Rock legend’s daughter given 50-50 odds of beating cancer (2025)

Doctors have given Teddi Mellencamp a 50/50 chance of beating cancer, the “Real Housewives” alum said.

Mellencamp, the daughter of rock legend John Mellencamp, is undergoing immunotherapy for stage 4 cancer.

When asked in a recent Nightline interview what doctors say about her survival odds, Mellencamp responded, “I learned this isn’t the best question to ask if you’re doing immunotherapy, because immunotherapy has only been around 10 years.”

• Read More: Rock legend planning daughter’s burial amid her ongoing cancer battle

However, the 43-year-old admitted that some of her favorite questions for doctors are, “How long I got?” and “What are my chances?”

“They oftentimes say 50-50,” Mellencamp said, before sharing her reaction to the answer.

“Fifty-fifty? I wouldn’t buy a car that’s only gonna drive 50% of the time. I don’t want this,” she said.

“And [the doctor’s] like, ‘No, it’s only because that’s how long immunotherapy has been around so that’s how long the study has worked,’” Mellencamp continued. “So that’s when I then try to find the positive.”

• Read More: Rock legend’s daughter says she’s ‘fighting for my life’ as cancer spreads

Mellencamp said in an Instagram post on Feb. 12 that doctors found “multiple tumors” on her brain that they believe had been “growing for at least six months.”

She said in another Instagram post on Feb. 26 that she had four tumors removed, but that her “fight is not over.” Mellencamp posted a selfie on Feb. 28 with the caption, “Staples out and ready for radiation.”

She revealed in March that she had more tumors than doctors originally thought.

“I have multiple tumors in my brain that weren’t able to be removed via surgery,” the 43-year-old wrote in an Instagram post on March 6.

“I also have two tumors in my lungs. These are all metastases of my melanoma,” Mellencamp wrote. “The doctors are hopeful that immunotherapy will effectively treat them. I am feeling positive — that I will win this battle, that I got this wig (I like the short hair, just not the bald spots), and that I can remember all of Angelina’s kids’ names.”

By early April, Mellencamp confirmed that she was battling stage 4 cancer. She told Us Weekly that the cancer had spread and doctors found four new tumors.

“I’m fighting for my life, but also for my family’s life and all the people I love,” Mellencamp told the outlet.

• Read More: ‘Real Housewives’ star undergoes immediate surgery for brain tumors

Mellencamp told Us Weekly that many of her friends, “Real Housewives” co-stars and her entire family has been supporting her throughout her cancer journey. Her last Instagram post featured a photo of several of her friends visiting Mellencamp in the hospital.

“My hospital girl crew (minus Jenn, Kyle, Meg, Kelly, and Tam) surprised me with a wig party,” the captions reads. “I guess that was safer than a shaving my head in solidarity party so I can’t complain 🤣Love them so much. I feel blessed to have the support I do.”

Teddi was previously diagnosed with stage II melanoma, a type of skin cancer, in October 2022. She shared on Instagram in March 2022 after the cancerous mole was removed.

“This is a reminder to please go get your yearly skin checks,” she wrote at the time. “I am doing my best to stay present and positive as I head to TV today. Grateful that I am busy to keep my mind from racing as I await the results.”

Teddi was on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” from 2017 to January 2024. She has three children with her ex-husband, Edwin Arroyave, the CEO of a security company. Teddi also has a stepdaughter, Isabella Arroyave.

The couple separated in October 2024 after 13 years of marriage, Us Weekly reported at the time. Teddi also asked her father if the family’s mausoleum would have space for her children.