Surgeries, Relapses & Breathing Issues: Inside Beth Chapman's Brave Cancer Battle Before Tragic Death
Jun. 26 2019, Updated 6:02 p.m. ET
Beth Chapman’s long battle with throat cancer came to an end on June 26, when husband Duane “Dog” Chapman shared the heartbreaking news his beloved wife had died.
Beth was first diagnosed with cancer in 2017, and was forced to endure an emergency, 13-hour surgery with a very low survival rate. Dog was with her the entire time, showering her with support.
"We're gonna show the world how she's gonna beat this,” he shared on the TV special Dog and Beth: Fight of Their Lives. “That's a tough woman, physically, emotionally, spiritually. The cancer picked on the wrong female."
Sadly, Dog revealed this Wednesday that she had passed.
“It’s 5:32 in Hawaii, this is the time she would wake up to go hike Koko Head mountain. Only today, she hiked the stairway to heaven. We all love you, Beth. See you on the other side,” he wrote.
Beth is survived by her husband and the four children they shared together, Dominic, 34, Cecily, 26, Bonnie, 20, and Garry, 18.
Take a look back at Beth’s courageous battle in this RadarOnline.com gallery.
First Meeting
Beth was just 19 when she first met Dog in 1986. The two had an on-again, off-again relationship for a decade before finally moving in together in 1995.
They Do
The pair tied the knot in Hawaii in May 2006, but the celebration was marred by the sudden and tragic death of Dog’s daughter, Barbara Katy Chapman, just a day earlier. The 23-year-old was involved in a fatal car accident in Fairbanks, Alaska. "They all decided unanimously they should celebrate the wedding and her life," Michael Feeney, senior vice president of A&E television network, said in a statement at the time, noting Dog’s other children helped with the decision.
Emergency
In September 2017, Beth learned that she had Stage II throat cancer, and was forced to undergo emergency surgery.
‘You Have Cancer’
"As most of you know I've spent a lifetime facing tests and challenges I didn't see coming and certainly never expected. I've been dealt my share of unexpected blows over the course of my almost fifty years but nothing as serious as the one I heard from my doctors two weeks ago when they uttered those dreaded three words, ‘You have cancer,'" she said in a statement to Radar at the time.
‘Never Been A Victim’
"To be certain, I’ve stared down the devil more than once in my life but I’ve never faced a real life or death decision. My life has never been easy, and I surely don’t expect it to start now,” she continued in her statement. “Still, I’ve never been a victim and I won’t let cancer beat me. I realize the road I am about to travel will be rocky, full of unexpected twists and turns. But I know one thing for sure. A bend in the road is not the end of the road.”
50/50 Chance
Doctors initially gave her only a 50/50 chance of survival following a 13-hour surgery.
But thankfully, after the surgery, doctors declared Beth "cancer-free.”
Stepping Back
In November 2017, the couple announced that they both would be stepping back from their work as bounty hunters to concentrate on Beth's health.
Blockage
Only a year later in November 2018, Beth experienced a “blockage” in her throat, and was rushed into emergency surgery.
Cancer Returns
After two hours under the knife, doctors determined Beth's cancer had returned.
Twice The Size
"She had a lump in her throat twice the size of last time, and they performed an emergency surgery yesterday. They cut a hole in her throat so she can breathe; she can still talk,” he told Us Weekly adding, she’s “doing the best she can and remains incredibly strong.”
Breathing Issues
On Saturday, April 6, 2019, Beth was rushed to the hospital in Hawaii with “serious breathing issues.” But after a short hospital stay, Duane’s beloved wife was sent home.
Coma
Just days ago, on June 23, Beth was once again rushed to the hospital after suffering a breathing issue, and placed in a medically induced coma.
Passing On
On June 26, Beth Chapman’s hard battle ended, as she died at the age of 51.