Teddi Mellencamp is getting very candid about her battle with Stage 4 cancer.
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The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum was first diagnosed with skin cancer in 2022, and she shared that she was undergoing surgery to remove several tumors from her brain in mid-February 2025.
In March 2025, Teddi revealed that doctors were unable to get all of the "plum-size" tumors out of her brain, and that her cancer had also spread to her lungs. During an interview with Nightline on April 10, Teddi, who is treating the cancer with radiation and immunotherapy, said that she's been told she has a 50 percent chance of surviving.
"I learned this isn’t the best question to ask if you’re doing immunotherapy, because immunotherapy has only been around 10 years," she said.
However, she admitted, "It’s one of my favorite things to ask: 'How long I got? What are my chances?' And they oftentimes say 50/50,” she said, before sharing how she responded in the moment. "Fifty-fifty? I wouldn’t buy a car that’s only gonna drive 50 percent of the time. I don’t want this."
"And [the doctor's] like, 'No, it’s only because that’s how long immunotherapy has been around so that’s how long the study has worked,'" she continued. "So that’s when I then try to find the positive."
Though she's trying to be optimistic, Teddi is facing the reality of her situation.
"I really like to have control, and this is completely out of my control," she explained. "And for the first time, I’m really scared."
Teddi Mellencamp reveals the "hardest" parts of her cancer battle
In the months since her brain tumors were first identified, Teddi has had to get used to resting.
"I would say the hardest part for me is I've always been a super active person and I cannot do the things that I was used to doing," she told Nightline.
Teddi's estranged husband, Edwin Arroyave, has been helping her navigate her new normal.
"Night times are really hard for me, so people come, and he organizes all that," she said, noting that the two have put aside their differences amid her health battle. "So, he's doing the best he can."
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Teddi Mellencamp opens up about shaving her head
Before she underwent surgery to attempt to remove her brain tumors, Teddi shaved her head. She now switches between wearing a wig and rocking her buzzcut.
On April 6, the mom of three took to her Instagram Story to share a vulnerable post about losing more of her hair.
"Didn't realize I was going to miss the buzz cut and cry when I washed my hair and a chunk of hair came out in my hand," Teddi wrote alongside a screenshot of a text message exchange. In the text forwarded along a photo of her recent hair loss, asking a friend, "What is happening???"
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"I promise it will grow back," the person Teddi texted shared in response."You'll probably have a little more fall out."
Fast-forward to her chat with Nightline, and Teddi said that she is still grappling with her new appearance.
"Sometimes I feel really strong and beautiful and like I can do anything, and sometimes I think that this might be the lowest and hardest thing I've done," she said.
