Teddi Mellencamp recently opened up about how her cancer diagnosis is affecting the lives of her children.
In a heartfelt conversation with Entertainment Tonight on Friday, April 18, the reality TV star shared the profound distress she feels when contemplating the worst-case scenarios related to her health.
“I’m like, ‘I don’t think that you understand like the debilitating pain that I feel some days thinking about the fact that like my kids,'” she began, her voice catching with emotion as she paused.
The “Next Level” star continued, expressing her deep feelings, “My kids are young. I mean, I remember one day in the hospital, I was like, ‘I feel like today might be Dove’s birthday,’ and Edwin’s like, ‘It is. It’s her party today that you planned.'”
For those unfamiliar, the former “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” alum is a mother to three children: Dove, 5; Slate, 12; and Cruz, 10, whom she shares with her estranged husband.
Recalling a particularly poignant moment, Mellencamp shared, “And I was like, ‘Can they please just let me out for today?’ And he’s like, ‘You realize you have not only gone through massive brain surgery, but you have a hole in your head,'” she continued. “And, I just remember in that moment he said exactly what I needed him to say. He’s like, ‘We’ll throw another one.'”
“But, like my heart broke because I wonder if will she remember that I wasn’t there,” she added, highlighting the emotional toll her illness takes on her role as a mother.
It’s important to note that Mellencamp received a stage four cancer diagnosis in February, following the discovery of additional brain tumors prior to her brain surgery. Doctors have given her a “50/50” chance of survival.
