Teddi Mellencamp gives unbelievable update on stage four cancer battle after 'preparing her children for the worst'
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Teddi Mellencamp shared an incredible health update with fans on Wednesday, amid her battle with stage four cancer.
The reality TV star, 43, revealed that her tumors have significantly shrunk, and doctors believe she is a few weeks away from being cancer free.
'I just finished with all of my scans, and my tumors have significantly shrunk, which doctors believe means that this all will work, and that I will be back to myself, and feeling good,' she shared in a video posted to her Instagram.
Teddi — who previously revealed she was given a 'fifty-fifty' chance of survival — said that she has two more sessions of immunotherapy, adding, 'and then hopefully I am done, and I will be cancer free.'
In February, multiple tumors were found on her brain and she underwent emergency surgery. Additional tumors were then discovered on her brain and lungs.
The incredible news comes after Teddi admitted she was 'preparing her children for the worst.' Earlier this month she also revealed that her famous father John Mellencamp, 73, was planning her burial, asking whether she would be buried in the family mausoleum.'
At the end of her new video Teddi shared: 'I am going to keep a positive outlook, because that's the way my doctor just spoke to me. He was like, "you did this. You got this."'
Toward the end, she added that her doctor had jokingly reassured her, 'You got that Mellencamp blood, so you're good.'
Teddi was pictured smiling in the video, as she told her fans the positive news, admitting that the happy 'crying' was already done.
She sported a buzzcut, after having to shave her blonde hair for her surgery in February, along with a black Alo jacket and a white t-shirt.
In her caption she wrote: 'One update I couldn’t wait to share! All tumors stage 4 (metastasized melanoma in my brain and lungs) shrunk or disappeared so I have 6ish more weeks of immunotherapy and doctors believe I will be healed if everything stays on course.'
'Thank you to everyone who has sent their love, prayers, and positivity ❤️❤️❤️'
Her pals were thrilled in the comments, with her Real Housewives of Beverly Hills co-star Kyle Richards writing, 'BEST DAY EVER!!!!! So grateful❤️'
The night prior Teddi shared on Instagram that she was 'sad and scared' but also staying 'positive' ahead of the MRI that would reveal whether her treatment was working.
Teddi - who has also been candid about her battle with melanoma - appeared on ABC's Nightline last week and said that doctors have given her a 'fifty-fifty' chance on survival as she still receives immunotherapy treatment.
During her interview, Mellencamp expressed: 'One of my favorite things to ask is "How long I got?" or "What are my chances?" and they oftentimes say "fifty-fifty."'
'Fifty-fifty? I wouldn't buy a car that's only gonna drive 50-percent chance of the time. I don't want this,' was her reply.
Mellencamp said that her doctors explained the reason for those odds were that immunotherapy had only been around for about a decade 'and that's how long the study has worked.'
The TV personality also shared the scary symptoms she had before learning she had several brain tumors.
And the star shared them with her fans so they know how to react in case they suffer from a similar problem.
Mellencamp had debilitating headaches for months, until one day her vision was severely impaired: 'I couldn't see. I mean, I could barely get down the stairs.'
The star quickly called her estranged husband, Edwin Arroyave, 47, who rushed her to the hospital.
'That's when they said I had four plumb-size tumors in my brain and then within the next day I was in surgery,' she told host Deborah Roberts.
'My first real memory was looking up and my entire family was there. My dad, my sister, my brothers, all of my best friends, and I'm being like, "Hold on, why are y'all here? And chatting? This must be bad,"' she explained with a chuckle.
Since then she has undergone radiation therapy to shrink remaining tumors, including some in her lungs, ringing the bell to signal the end of that treatment in a video on social media.
The couple have put their divorce on hold for now, and Arroyave is standing by his wife of some 14 years.
On a recent episode of The Eds podcast, Arroyave revealed he was all in. 'People think that's hard, but for me, that's just what I do,' the entrepreneur explained.
'Like it's no matter what, I will always love Teddi and she's been a big part of my life. And I like taking care of people, it's just what I do. So it wasn't even like, a question.'
Mellencamp and Arroyave are parents to daughter Slate, 12, son Cruz 10, and daughter Dove, five, along with Arroyave's daughter Isabella.
On a recent episode of her Two Ts in a Pod podcast with Tamra Judge, Mellencamp explained her dad had called to make sure she would be laid to rest in the family mausoleum.
'He goes, "Well you’re doing your will right now, so you may as well put it in there."'
In spite of the dark humor, Mellencamp said her father 'always taught me to be a fighter.'
For now, the determined patient is taking each day as it comes.
'I think the biggest thing is don't take anything for granted. Normally, I'm used to running seven miles, today, I'm barely walking one, but you know what? I'm here and that makes me feel good. These are special times that we get to do any of this.'
