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Teddi Mellencamp has begun making arrangements for her own funeral as she continues her fight against stage 4 cancer.
The former Real Housewives star revealed that she has discussed the possibility of being laid to rest in her family’s mausoleum in Indiana with her father.
Teddi Mellencamp, 43, shared a heartfelt and slightly humorous story about planning for the future amid her stage 4 cancer battle. Speaking candidly, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum revealed she’s been working on her will and has even discussed burial plans with her famous father, singer John Mellencamp.
She explained, “Yesterday my dad calls 11 times in a row. Finally I answer, I’m like, ‘I’m in the bath. Let me live a little.'”
“He goes, ‘I just want to make sure you’re going to be in our group family mausoleum.’”
Teddi replied, “I have kids, so where are they going to go?” Her dad responded, “Well, there’s going to be the top five and then we’re gonna have little areas around it, and then that’s where everyone’s going to get buried.”
She also noted that the plan includes space for her three children — Slate, 12, Cruz, 10, and Dove, 5 — whom she shares with estranged husband Edwin Arroyave.
Teddi Mellencamp continued the candid conversation with her father, revealing some of the more difficult topics they discussed as she works through her will. She explained, “I go, ‘Do I need to make this commitment right now?’ and he goes, ‘You’re doing your will right now, so you may as well put it in there.’”
The discussion turned even darker when they touched on the possibility of her being in a vegetative state. Mellencamp made it clear that she doesn’t want to be “a vegetable,” which prompted her dad to declare that he would take charge of that decision.
Teddi recalled, “I said… ‘This is a reminder. I don’t want to be a vegetable. I’m good to fight, fight, fight, but if I become a…’ and he’s like, ‘I’m going to be in charge of that.'”
She quickly retorted, “I’m like, ‘Well, I’ll change my will right now then if you’re not willing to.’”
Her dad responded humorously, “Vegetable is dependent,” to which she quipped, “What do you mean? If I’m a cucumber or a…this is not a dependent. It is what it is.”
Teddi Mellencamp, reflecting on her recent conversation with her father about the family mausoleum, said, “I think I agreed to be in the mausoleum, and I’m gonna have to work on my sister next week. The kids will be right behind me.” She added that her sister is scheduled to visit soon, followed by their father.
Mellencamp, who was initially diagnosed with melanoma in 2022, recently revealed that the cancer has spread to her lungs and brain. In an emotional interview, she confirmed that days later, doctors discovered four new tumors on her brain.
Teddi Mellencamp is grappling with the heartbreaking reality that her time with her children may be cut short due to her stage 4 cancer diagnosis.
Stage 4 cancer is the most advanced stage, meaning the disease has spread to other parts of the body beyond its original site. Mellencamp shared, “I had six brain tumors and two lung tumors; they all came from melanoma that metastasized into these tumors inside of my body.”
As a result of the grim prognosis, Mellencamp’s treatment plan is now evolving. She explained, “I find out for sure exactly where we stand on June 1. If you need to do another round, if there’s any other surgery, if it’s the end. It’s a hard pill to swallow. It’s got to be extremely difficult to think about the end.”
Despite the overwhelming challenges, Mellencamp reflected on her emotional journey, saying, “This is definitely the hardest thing I’ve faced in my life, but now it feels less hard.”
She recalled a particularly painful moment during her time in the ICU, revealing: “When I was in the ICU, it was incredibly difficult because I had no memory. One day, I realized it was my daughter’s birthday, and I couldn’t be there for it; it was really sad. It’s still sad when I can’t be there for my kids the way I’d normally be.”
