Teddi Mellencamp's cancer is Stage 4 and she has 4 more brain tumors: 'I'm fighting for my life' (2025)

Teddi Mellencamp has been diagnosed with four more brain tumors less than two months after undergoing surgery to remove previously diagnosed brain tumors that caused her “severe anddebilitating headaches.”

The former “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star, 43, shared her health update in an April 2 Us Weekly cover story, explaining that the new tumors were discovered late last month during an emergency MRI. The outlet also confirmed her cancer, melanoma, is Stage 4, which is difficult to cure, the Melanoma Research Alliance notes.

“I’m fighting for my life," she told Us Weekly. "But also for my family’s life and all the people I love."

On the same day the Us Weekly feature was published, Mellencamp posted a selfie video to her Instagram story that showed her lying in a bed.

In her video, Mellencamp thanked her fans for their "kind messages," noting that many praised her for being "strong."

"You know, I've got to tell you, some days I feel really, really strong and some days I feel really, really sad and alone, and I think that’s a normal part of what any of us are going through and that's OK," she said, adding, "Stage 4 cancer can be scary."

"Yesterday was the first day I had to do immunotherapy and radiation on the same day and I feel so tired and run down," she added. "But I know it's going to get better."

Mellencamp, who's the daughter of Grammy award-winning musician John Mellencamp, revealed on Feb. 12 that a melanoma diagnosis she initially received in 2022 had metastasized to her brain.

She later revealed the cancer had also metastasized to her lungs.

TheAmerican Cancer Society describes melanoma as a “much less common than some other types of skin cancers.” However, it is “more dangerous because it’s much more likely to spread to other parts of the body if not found and treated early.”

The reality star, who shares three young children — Slate, Cruz and Dove — withestranged husband Edwin Arroyave, said at the time that she planned to undergo surgery to remove the tumors and to receive radiation to remove smaller cysts.

Following the surgery, MellencamprevealedFeb. 26 on Instagram that “more tumors were removed than expected: 4 in total.”

“This fight is not over but that round has been won,” she wrote at the time.

She included an image of her taken in the hospital with her hair in a buzz cut.

In another Instagram update on March 6, Mellencamp revealed that "multiple tumors" remained in her brain. She also said that she had been diagnosed with two tumors in her lungs.

“These are all metastases of my melanoma. The doctors are hopeful that immunotherapy will effectively treat them,” she wrote.

How did Teddi Mellencamp get melanoma?

Majority of melanomas result from sun exposure. Mellencamp has been open about her history of tanning as a teen, sharing that she would use baby oil, never wore sunscreen and didn't start getting her moles checked until she was in her 40s, she said on Instagram.

When you tan or burn, it damages the skin and increases the risk of skin cancer developing, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Not wearing sunscreen also increases your risk of developing skin cancer.

Mellencamp first opened up about a suspicious mole on her skin in March 2022 when she posted a photo of her back shoulder covered in bandages.

"I had been avoiding (my yearly skin check) bc of my own anxiety for a very long time but when @kylerichards18 saw my back and it had changed colors again, she immediately took me to the doc who within minutes said it looks like melanoma and did a big removal," she wrote at the time.

It's recommended that people with many moles get regularly checked for possible skin cancer by a dermatologist, according to the American Cancer Society.

In October 2022, sheannounced that she’d been diagnosed with Stage 2 melanoma.

Over the years, she has shared updates on Instagram about her journey with skin cancer, revealing in September 2024 that while she was undergoing surgery to remove her 16th melanoma, doctorsdiscovereda spot on her ear and biopsied it.

“Obviously, I am grateful for my team of doctors who continue to give me the most thorough care. But part of me just wants to scream, ‘When will this be over for good!?’” she captioned an Instagram post at the time.