Despite facing a challenging prognosis—a 50% chance of survival according to her doctors—Teddi Mellencamp is maintaining a hopeful outlook as she battles Stage 4 cancer.
The former “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star’s journey began earlier this year when she was hospitalized after being diagnosed with multiple brain tumors. During surgery aimed at removing these masses, an additional two tumors were discovered in her lungs.
Mellencamp, 43, acknowledges the weight of life expectancy statistics while undergoing immunotherapy treatment. “I learned it’s not ideal to inquire about survival rates during immunotherapy, given that this treatment is relatively new,” she shared with Nightline. Initially disheartened by the “50/50” success rate figure, she playfully remarked, “It’s one of my favorite things to ask: ‘How long I got? What are my chances?’ But I wouldn’t buy a car that’s only going to drive 50% of the time. I don’t want this.” She clarified that the statistic stems from the limited data available on immunotherapy’s effectiveness over its ten-year history.
The diagnosis and subsequent treatment have been emotionally taxing.
- “I really like to have control, and this is completely out of my control. For the first time, I’m really scared,” she admitted.
Amidst these challenges, her father, singer John Mellencamp, has provided comfort, though in a uniquely humorous way. During a recent conversation, he called her eleven times in a row. As Teddi recalled on her podcast “Two Ts in a Pod” with Tamra Judge, he jokingly inquired about her placement within the family mausoleum in Indiana.
“He’s like, ‘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.’ He goes, ‘You’re doing your will right now, so you may as well put it in there.’”
The conversation prompted her to think about her three children—Slate, 12; Cruz, 10; and Dove, 5—and their positions within the mausoleum. Ultimately, she agreed to be included and joked that a recent acquaintance inspired her to request “hot girls never die” be inscribed on her tombstone.
Mellencamp revealed in an earlier interview with US Weekly that she’s engaged in a fierce battle for her life—and the well-being of her family and loved ones. As she stated, “I’m fighting for my life.”
The initial diagnosis followed a period where standard migraine medication proved ineffective and severe pain prompted an emergency room visit with her estranged husband, Edwin Arroyave.
“The pain had become something I’d never felt before,” she explained. “They diagnosed me with multiple brain tumors, but the ER doctor said he couldn’t remove them; they needed to get me into Cedars-Sinai.”
She underwent surgery followed by immediate radiation and immunotherapy treatment, which has been physically demanding.
“I thought I was going to feel like how I felt after my neck lift,” she said. Her typical reaction—headaches—is considered a positive sign indicating the treatments are effectively targeting the cancer cells.
Following radiation and immunotherapy, Mellencamp shared on social media that she feels “so tired and run down, but I know it’s going to get better again.” She also reflected on her experience:
- “Something everyone can keep in mind… I kind of thought that I’d already beaten it, and then, a couple days later, I found out I had four more tumors. So, there are so many different highs and lows.”
