Teddi Mellencamp is feeling the love from her dad, John Mellencamp, following her brain tumor diagnosis and surgery.
“Dad. Thank you for saying yes you believe in me and know I can do it,” Teddi, 43, wrote via her Instagram Story on Saturday, March 8. “Cried with happiness that I have your support.”
Teddi continued her post by thanking her fans for their support as Christina Aguilera’s “Fighter” played over her upload.
“I am feeling great and got approval from my doctors to ride today,” Teddi wrote, referring to her love of horseback riding. “This makes my heart and soul happy. If I see you at the show today and you have the urge to try to tell me not to I kindly ask you refrain. I unknowingly rode with huge tumors in my brain for 6 months and those big ones are gone now.”
She continued, “When you are sick or have cancer your mental health is very important. I must keep going and give myself joy and goals. I am going to always fight to be my best and find ways to smile and enjoy my life. Thanks for coming along this journey with me. I am in no place for negativity or discouragement.”
Teddi announced her health battle last month, sharing that she had been experiencing “severe and debilitating headaches” for weeks — with the pain becoming “unbearable” and requiring 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. Two of the tumors will be surgically removed today. The remaining smaller tumors will be dealt with via radiation at a later date,” Teddi wrote via Instagram at the time.
She 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. Thank you to everybody who has reached out, and to everyone who has supported me along this journey.”
Following Teddi’s surgery, estranged husband Edwin Arroyave shared an update on her health. (Teddi filed for divorce from Arroyave, 47, in November 2024. The pair share daughters Slate, 12, and Dove, 4, as well as son Cruz, 10.)
“So many people asking for updates. All I will say right now is surgery went well,” he wrote via his Instagram Story in February. “That said, I’ve never seen @teddimellencamp in so much pain. She’s finally getting some needed rest. I know she is so grateful for the outpouring of love.”
The next month, Teddi shared that doctors found five more tumors throughout her body.
“I have multiple tumors in my brain that weren’t able to be removed via surgery. I also have 2 tumors in my lung. These are all metastases of my melanoma,” she wrote via Instagram on Thursday, March 6. “The doctors are hopeful that immunotherapy will effectively treat them. I am feeling positive — that I will win this battle, that I got this wig (I like the short hair, just not the bald spots), and that I can remember all of Angelina’s kids’ names.”
John, for his part, has been by his daughter’s side through her health battle — and after she confirmed her exit from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in September 2020. While reflecting on her decision to leave the Bravo show, John, 73, admitted that he was “terribly excited and happy.”
“I’ve never liked that you were on the Real Housewives,” the musician told Teddi on a November 2020 episode of her “Teddi Tea Pod” podcast, noting that he “tried to be supportive” and watched the show for his daughter. “But I can assure you, I don’t watch it anymore.”
