Doctors believe Teddi Mellencamp has a “50/50” chance of beating stage 4 melanoma.
The “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” alum admitted Thursday that she frequently asks her medical team what the odds are of both her radiation and immunotherapy working to fight off cancer.
“It’s one of my favorite things to ask is, ‘How long I got?’ Or, ‘What are my chances?’ And they often times say, ’50/50,’” Mellencamp said during a sit-down interview with “Nightline.”
Mellencamp, 43, mimicked her shocked reaction and recalled telling doctors, “’50/50?! I wouldn’t buy a car that’s only gonna drive 50 percent of the time. I don’t want this!’”
However, doctors quickly reminded Mellencamp that she has been utilizing immunotherapy –– a cancer treatment that uses her own immune system to attack cancer cells –– and that treatment has only been actively around since 2011.
“[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 one doctor told her of the past efficacy studies.
“So that’s where I try to then find the positive,” she explained.
The former Bravolebrity acknowledged that the radiation and immunotherapy has taken a toll on her body, and she’s struggled with not being as active as she once was.
“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 confessed.
The rigorous treatments have taught Mellencamp to “not take anything for granted” and to set goals for both herself and her family.
“I’m here, and that makes me feel good,” she said. “These are special times that we get to do any of this.”
Mellencamp has been speaking about her health journey ever since she was diagnosed with stage 2 melanoma in 2022.
After undergoing 16 surgeries, she received a clean bill of health in late 2024. Unfortunately, she learned in February that the melanoma had spread and doctors found “multiple tumors” on her brain.
Doctors subsequently removed four “plum-sized tumors” from her brain in emergency surgery.
However, she has still been receiving radiation and immunotherapy for her “smaller” tumors, and she recently celebrated her “last day of radiation” last week.
