Here's a breakdown of the TV star's years-spanning battle with the illness.
On Wednesday morning, fans learned that Beth Chapman, star of Dog the Bounty Hunter, had died -- ending a long battle with cancer.
Chapman died at Hawaii’s Queen’s Medical Center at roughly 5:30 a.m. local time, with her entire family by her side.
"It’s 5:32 in Hawaii, this is the time she would wake up to go hike Koko Head mountain," her husband, Duane ‘Dog’ Chapman, tweeted. "Only today, she hiked the stairway to heaven. We all love you, Beth. See you on the other side."
From her cancer diagnosis onward, Chapman was often forthright with her fans and friends regarding her health and her fight to overcome the illness. Here’s a breakdown of everything the beloved TV star said about her cancer battle.
The Diagnosis
In September 2017, Chapman shared a moving letter to family and close friends explaining that she had Stage 2 throat cancer. She also shared her undimmed optimism and plan to fight back, assuring loved ones that she refused to be a victim.
"As most of you know I’ve spent a lifetime facing tests and challenges I didn’t see coming and certainly never expected," she wrote, via Us Weekly. "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.'"
"After months of a nagging cough, a routine checkup resulted in a diagnosis of Stage 2 throat cancer," Chapman added. "I have what is referred to as a T2 Tumor in my throat that is blocking my breathing. My doctors are suggesting immediate treatment and surgery before the disease progresses."
"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. 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," she concluded. "But I know one thing for sure. A bend in the road is not the end of the road."
In November 2017, she reiterated her determination to overcome cancer, while also highlighting people in her life who have helped her during the challenging period.
"I knew I couldn’t let it take me over," she told People. "I had to keep moving, every day, moving forward. That’s all you can do when you get a diagnosis like this. So I take it each day at a time. And I’ll fight it with all that I have. I don’t need to be pitied. I didn’t surround myself with people who pity the situation. I wanted to be around people who helped me move forward. My friend Shannon Tweed pushed me every minute of every day, but she didn’t pity me."
She also shared how people reacted to the news of her cancer battle and assured everyone that her diagnosis had not changed her – despite the fearful moments.
"People get scared when they get the diagnosis," she said. "I’m no different; of course I was scared. And then people go to Doctor Google, and it becomes an even more desperate situation. I didn’t want that. I had people around me who didn’t let me fall into darkness. They pulled me forward."
"Cancer is a terrible, deadly disease that can take away your faith and your hope," Beth added. "You’ve got to fight it like hell. You can’t let it overtake your body — but you also can’t let it overtake your brain and your spirit. I totally believe in the power of prayer,” says Beth. “I believe that what you confess with your mouth, you can make happen. You know, you can’t get a miracle unless you seek one."
At the time, Beth also spoke with Fox News, explaining the debate between surgery and radiation to treat her illness. Ultimately she decided on the former based the lack of optimism one of her doctors conveyed while discussing radiation.
"It took me a week to really go through all the pros and cons," she stated. "But I will tell you that when it came to the radiation, the doctor didn’t help his cause. He really couldn’t look at me in the eye. He looked away constantly. I am a profiler for a living. That is what I do, I’m able to read people and I can read when they’re lying and I couldn’t believe anything he said. Nothing. He gave me no warm, fuzzy feelings. He gave me no sense of compassion. He gave me no sense of security whatsoever."
"I think at that point, you go for the surgery and you hope they can get it all," she added. "It did not make sense for me to destroy a lot of the organs, tissues and cells that I already have living in my body when I have a chance of going to surgery and getting rid of it all right there. I put my faith in the surgeon, not the radiologist."
Dog and Beth Share Their Story With 'Fight of Their Lives'
In late November 2017, it was announced that the Chapman family would allow A&E’s cameras to follow them as they coped with Beth’s cancer battle with a special titled Dog and Beth: Fight of Their Lives.
The couple appeared on KTLA 5 in Los Angeles to discuss the two-hour special and why they decided to share this aspect of their lives with TV viewers.
"Well, you know, we’ve been on TV for almost 15 years now and we’ve shared almost everything," Chapman explained during the chat. "The death of my father, the death of our daughter, his [Duane’s] arrest in Mexico, the subsequent extradition by the American government back to Mexico. You know, we’ve just shared everything and it’s a mistake to try and hid things from your fans."
Beth Is Declared Cancer-Free
Viewers who caught the aforementioned special witnessed a truly moving moment – when Duane received a phone call where he learned that doctors saw no signs of cancer in Beth’s latest pathology report.
Soon after, she sat down for an interview where she implored others to get tested and not ignore warning signs.
"Early detection is the key," she said to People. "I probably had the scratchy throat for a year. When something feels wrong, you need to get it checked immediately. That’s the lesson here. Also, everyone needs to pay attention to what you put in your body. Your diet is so important."
On January 1, 2018, Chapman took to social media to post a photo of a scar on her throat.
"Embracing the unembracable #newbeginnings #newyear Prior to my surgery I had no lines no wrinkles a perfect neck if you will," she wrote. "It has been very hard to look at this in the mirror, it serves as a constant reminder of something I’d love to forget.”
"However some life lessons you should never forget only learn from them and learn to embrace them so today I reveal my worst battle scar and know that things will get better in #2018," she continued, adding the hashtags, "#secondchances #DogandBeth #battlescars."
The Cancer Returns
Near the end of November 2018, ET learned through Chapman’s lawyer, Andrew Butler, that the reality TV star was rushed to the hospital, where she underwent surgery in order to remove another cancerous mass from her throat.
Days later, Chapman shared a photo of herself in a hospital bed with Duane beside her. She captioned the image: "Another bend in the Road yet not the End of the Road."
In early 2019, Chapman took to Instagram once again to share her first selfie since starting chemotherapy. In the image, she is sitting in her car, her long blonde locks on display. Among the hashtags she included in the caption were "It’s only hair" and "cancer sucks."
Just days later, she allowed the cameras of the Star-Advertiser in Hawaii to come her and Duane's bail bonds office, which was about to change locations, where she discussed her treatment and her outlook since returning home.
"Even though the outlook is grim, I just don't want to live it like that, you know? There's lots of treatments out there," she told the news outlet. "I just don't want to be that person who lets their children watch them die at their bedside. It's just really out of my character. So the last four days I've been catching bad guys on the Big Island and I didn't even notice I was sick."
"Don't worry about me and my family," she added. "I'm a fighter. I'm a strong fighter. Big time survivor. And I just, you know, I'm going to fight this as vigorously as it's fighting me, so that's all we can do."
A month later, Beth posted a photo showcasing CBD and THC products at the Hawaiian Cannabis Expo. She captioned the images: "We need to all be far more open minded to new treatments. Israel is leading the world in these studies. We no longer need to poison patients to get them well," adding the hashtag #cancersucks.
Beth, The Fighter
Earlier this year, Chapman did a radio interview promoting two Mother’s Day services at The Source Church in Bradenton, Florida, where she was scheduled to speak. In the interview, she got candid about how her treatment was progressing, admitting it was taking a toll on her. However, she said her faith was sustaining her.
"Fighting cancer is the toughest battle I've ever been in," she told Bradenton radio station Q105. "But my faith in God and the love of my family is helping me through. I am so honored to have been asked by Pastors Ralph and Joanne to share my story with their congregation, especially on Mother’s Day."
According to TMZ, Beth stated at the Mother’s Day service: "Chemotherapy is not my bag, people. Sorry, that's not for me. So for me, this is the ultimate test of faith. This is my ultimate lesson."
For more on Chapman, watch the video below.
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