no matter what comes his way, he will face it with the same strength and resilience that he has shown this whole time."