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Former Bravo star Teddi Mellencamp has received a sobering update in her battle with brain cancer.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum revealed that doctors discovered four more tumors in her brain during an emergency MRI, and she is now preparing her children for a future without her.
“In a recent interview with Us Weekly, Mellencamp, 43, shared that she’s not just ‘fighting for my life,’ but also ‘for my family’s life and all the people I love.’
Her cancer battle began in 2022, when she admitted to skipping her annual skin check-up due to anxiety and had a large mole removed from her back. Months later, during a follow-up in October, she was diagnosed with stage II melanoma.
Since then, Mellencamp has undergone surgeries and treatments to remove the cancerous moles, but she started experiencing ‘severe and debilitating headaches.
In February, doctors found multiple tumors in Mellencamp’s brain, which she described as a ‘direct result’ of her melanoma spreading.
Although surgeons were able to remove four tumors during a craniotomy and tumor resection, post-surgery scans revealed five more tumors, including three in her brain that couldn’t be removed and two in her lungs.
Despite staying optimistic through her radiation and immunotherapy treatments, an emergency MRI on March 26 brought more heartbreaking news: four additional tumors were discovered in the mother-of-three’s brain.
While filming RHOBH, Mellencamp would often comfort her children by telling them, ‘Moms always come back,’ whenever they were upset about her leaving for work or a night out.
Now, she admitted she hasn’t used that line since returning from the hospital.
She shared, ‘They all know I’m fighting as hard as I can, but I haven’t said it because I don’t want to lie to them. And I just don’t know.’
Despite the tough health news, Mellencamp still considers herself ‘lucky,’ crediting her children with helping her stay positive through treatments and changes, including her new pixie haircut.
She said, ‘Ugh, I’m so over it already. But Cruz made it a little better by saying, ‘Mom, we can all get the same haircuts.’’
Mellencamp also mentioned that she’s ‘listening to my body’ and ‘staying active,’ even on the days when she’s exhausted from treatment.
She added, “When I do too much laying around, I get pretty sad.
“On the days I’m feeling down, I can get really emotional, and if I’m open with the people in my life, it’s easier for me to rest. When I try to pretend I’m okay while resting, it’s harder.”
Before her brain cancer diagnosis, Mellencamp was in the midst of a divorce from estranged husband Edwin Arroyave, with whom she shares daughters Slate, 12, Dove, 5, and son Cruz, 10.
Since her diagnosis, Arroyave, 47, has put their divorce on hold and moved back in with Mellencamp.
The Two T’s in a Pod co-host shared, “I’m really lucky that Edwin, who I was divorcing, we put everything on hold.
“It wasn’t the right time to be fighting over emails. He’s been incredibly kind and helpful with the kids, and that’s made things a lot easier.
“I’m in the primary bedroom, and he’s in one of the guest rooms. It’s fun—everything I loved about our marriage, but without all the problems.
