Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave he is forever grateful Kyle Richards.

While presenting Melanoma Research Foundation’s 23rd Annual New York Gala Thursday, October 24, the first The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast member, 43, opened up about how Richards, 55, was instrumental in her melanoma journey.

“I’ve talked in the past about how my friend Kyle Richards forced me to go to that doctor’s appointment. I was on a run and she said, “Your back looks a little different,” she said in Instagram post from her speech at the eventwhich helps raise funds to support melanoma education programs, funds research grants, and aids advocacy initiatives at the federal and state level.

“The truth (is) if she hadn’t forced me to go to that meeting, I don’t know that I’d be up here having this conversation right now, but she saved my life,” Mellencamp Arroyave continued. “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 Two T’s in a Bridge podcast and social media, sharing how her friends and family have given her “the biggest support.”

“I could never have imagined the number of people who would message me and say, ‘I checked my skin 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 am grateful for all the doctors, nurses and scientists who are fighting this battle. And I am especially grateful to 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 night that I will never forget.”

Earlier this month, while speaking with PEOPLE, she shared that she was “doing well” afterward 16th melanoma surgery.

“I’m looking forward to continuing to talk about melanoma and being an advocate for people to continue to get their skin checked, because we all think we’re professionals, but we’re not,” she said.

While she and Richards remain close, Mellencamp Arroyave also confirmed to PEOPLE that she will not appear in the next season 14 of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hillswhich decreased its dramatic trailer Thursday.

“I really feel like I’m in a place where, unless it’s an event that’s really 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 “, he said. Mellencamp Arroyave, who left the show after season 10 but made guest appearances in seasons 11, 12, and 13.

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She and Tamra Judge are hosted TwoTscon on November 1 at the iHeart Theater in Los Angeles. housewives FAV Heather Dubrow, Dolores Catania, Cynthia Bailey and Marysol Patton there will be special guests.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills premieres Tuesday, November 19 at 8:00 PM ET/PT on Bravo. Previous seasons of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills can be streamed on Peacock.