News
Teen Mom OG’s Cory Wharton and Taylor Selfridge’s Daughter Maya’s Heart Condition: Everything We Know
Teen Mom OG star Cory Wharton and girlfriend Taylor Selfridge welcomed their second child together, daughter Maya Grace, in June 2022. The Challenge alum later revealed the infant was born with a rare heart condition called tricuspid atresia and had to undergo open heart surgery days after birth. Keep reading for everything we know about baby Maya’s condition.
What Is Tricuspid Atresia?
The MTV star announced the birth of his third daughter on June 10, 2022, with a series of photos shared via Instagram.
“[I] Don’t really know how to start this off,” Cory – who also shares daughter Ryder with ex Cheyenne Floyd and daughter Mila with his girlfriend – wrote alongside a photo of Maya in an incubator. “There’s sooo much I wanna say, so much I’ve felt over the past week. … Maya was diagnosed with Tricuspid Atresia.”
“Tricuspid atresia is a form [of] congenital heart disease,” he explained. “It happens when the heart’s tricuspid valve does not develop. This valve plays a part in the heart’s essential function, which is to pump blood between the lungs and body.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, “A baby with tricuspid atresia can’t get enough oxygen through its body,” causing them to “tire easily,” experience shortness of breath and “have blue-tinged skin.”
How Is Cory and Taylor’s Daughter Doing Now?
After recovering from her first open heart surgery, Maya was released from the hospital on June 14.
“We have had some dark days, but today isn’t one of them. Maya got discharged from the hospital and we finally made it home,” the proud dad shared.
As Maya approached her four-month birthday, Taylor prepared for her second of three surgeries called the Glenn procedure, saying, “I’ve never been more afraid of anything in my life.”
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), a Bi-directional Glenn Procedure “creates a direct connection between the main pulmonary artery and the superior vena cava. … This allows blood returning from the body to flow directly to the lungs and bypass the heart.”
“As she gets bigger, her oxygen drops more which is why she needs the surgery,” the Portland, Oregon, native continued. “She’ll be in so much better health once this one is over. She’s in the most vulnerable state she’ll be in her entire life right now as we speak. After this she’ll have a [three and a half] year break.”
On January 4, 2023, the MTV star revealed that Maya was having her second open heart surgery.
Two days later Cory updated followers saying, “Maya is off the ventilator! She’s on longer intubated. We got to feed her this morning and she’s awake.”
However, 11 days after Maya’s surgery, Cory announced that his daughter was still in the ICU, calling it the “worst experience of my life.” Maya was released from the hospital on January 18, 2023.
“These past two weeks have been very up-and-down and have felt like a nightmare at times. But I always try to stay positive and being at the Children’s Hospital for two weeks and seeing some families who have been up there for months or years and some maybe won’t leave the hospital. I’m very thankful that we got released today,” Cory wrote, adding, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and that’s what this did!”
Two months later, Taylor revealed that Maya was “officially” off oxygen, adding that “she has a purple tint because of her heart.”
“Her oxygen sits in the high 70s, rather than being 100 [percent] like the rest of us,” the proud mom continued via Instagram on March 13. “[The doctors] said that her oxygen levels wouldn’t change much after this last surgery because they’re working on separating her red and blue blood. We made progress but it’s still mixing up until her last surgery which will completely separate the red and blue blood so she’ll be more of her normal color.”
