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Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave is forever grateful to Kyle Richards.
While emceeing the Melanoma Research Foundation’s 23rd Annual New York City Gala on Thursday, Oct. 24, the former The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast member, 43, opened up about how Richards, 55, played an essential role in her melanoma journey.
“I’ve spoken in the past about how my friend Kyle Richards forced me to go to that doctor’s appointment. We were on a run, and she said, ‘Your back looks a little different,’ ” she shared in Instagram post from her speech at the event, which helps raise funds to support melanoma education programs, fund research grants and aid federal and state-level advocacy initiatives.
Phillip Faraone/Getty
“The truth [is] if she hadn’t forced me to go to that appointment, I don’t know that I’d be up here having this conversation right now, but she saved my life,” continued Mellencamp Arroyave. “And as someone with a platform, I know I can use my pain to pay it forward to help others avoid theirs.”
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The former reality star has been open about her condition on her Two T’s in a Pod podcast and social media, sharing how her friends and family have given her “the most support.”
“I never could have imagined the number of people who would message me and say, ‘I got my skin checked because of you’ and ‘I caught something’ or ‘Thank you, you saved my life.’ ”
She expressed her gratitude for having a community that allows her to “amplify my voice” in the caption of her post.
“I’m grateful for all of the doctor, nurses, and scientists fighting this fight. And I’m especially grateful for all of you, who have showered me with love, support, and your own inspirational stories of resilience and survival,” she wrote. “Last night’s gala was an amazing evening I’ll never forget.”
Earlier this month, while speaking to PEOPLE, she shared that she was “doing well” after her 16th melanoma surgery.
Teddi Mellencamp/instagram
“I am really looking forward to continuing to speak about melanoma and be an advocate for people to continue checking their skin, because we all think we’re professionals, but yet we’re not,” she said.
While she and Richards remain close, Mellencamp Arroyave also confirmed to PEOPLE that she will not be appearing in the upcoming season 14 of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, which dropped its dramatic trailer on Thursday.
“I really feel like I’m in a place where, unless an event is truly important to one of my best friends, that I’m there to support them, I don’t feel the need to go in that capacity,” said Mellencamp Arroyave, who exited the show after season 10, but appeared as a guest in seasons 11, 12 and 13.
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She and Tamra Judge are hosting TwoTscon on Nov. 1 at the iHeart Theater in Los Angeles. Housewives favorites Heather Dubrow, Dolores Catania, Cynthia Bailey and Marysol Patton will be special guests.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills premieres Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo. Previous seasons of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills can be streamed on Peacock.
