Cheyenne Floyd is thanking God for the “biggest blessing” as she celebrates the good health of her blended family after a difficult start to the year. The Teen Mom star opened up to PopCulture.com ahead of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter‘s return on Wednesday, July 19, giving a look inside how she and husband Zach Davis supported Cory Wharton and Taylor Selfridge amid their daughter Maya’s open-heart surgery – and how they talked about the issue with Maya’s big sister Ryder.
Wharton took to social media in January to share that his 7-month-old daughter would be undergoing major surgery to help repair her tricuspid atresia, a form of congenital heart disease. Surgery came with complications, and Maya had to be placed on a ventilator to help her breathe before she ultimately was well enough to go home with her parents and big sister Mila, now 3.
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It was “definitely scary” trying to both support Wharton, with whom Floyd shares 6-year-old daughter Ryder, and take care of her daughter’s mental health, all while maintaining co-parenting boundaries. “It’s hard because … we always want to make sure we’re not crossing a boundary, but at the same time we view them as our friends and family,” said Floyd, who also is mother to 2-year-old son Ace with David. “And when you see somebody in so much pain and it doesn’t matter who they are and you can’t help them, it sucks.”
Floyd and Davis made sure that both Wharton and Selfridge knew they had the support of them and their extended families. “My mom stepped in and offered to watch Mila a couple times, [and] my dad came [and] helped us cook dinner for them,” she recalled. “I think we truly wanted them to know that they’re going through by far the worst time of their lives and we’re just here to support them.”
It was also hard to explain Maya’s situation to Ryder, who has had her own health struggles after being diagnosed at birth with a rare condition called VLCAD, which prevents the body from breaking down certain fats. “Whe would ask, ‘Why? So why was I sick? Why is my sister sick?’ And I don’t have the answers to that,” Floyd told PopCulture. “And as her mom, I want to be able to answer [her] questions. And I didn’t know what to say. So Ryder struggled. She struggled a lot.”
It wasn’t until after Maya was home and recovering that Floyd felt she could process what had just happened herself. “I can’t imagine how Taylor’s processed it, if she’s even began to process what happened,” she explained. “I feel like it’s such a traumatic experience to go through as a parent. …It was scary to watch.” Luckily, Maya is happy and “healthy” today. “She’s getting big,” Floyd said with a laugh. “They were just here the other day and she’s starting to try to walk and she screams a lot – a lot.” She added, “Thank God. I feel like all the kids are healthy right now and that’s just the biggest blessing.” Teen Mom: The Next Chapter premieres with back-to-back episodes on Wednesday, July 19 at 8 p.m. ET on MTV.
