The day after sharing with fans that she was embarking on a challenge to become a “better version” of herself, Teddi Mellencamp shared an emotional and relatable Instagram post in which she mused on “the old Teddi” and “the new Teddi” pre and post cancer.
The former “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star shared a lengthy and reflective caption which began with her saying she doesn’t want to be called “the old Teddi.”
The socialite, who is the daughter of “Jack & Diane” singer John Mellencamp, explained that looking at the above throwback photo of herself is making her relive “all that transpired” since it was taken.
She says she wants to believe her former self “would want me to find all of the tears, all of the pain, and all of laughs I desperately needed to be worth the fight.”
However, she says that’s not her reality. Although she says she’s “trying” and tells herself she should be “grateful to be alive,” it’s still hard.
Listing some of the reasons for her uneasiness, she wrote, “Because I still find ways to feel alone. To feel unworthy. To feel lost. What’s the point of fighting so tirelessly if I can’t feel at peace?” she wrote.
Teddi then said she find herself feeling “stuck in the in-between” and asked, “Has anybody else out there dealing with cancer ever find themselves feeling like they’re never enough? And how do you manage to not let this lie get to you?”
The feeling Teddi describes of being “never enough” could have been a part of her motivation for starting her challenge yesterday, which is intensely focused on fitness. Teddi has taken several clips of herself on the treadmill since starting, but also looks to be overhauling her lifestyle with an early rising routine, peak organization of her meds, and more.
Fans Support Teddi After Her Emotional Confession
After Teddi’s raw and personal post, she was flooded with supportive comments. One fellow cancer survivor wrote, “You will never be the person you once were. You find your new normal and eventually everything will get easier.”
Another chimed in and encouraged her to “look at your life through the lens of chapters and volumes.” They said the tip “helps me to not feel like I’m drowning in the moment or have completely lost myself,” and shared that they survived ovarian cancer two times.
A fellow melanoma patient commiserated about having to shave her head for surgery and to check for more spots of danger after her melanoma with a BRAF gene mutation started on her head. Teddi shaved her head in February 2025 to prepare for her surgery to remove numerous brain tumors.
Teddi did not have chemotherapy. Instead, her treatments along with surgery consisted of radiation and systemic immunotherapy, which she is still undergoing.
She fearlessly debuted her bald look at a gala in Los Angeles. The event was her first public appearance since revealing her melanoma had spread to her brain and lungs. The tumors found in her lungs were treated with immunotherapy rather than surgery.
How Is Teddi Mellencamp Doing Now?
It has been a year since Teddi announced in October 2025 that her latest scans showed no evidence of disease. She is not yet considered to be in full remission, and continues her immunotherapy in hopes of preventing relapse and targeting any small unseen cancer cells which might be present.
Teddi Mellencamp Emotionally Posts Pre-Cancer Photo: ‘The Old Teddi’