Teddi Mellencamp Is ‘Fighting for My Life' After 4 More Brain Tumors Found

Teddi Mellencamp is opening up about her cancer battle in the new issue of Us Weekly, revealing her doctors have found four more brain tumors weeks after surgery to remove four.

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

Mellencamp learned of the new tumors on March 26 during an emergency MRI.

Earlier this year, Mellencamp was experiencing migraines that didn’t go away even after taking medication. She recalled, “I was shaking and feeling crazy. Then one day, I was like, something is really wrong. I couldn’t see. Edwin took me to the emergency room in Tarzana; the pain had become something I’d never felt before. They diagnosed me with multiple brain tumors, but the [ER doctor] says he can’t take them out; they’ve got to get me into Cedars-Sinai [hospital]. And I’m like, ‘Can’t you get me in tonight? I want to go tonight.’ I had six brain tumors and two lung tumors; they all came from melanoma that metastasized into these tumors inside of my body.”

Teddi is maintaining a positive outlook on her cancer battle, but she has stopped saying her “moms always come back” catchphrase with her kids Slate, 12, Cruz, 10, and Dove, 5.

She explained, “I have not said that line to them since I’ve been back [from the hospital]. They all know that I’m fighting the hardest I possibly can, but I haven’t said [it] because I don’t want to lie to them. And I don’t know.”

Due to her brain surgery, Mellencamp has been sporting a buzz cut. She admitted, “Ugh, I’m so over it already. But Cruz made it a little better because he said, ‘Mom, we can get all the same haircuts.’”

While her cancer treatments can deplete her energy, Teddi does her best to stay active. She explained, “When I do too much laying [around], I get pretty sad. On the days I’m feeling low, I can get really emotional, and if I’m open with the people in my life, then I have an easier time resting. When I try to pretend I’m okay and resting, it’s hard for me.”

Calling her cancer battle “the hardest thing” she’s ever faced, Teddi said, “But now it feels less hard. When I was in the ICU, it was incredibly difficult because I had no memory. One day, I realized it was my daughter’s birthday, and I couldn’t be there for it; it was really sad. It’s still sad when I can’t be there for my kids the way I’d normally be.”

Teddi also revealed, “One of my coping mechanisms is being sarcastic. I’d rather joke about it and have the best possible outcome than be completely in denial and have my heart broken.”

In November, news broke about Teddi’s split with shusband Edwin Arroyave after 13 years of marriage. The pair have put the divorce on pause amid her cancer battle.

She shared, “I’m really lucky that Edwin, who I was in the middle of a divorce from, we put everything on hold. [It] wasn’t really the time to be fighting over emails. He’s been extremely kind and helping with the kids. That’s made things a lot easier.”

They still live together, but sleep in separate bedrooms. Teddi commented, “I’m in the primary, and he’s in one of the guest rooms. It’s fun. It’s all the things that I loved about our marriage but without all the problems.”