Former “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Teddi Mellencamp revealed Wednesday that she has been diagnosed with multiple brain tumors and is scheduled to undergo surgery to remove two of them.
“For the last several weeks I’ve been dealing with severe and debilitating headaches,” the “Real Housewives” alum and daughter of singer-songwriter John Mellencamp wrote on Instagram. “Yesterday the pain was unbearable and required hospitalization. After a CT scan and MRI, doctors found multiple tumors on my brain, which they believe have been growing for at least six months.”
Mellencamp, who turned 43 last year, is best known for the three years she spent as a star of “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” from 2017 to 2020. “Two of the tumors will be surgically removed today,” she revealed Wednesday. “The smaller tumors will be dealt with via radiation at a later date.”
Mellencamp shares three children with her second husband, Edwin Arroyave, a security company CEO whom she separated from last year. In an Instagram story posted early Wednesday, Mellencamp shared a selfie of herself with her eyes closed on a hospital bed and in a surgical gown. “Counting down the minutes until my babies get here,” she captioned the image. “As my dad said this AM, God only gives hard stuff to those of us who can handle it.
“It’s a hard day, but I have faith and amazing surgeons and know everything will be OK,” she continued.
In a separate Instagram story, Mellencamp showed a group of friends and family members gathered around her hospital bed. The group included Mellencamp’s “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” co-star Kyle Richards.
“Join me in praying for @teddimellencamp as she goes into surgery today,” urged “Real Housewives of Orange County” star and Mellencamp’s “Two Ts in a Pod” podcast co-host Tamra Judge in her own Instagram post. “Please also pray over her beautiful kids. Teddi Jo, I love you so much and can’t imagine my life without you — you’re the little sister I never had and the best friend anyone could ask for.”
In her pre-surgery post, Mellencamp expressed her gratitude for the support she’s received in recent weeks. “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,” she noted on Instagram. “Thank you to everybody who has reached out, and to everyone who has supported me along this journey.”
