Teddi Mellencamp wishes 'miracle' daughter, who had neurosurgery as a baby, a happy 6th birthday amid cancer battle

Teddi Mellencamp took to Instagram on Wednesday to mark her daughter Dove's sixth birthday.

The 44-year-old mom-of-three – who is battling brain cancer – shared two photos with her youngest child and added a sentimental caption.

The first image of the post was a present day capture of Mellencamp smiling and hugging her daughter, who wore a 'Let's Party' crown in honor of her special day. 

A second photo showed Dove as a baby with white bandages wrapped around her head from when she underwent neurosurgery in 2020 for lambdoid craniosynostosis.

'Happy birthday to my miracle baby. The strength and resilience you have shown since you came into this world is something I have learned to use in my own fight,' Mellencamp wrote.

'And now at 6, you’re teaching us all how to enjoy life to the fullest while being your unabashed self.'

Last year Mellencamp was forced to miss Dove's 5th birthday celebration as she had just undergone emergency surgery to remove plum-sized tumors on her brain.

She lamented in Wednesday's caption, 'I am still so sorry I was in the hospital and missed your 5th party; but dang you don’t know how grateful I am to be at this one.'

'Love you so much, Dovey Doo. Hope this year is your best yet ❤️,' the proud mom concluded.

The former Masked Singer competitor also used Instagram Stories to share a video clip of her leading Dove to festive birthday balloons before she headed to school.

In addition to Dove, Mellencamp shares daughter Slate, 13, and son Cruz, 11, with estranged husband Edwin Arroyave, 48. And she is stepmom to his 17-year-old daughter Isabella Arroyave.

The dad of four also marked Dove's birthday by sharing an adorable video with the little girl before dropping her off at school.

The youngster had a surprising request after Arroyave asked what she wants for her birthday.

'All of my friends, and my daddy, and can you shave?' she said to her dad before continuing to list, 'A pretend phone, and a watch that can track me.'

Arroyave added a poll to the video, asking his followers "Should I shave for Dove's birthday?"  

Earlier this month Mellencamp marked the one year anniversary of her stage 4 cancer diagnosis.

She took to Instagram to reflect on her health battle, writing, 'A year ago today I went into the ER thinking I had migraines and within 24 hours was having surgery on the plum-sized stage 4 tumors on my brain.'

Mellencamp, who has since announced the cancer is undetectable, added, 'I have a lot of anxiety surrounding today but also a lot of gratitude. 

'Gratitude for the doctors and nurses who took care of me, gratitude for my family and friends for supporting me, and gratitude for all the love that you have poured into me.'

She ended the caption by advising, 'Trust your instincts. Get checked ❤️.'

Her brain cancer came as a result of her 2022 melanoma metastasizing. She admitted to her Two T's in a Pod co-host Tamera Judge in January that her biggest fear is 'that the cancer is going to come back.'

Mellencamp's health crisis came just three months after she'd announced her split from Arroyave in late 2024.

The former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star clarified on her podcast last month that even though her cancer is undetectable, she's not in the clear.

'There's still no trace of cancer. But I'm still considered stage four and I'm still on immunotherapy, so essentially nothing's changed other than I still don't feel great.

'I [hoped] that I would be feeling better by now, but I really don't,' she explained.

The effects of the growing tumors were present for six months before Mellencamp finally sought medical attention.

She'd been suffering from migraines but ignored the pain and kept moving forward as she faced other issues in her life, she said in March on her Two Ts in a Pod podcast with Tamra Judge.

The former reality television star has shared each step of her treatment and recovery with fans online.