Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave revealed on Monday that her daughter Dove, 4 months, has been diagnosed with a rare condition that will require neurological surgery.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star said in a lengthy Instagram post that her youngest child was diagnosed with lambdoid craniosynostosis, which Mellencamp Arroyave said is "a very rare type of non-syndromic craniosynostosis and occurs when one of the lambdoid sutures at the back of the head fuses before birth."
In her post, the 39-year-old mother of three admitted she was initially unsure if she wanted to share her baby girl's medical issue with the public.
"Dealing with anxiety, especially when in the 'public eye,' isn’t easy; and going into July it's at an all-time high," she said. "I was torn as to whether I should share this information, but as someone who tries to be as transparent as possible, and knowing I have a platform to reach others in similar situations, I would like to update you all."
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Mellencamp Arroyave said that Dove's diagnosis will require neurosurgery at the end of the month.
"We are so grateful to have an amazing team of doctors and surgeons who have caught this early and will be working on her," she said.
"Originally, like [son Cruz, 5½] before her, we thought Dove had Torticollis and would likely need a doc band for re-shaping," Mellencamp Arroyave continued. "Instead a CT scan showed Lambdoid Craniosynostosis."
"The recovery is about a week in the hospital and a couple weeks at home with a very high success rate," she shared.
The reality star — who shares Dove, Cruz and daughter Slate, 7½, with husband Edwin Arroyave — said that although they are "filled with nerves" over Dove's surgery, they "have our faith that she will be ok."
"Please keep baby Dove in your prayers and if you have had a child with this same surgery, please let me know below, as I would love any additional insight and support," she wrote. "Sending 💕 to you all."
The daughter of John Mellencamp received an overwhelming amount of support on her Instagram post, including from many of her fellow Bravo costars.
"Love you guys and baby Dove," Kyle Richards commented while Sutton Stracke wrote, "Sending prayers up. 🙏🏻 Y'all got this! 😽😽😽"
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Dove's upcoming surgery is only the latest health hurdle in the Arroyave family. Late last month, Mellencamp Arroyave went into detail on her Teddi Tea Pod podcast about a scary accident that saw her older daughter lose the tip of one of her fingers.
Slate was transported by ambulance to the hospital, where doctors reattached her severed fingertip in the hopes that it would heal. But after three weeks of being in a "huge cast," the healing had not progressed the way they'd hoped, and the little girl had to undergo skin-graft surgery instead.
Now, as her mom shared, Slate has been "able to start using her right hand again" and is out of the cast. But Mellencamp Arroyave wasn't immune from guilt surrounding the incident — although thankfully, her oldest child saw things differently.
"At one point, [Slate] looked at me and she was like, 'Hey Mom, just so you know, this wasn't your fault,' " the star recalled. "And I was like, 'Well, I feel like it was my fault. I should've told you before I took the trash out not to follow. And I know the door is heavy' and all of these things, and she was just like, 'Mom, I'm gonna be fine.' "
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