Teddi Mellencamp’s doctors believe she has a “50/50” chance of beating her stage 4 cancer.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum, 43, is opening up about the odds her medical team has given her amid her radiation and immunotherapy treatments after she was initially diagnosed with melanoma in 2022.
Videos by PopCulture.com
“It’s one of my favorite things to ask is, ‘How long I got?’ Or, ‘What are my chances?’ And they oftentimes say, ’50/50,’” Mellencamp shared during a Nightline interview Thursday. Recalling her reaction to the prognosis, she joked, “50/50?! I wouldn’t buy a car that’s only gonna drive 50 percent of the time. I don’t want this!”
Doctors told Mellencamp that that number might be misleading, however, based on how relatively new immunotherapy is. The cancer treatment, which uses a patient’s own immune system to attack cancer cells, has only been around for less than 15 years, which Mellencamp said has impacted its efficacy studies.
“[The doctor] is like, ‘No, it’s only because that’s how long immunotherapy has been around, so that’s how long the study has worked,’” she said. “So that’s where I try to then find the positive.”
The wellness coach also opened up about the toll her cancer treatments have taken on her, admitting it’s been tough for her to accept the changes in her body. She revealed that while she once was able to go out for a seven-mile run, she now struggles to walk one mile.
“I would say the hardest thing for me is I’ve always been a super active person, and, like, I cannot do the things I was used to doing,” she shared, adding, “But you know what? I’m here and that makes me feel good.”
Even through the dark times, Mellencamp said she’s been working to find lightness in her day-to-day. “If I didn’t find humor, I would cry,” she said. “Even with my kids, the other day, we kept forgetting something and we often go, ‘The tumors!’ It’s kind of the only way.”
Also on Thursday, Mellencamp reflected on her cancer journey in a heartfelt Instagram post, sharing side-by-side photos of herself four months ago and today.
“What a difference 4 months makes,” she wrote in the caption. “Sometimes I am so focused on ‘being strong’ that I forget I am allowed to be sad, cry it out, and feel very alone.” The reality personality added, “I love my kids, friends, and family so much and am forever grateful to them but dang today is one of those days.”
