Teddi Mellencamp is seeing signs of progress in the latest update in her long fight against stage 4 cancer.
The 43-year-old reality star and former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast member recently shared that she’s finally noticing real changes in her hair growth, offering fans a rare glimpse into one of the more emotional parts of her treatment journey.
In a recent post on Instagram, Teddi uploaded before-and-after photos showing visible hair regrowth over the course of a month. “It’s amazing what my body can do,” she wrote in the caption, adding that for the first time in months, she feels hopeful about the direction things are going.
Earlier this year, Teddi revealed that her melanoma had advanced to stage 4, having spread to both her brain and lungs. Since the diagnosis, she’s undergone multiple rounds of treatment including brain surgery, radiation, and ongoing immunotherapy.
Despite the physical and emotional toll, she’s kept her fans in the loop, using social media to openly document her ups and downs. In her latest update, she wrote: “I noticed a real change in my hair regrowth. Cancer comes with so many emotions: anger, sadness, loneliness. And while I feel grateful that immunotherapy is saving my life, I feel like I live in a fog, and I can’t help but beat myself up on all of the ways I am falling short. I just desperately want to be back to my usual self.”
Hair loss has been a tough side effect of radiation for Teddi. She explained that some areas of her scalp still haven’t started growing hair again, while others have. “During radiation I lost big patches of hair; those spots aren’t growing hair yet. This is what it looks like when the other hair grows out,” she said. “So I shave these parts that grow every couple of weeks. I can’t do it every day.”
Teddi also opened up on her podcast Two T’s in a Pod, which she co-hosts with Tamra Judge. She talked about experiencing headaches again, which initially made her worry that the tumors could be growing. But a follow-up MRI brought better news, there was no new growth. “The tumors have not grown at all, if anything they’re shrinking … but I am still stage 4 cancer,” she said.
She added that she’ll remain on immunotherapy for the next two years, with the goal of reaching remission by the end of that time.
“It’s stage 4 until it’s gone,” Teddi said. “But this progress gives me something to hold onto.”
Jamie Wells has a knack for getting the inside scoop on Hollywood’s biggest stars and up-and-coming talent. With a sharp eye for industry trends and an ear for viral moments, Jamie covers everything from red-carpet events to behind-the-scenes drama in movies, TV, and celebrity culture.
