Cory Wharton and Taylor Selfridge’s relationship has grown stronger after watching their daughter Maya experience an open heart surgery.

Cory Wharton and Taylor Selfridge. Instagram @can_seco

When catching up with Us Weekly at The Children’s Heart Foundation’s Congenital Heart Walk in Los Angeles on Sunday, July 28, the pair celebrated how far they’ve come as a couple and family.

“I don’t think you realize how much weight it puts on the family until you can kind of turn the chapter. I think with us, we put a lot of weight on ourselves separately,” Wharton, 33, exclusively told Us. “Sleeping in the hospital window seal for two weeks with each other and showering in the ICU and all this crazy stuff. It brings you closer and that’s what it did for our family.”

For Selfrdige, 30, who learned about Maya’s congenital heart disease called tricuspid atresia when she was 25 weeks pregnant, the past two years have been “extremely stressful.”

With a lot of love and hard work, the Ex on the Beach alum is grateful to celebrate Maya’s biggest milestones with Wharton by her side.

“She’s doing great. She’s like any other kid. She has her next surgery, but as of now she’s just living her life,” Selfridge told Us. “I do think [Cory and I] got stronger in that time because that’s one of the worst things you can go through.”

In January 2023, Maya had her first open heart surgery at 7 months old. The procedure was a success and she has one final surgery planned for the summer of 2025.

When looking back on weeks of hospital visits and doctor appointments, Wharton is still in awe of how his family stepped up.

“It’s almost like the parents deal with the trauma more than the young kid at the time because Maya is only one,” Wharton — who is also dad to 4-year-old daughter Mila with Selfridge and 7-year-old daughter Ryder with Cheyenne Floyd — explained to Us. “She’s not going to remember too much of it. Parents have to deal with that weight of the hospital for two weeks straight and all the surgeries. Even talking about it, you get a little choked up.”

While emceeing the Los Angeles Congenital Heart Walk, which raised more than $47,000, The Challenge and Teen Mom: The Next Chapter star said he found beauty in the progress made for “heart warriors” like his daughter.

“We have procedures in place to help out and it’s working,” he said. “A lot of kids here have gone through different congenital heart disease defects and today’s a day of hope. Today is a day of celebration.”

By sharing their family’s story, both Wharton and Selfridge hope to inspire families and remind them that good news can follow a difficult diagnosis.

“Always pray. I’m a big believer in prayer,” Wharton said. “Just keep fighting. Your kid is gonna give it everything they have and the families need to do the same and you’ll make it through. There is light at the end of the tunnel.”