The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Teddi Mellencamp has been diagnosed with stage 2 melanoma. The 41-year-old reality star took to both her Instagram feed and Story on Oct. 11 to announce the news and give fans an inside look at her diagnosis journey. “Melanoma awareness update,” she began in her raw caption that accompanies a photo of a light pink back scar next to a bandaged spot where more testing was done. “Despite my anxiety, I listened to the doctors and went in for my 3-month skin check last week since my previous melanoma. They said I had another abnormal spot near my last one so they did a biopsy. I got the call this morning: Stage 2 melanoma.”
“Now, next Wednesday I go to an oncologist to have it cut out and come up with a game plan on next steps,” she continued. “Of course, this is all pending some additional testing and biopsies of other spots nearby that were taken today. Moral of this story: if a doctor says, ‘come in every 3 months’ please go in every 3 months. I so badly wanted to blow this off. ‘What could happen in 3 months?’ I thought. Apparently a lot.” She added that she wants to “share this journey” because she was a “90s teen, putting baby oil and iodine” on her skin to get a nice tan.
“Never wearing sunscreen or getting my moles checked until I was 40 years old. This has been such a wakeup call for me, and I hope to all of you, to love and protect the skin you’re in,” she concluded.
Teddi also took to her Instagram Story (seen below) to plead with her followers to take skincare and preventative doctor appointments seriously. “So I just finished my workout and got the call from the doctor that that other spot came back melanoma and they asked me to come right in. So I’m here,” she said as she held tears back in a video she filmed from the doctor’s office. “I’m facing my fears and making sure that I stay on top of these doctor’s appointments and I’ll keep you guys posted.” She concluded, “It’s so important. go get your skin checks.”
Teddi Mellencamp tears up as she reveals she has been diagnosed with Stage 2 melanoma The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum got a mole removed earlier in 2022 and urges her fans to go get checked#Teddi #Mellencamp #Stage #Housewives #Beverly #Hills #alum #mole pic.twitter.com/rIPLMlMBfj
— Shahryar Sultan (@Shahryar_Sultan) October 11, 2022
Afterward, Teddi showed herself getting her hair done because she needed to do “something dramatic” after the “chaotic” skin cancer news. She also shared two photos of brown spots on her back that she had biopsied and turned out to be melanoma.
The mother of three had a cancer scare in March of this year and also took to the ‘gram to be real with her fans. “This is a reminder to please go get your yearly skin checks. I had been avoiding mine bc of my own anxiety for a very long time but when @kylerichards18 saw my back and it had changed colors again, she immediately took me to the doc who within minutes said it looks like melanoma and did a big removal,” she revealed alongside a selfie that showed thick white bandages covering the spot on her back where skin was removed.
“I am doing my best to stay present and positive as I head to [film] today. Grateful that I am busy to keep my mind from racing as I await the results,” she continued. “I find strength in being honest with you all and hope this helps others. Please let this be a reminder to take action on your own skin.”