Former “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Teddi Mellencamp has undergone emergency surgery after doctors discovered multiple tumors on her brain.
The 43-year-old television personality, who appeared on the Bravo reality show from 2017 to 2020, shared the health update in an Instagram post on Wednesday, explaining that she had been suffering “severe and debilitating” headaches for weeks.
“Yesterday the pain was unbearable and required hospitalization,” she wrote.
“After a CT scan and MRI, doctors found multiple tumors on my brain, which they believe have been growing for at least 6 months.”
Mellencamp, the daughter of Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter John Mellencamp, noted that doctors only planned to remove two tumors during the procedure. She said the smaller remaining masses would be treated with radiation at a later date.
“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,” Mellencamp wrote.
Many of Mellencamp’s fans and followers left messages of support in the comment section, including her “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” co-star Kyle Richards.
“Strongest woman I know,” wrote Richards. “You have so much love and support around you. You’ve got this!”
“Praying for your health my friend,” wrote Emily Simpson, star of “The Real Housewives of Orange County.”
Model Cynthia Bailey, who was featured in “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” shared a similar sentiment, writing: “Sending you love, strength & prayer my friend. Love you!”
“Sending you all positivity,” added Andy Cohen, executive producer of “The Real Housewives” franchise and host of the Bravo talk show “Watch What Happens Live.”
Mellencamp shares three children—Slate, 12; Cruz, 10; and Dove, 4—with her former husband, Edwin Arroyave. The 47-year-old entrepreneur, along with Richards, visited Mellencamp at the hospital before her surgery.
Arroyave posted a picture of Mellencamp lying in a hospital bed to his Instagram feed, including a prayer in the caption for her to have a full recovery.
Mellencamp also documented her experience leading up to the procedure in a series of Instagram Story posts, including having her head shaved.
“As my dad said this am, god only gives hard stuff to those of us who can handle it,” she penned. “It’s a hard day but I have faith and amazing surgeons and know everything will be ok.”
Mellencamp has been open about her health challenges in recent years, including her years-long battle with skin cancer.
In 2022, she revealed that she had been diagnosed with stage two melanoma.
According to the American Cancer Society, melanoma is a type of cancer that begins in the skin’s melanin-forming cells, known as melanocytes. It is one of the most dangerous forms of the disease because it can spread quickly if left untreated.