Teddi Mellencamp is beating cancer, but wants to avoid “difficult conversations” with her family right now
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The Battle Within
Teddi Mellencamp is seeing the light at the end of her cancer tunnel, but she’s not ready to talk about it just yet.
“I’m in a little bit of denial about where I am physically,” she explained recently on her podcast. When others try to face reality, tensions arise.
Family conversations are on hold right now
“My family wants to have the hard things, and I don’t,” Teddi told her podcast partner Tamra Judge.
While her loved ones want to discuss the future and her medical condition, Teddi prefers to avoid these topics.
A friendship that understands
Tamra understands Teddi’s hesitation. Despite never sharing screen time together on Bravo, the two formed a deep bond after a chance meeting at a California church in 2018.
“You don’t want to talk about it with anybody,” Tamra said, understanding her friend’s way of coping.
Silence on Instagram
When Teddi goes quiet on social media, Tamra knows something is wrong. “I know you don’t post on Instagram when you don’t feel well,” she explained.
Though Teddi has kept fans updated online with doctor visits and surgery scars, deep conversations still remain limited.
Medical Journey
After being diagnosed with stage 2 melanoma in 2022, Teddi endured three difficult years of tests and treatments as the cancer spread throughout her body.
At one point, doctors gave her a 50/50 chance of survival.
Rays of Hope
Good news came this April — Teddi’s brain tumors have “shrunk significantly,” leading doctors to believe the treatment is working.
Her immunotherapy has been so successful that doctors plan to continue it for at least two more years.
The ongoing battle
Despite the progress, Teddy stays realistic: “It’s stage 4 until it’s over, until I’m in remission.”
For now, she’s focusing on living rather than on the disease, putting those “difficult conversations” aside for a little while longer.