Teddi Mellencamp, daughter of singer-songwriter John Mellencamp, shared that she has been diagnosed with multiple brain tumours and will be undergoing emergency surgery.
Mellencamp, 43, posted a statement to Instagram on Wednesday, revealing that she received the diagnosis after being hospitalized for “severe and debilitating headaches” for the last several weeks.
“Yesterday the pain was unbearable and required hospitalization. After a CT scan and MRI, doctors found multiple tumors on my brain, which they believe have been growing for at least 6 months,” she wrote.
“Two of the tumors will be surgically removed today – The remaining smaller tumors will be dealt with via radiation at a later date,” Mellencamp continued. “I am blessed to be surrounded by my children, family, friends, doctors, nurses and surgeons who are doing everything possible to get me back into better health.”
The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills alum thanked everyone who has reached out to her and supported her along her journey.
She also shared a selfie with her head shaved, preparing for her emergency surgery. “Didn’t have this look on my bucket list,” Mellencamp said in a video shared to her Instagram Stories, adding, “My best look.”
Teddi Mellencamp shares a selfie with her head shaved prior to surgery.
@TeddiMellencamp / Instagram
This isn’t the first time Mellencamp has shared her medical news with her fans. Just last week, she shared a post on Instagram to help spread awareness on World Cancer Day.
Mellencamp shared a photo of her past surgery scar after she was diagnosed with stage 2 melanoma, writing, “It’s #WorldCancerDay so I’d like to remind you to get your skin checks scheduled. If this is your first time seeing this, I recently shared my full melanoma journey on @tscpodcast. Give it a listen when you have a chance. If it’s not your first time, I hope it’s a good reminder. Who’s making their appointment today?”
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In the second slide of her post, the Two T’s in a Pod podcast host shared a clip from the podcast where she explained that she had a “ginormous patch” on the back of her shoulder since she was born.
“And then I started getting these like I don’t know they almost looked like sunspots. I guess it was three years ago, I was on a run with Kyle [Richards] and our friend Jen. They were like, ‘Teddi, the things on your back. You’re going to the doctor.’ I didn’t take it seriously. Plus, I didn’t know that skin cancer was a big deal,” she said.
That quickly changed for her when the doctor looked at her back and said, “You’re going to need to go to an oncologist, but I’m going to cut this one out and we’re gonna start this process.”
“Pretty much throughout the next three years, I think I’ve had over 20 surgeries,” she added.
In 2022, Mellencamp revealed on social media that she was diagnosed with melanoma — the most dangerous form of skin cancer.
“I got the call this morning: Stage 2 melanoma. Now, next Wednesday I go to an oncologist to have it cut out and come up with a game plan on next steps. Of course, this is all pending some additional testing and biopsies of other spots nearby that were taken today. Moral of this story: if a doctor says, ‘come in every 3 months’ please go in every 3 months,” she wrote.
Melanoma is a very serious form of skin cancer. It is a cancer of melanocytes, which are cells that produce melanin, the pigment that is primarily responsible for giving skin its colour, according to Melanoma Canada’s website.
According to the World Health Organization, 85 per cent of melanomas among Canadian men and women aged 30 and over are attributed to UV radiation exposure, from the sun or artificial sources like tanning beds.
Melanoma is one of the fastest growing cancers worldwide. In Canada, incidences of melanoma have more than tripled in the last 30 years, says Melanoma Canada.
The website also notes that over 1,300 Canadians will die from melanoma each year, but survival rates are high if melanoma is detected early.
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