Teddi Mellencamp of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills was just diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. She spoke with her close friend from the show, Kyle Richards, on Thursday, sharing what she's doing to get through a challenging time.
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As she said of first receiving her melanoma diagnosis, "At first I didn't even really do the research on melanoma because I didn't want to know all of the bad things." Since being diagnosed with melanoma in 2022, Mellencamp has undergone 17 procedures to remove the cancer from her skin. After getting an updated diagnosis of stage 4 cancer, she reflects on her shock at such a quick progression.
Even after attending numerous checkups, healthcare professionals failed to detect the disease's spread. "My highest melanoma on my shoulder was stage one. When I finally followed up on it, they were like, 'We didn't do the scans, because you didn't have anything above a stage one on your body.' But look what happened."
The daughter of songwriter John Mellencamp admitted that she hadn't been feeling well following the initial diagnosis. "I thought I had migraines, I thought I was going through menopause." Ultimately, she regrets not taking more time to plan for the diagnosis that was to come.
"One of the things that I wish people knew is that you've got to plan ahead of time. Have those hard conversations with your family, because you never know when it's going to come. And also, trust your gut instinct."
The Steps She's Taking in the Meantime
Mellencamp spoke with Glamour about how the diagnosis has changed her perspective on family and life. "Being transparent with how hard it is has given me more strength. When I was trying to be like, "I can do this, I can do that, everything is perfect..." that's what you saw on Housewives." Mellencamp shared about how she's trying to hold onto those "perfect moments" as much as possible, while also embracing what each day has to offer.
She also expressed gratitude for her children and how parenting with a diagnosis has been an adjustment. "My past self would have been like, 'Don't be weak, you can do this-don't let your kids know that you can't do this. It's now about being honest with my kids." Mellencamp is enjoying whatever quality time she can get with her family, even if it's just watching a TV show and having a few good laughs.
The reality TV star is soaking up every moment, but also being honest about her experience. "I had self-diagnosed myself with 500 things. And then one day, I couldn't stand up. It's about being an advocate for yourself and your health if you're not feeling good."
Photo by: Emma McIntyre/WireImage
