The October 4 episode of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter is a bittersweet one for Cory Wharton. In this EXCLUSIVE preview, Cory is anxiously awaiting the birth of his third daughter, but he also recently learned some heartbreaking news that he shares with ex Cheyenne Floyd, her fiance Zach Davis.
“Long story short, we heard back from the doctors and basically they said that Maya has tricuspid atresia, right? So what it’s saying is that her right ventricle didn’t grow to the proper size, and it’s not really large enough to even use. So what they’re going to have to do is go in and basically do three different surgeries to then help her lungs get the oxygen that her body needs. One surgery when she’s a week old, [and] the next surgery will be [when she’s] 4-6 months old. And then the third surgery [is when] she’s four years old. It’s scary. It’s scary,” he says.
“Having to have surgery fresh out — that’s scary, that’s nerve-wracking,” Zach responds, but Cory then turns to Cheyenne, whom he shares 5-year-old daughter Ryder with, and says, “You understand — and I’m not trying to compare Ryder and Maya, but Ryder has her own medical issues that you had to deal with, you know what I mean? So you remember what those doctor visits were like and how you felt.”
“Your world literally feels like it’s over,” Cheyenne says, agreeing with what Cory just said. As fans know, Ryder was born with a congenital condition called VLCAD deficiency, which means her body is unable to properly break down fats. The rare disorder landed Ryder in the hospital multiple times over the years.
“It’s kind of how we feel,” Cory says of his and girlfriend Taylor Selfridge‘s feelings.
Cheyenne then attempts to ask how Taylor’s doing, but she knows she’s probably “devastated” so she feels bad even asking. Cory then apologizes for dumping bad news on them, but Cheyenne and Zach tell him there’s no need to say sorry because they’re all one big extended family and always want to be there for each other. To see what else Cory has to say, watch the video above!
Want more? New episodes of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter air Tuesdays at 8pm on MTV.