Teddi Mellencamp Opens Up About Stage 4 Melanoma Diagnosis And How Her Kids Are Coping

Teddi Mellencamp revealed the emotional rollercoaster she has experienced in her devastating update on her struggle with stage four cancer.

The podcast host disclosed in February that following a 2022 diagnosis of skin cancer that spread, doctors discovered “multiple” tumours on her brain and lung.

The 43-year-old Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alumna bravely displayed her head scars from her recent traumatic brain surgery at a cancer event last week, without a wig.

She has now shared with her fans the reasoning behind her daily emotional state-based decisions about whether or not to cover her head.

“The day to day decision of wig versus no wig. Crying days I tend to pick the wig,” she wrote on Instagram, alongside a selfie in which she wore a luscious blonde mane.

“The highs and lows of treatment for stage 4 brain and lung tumors are pretty extreme. Please go get your yearly checks,” she urged fans.

The daughter of John Mellencamp reminded readers: “It’s melanoma awareness month. No better time than now to book and remind a friend or loved one.”

Her life is ‘devastating,’ she said in an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com, after being open about her stage four cancer diagnosis.

The 43-year-old former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star was interviewed last week while she and her closest friend Kylie Richards attended the annual gala, An Unforgettable Evening, for the Women’s Cancer Research Fund.

She looked amazing in a black suit and silver shoes, choosing not to wear a wig and instead to boldly display the scars on her head from the various treatments she had this year.

She provided an update on her tragic health battle while there and responded to those who criticised her for riding horses while receiving treatment.

“This is my first night out since I got out of the hospital,” she said. “I feel good. I know it feels really devastating right now, but everything – it gets better.”

She disclosed last week that the tumours have significantly reduced due to immunotherapy, and her physicians believe the treatment is effective.

Before her next major check-up on June 1, the reality star has one more session of the cancer treatment, which fights cancer cells by using the body’s immune system.

Teddi said her kids have been “so loving, so kind, and so funny” through it all.

Regarding her three children, Slate, 10, Cruz, and Dove, 5, whom she shares with her estranged husband Edwin Arroyave, she stated, “Whether it was good news or bad news, we all just try to be there for each other and find special moments that we can have.”

“I know everyone says this, but I have really good kids,” she continued. “Laughter has been a huge part of what makes it so much better.”

The wellness coach also expressed her gratitude to people who have helped her along the way, such as her former Real Housewives co-star Kyle and her well-known music singer father John Mellencamp.

The skilled equestrian did, however, take a moment to respond to those who criticised Teddi for returning to her beloved horse too soon following her cancer treatment.

Many people had problems when they noticed that I was riding horses once more, and I responded by saying, “I didn’t do this without asking my doctor.” The response to my question was, “Teddi, you should be doing everything that you love right now.”

If I don’t feel good, I can say, “I don’t feel good. I’m not doing it today.” Or I can say, “You know what? I feel amazing. I’m going to go and kick a little a**.”

“I love that love. I think that’s exciting to be able to do anything I want now, and what is important.”

The TV star has also found a bright side by encouraging her viewers to’stay cautious’ when it comes to their own health, even though she still has weeks until she receives an update on her immunotherapy treatment.

“I was walking around [with] tumors for six months to a year without knowing,” Teddi recalled. “I started getting migraines, I thought I was even going through menopause.”

“The good thing is that other people are getting checked. I think that’s the biggest thing. I didn’t know a ton about melanoma or cancer in general until it personally affected me.”

“The fact that I have a platform… It’s something that more people are going in to get checks and so every time I get that message, I feel good about that.”

Less than a week has passed since Teddi announced that her tumours have drastically decreased, bringing her one step closer to being cancer-free.

In a video that she published on Instagram, she said, “I just finished all of my scans, and my tumours have significantly shrunk, which doctors believe means that this all will work, and that I will be back to myself, and feeling good.”

Teddi clarified that she has two more immunotherapy sessions left, and “then hopefully I am done, and I will be cancer free,” despite the fact that she was previously given a “fifty-fifty” chance of survival.

Her good news follows weeks after a close friend of the TV personality said that she had written a will because she was facing the “very real possibility” that she might not receive a “miracle”.