Back in September, we all heard the grim news that Dog the Bounty Hunter"s wife, Beth Chapman, was diagnosed with throat cancer.
It"s only been a little more than two months, and we already have a great update on that front: she is now cancer-free.
In the video below, you"ll see Dog and Beth receive the very good news, and the whole family"s response.
Dog The Bounty Hunter, whose real name is Duane Chapman, is a larger-than-life, eccentric, and often controversial reality personality.
But no, he"s not actually a parody. This is a real person.
And so is his wife, Beth Chapman.
A&E"s series Dog The Bounty Hunter captivated audiences in its run from 2004 to 2012, and that was only the start of the couple"s reality career.
This time, Beth even made the title of CMT"s Dog & Beth: On the Hunt. That series ran from 2013 to 2015.
Even people who never sat down and actually watched Dog and Beth on either series developed some affection for the couple, particularly as they were parodied. Both Dog and Beth were memorably portrayed on South Park, for example.
So the news that Beth Chapman was diagnosed with Stage II throat cancer had a far reach.
But obviously, no one was more impacted than Beth and her actual loved ones.
In the A&E special, Dog & Beth: Fight of Their Lives, we see Dog answer the phone.
We can"t hear what"s being said to him, and he keeps a fairly straight face.
(It"s reality television, folks — you gotta build that drama, and Dog knows that)
But he was hearing the results of a pathology report on Beth, who has clearly (as you"ll see in the video) been treated for the cancer that had been impairing her ability to speak.
Dog walks over to Beth and her family, who are all clearly hoping for the best but perhaps fearing the worst.
Dog delivers the news:
The pathology report was negative — there"s no cancer detected!
Beth is relieved, and comes forward and hugs Dog, who also speaks to the camera about the results:
"There is a God. This could be a miracle. This could be a healing."
Dog has never been shy about his Christian beliefs, often expressing them to fugitives whom he captured on camera.
Dog continued:
"[The doctor] said if I wasn"t such a good husband it wouldn"t have worked out that great. Oh I can breathe. Beth Chapman, you did it."
We"re trying to imagine what the doctor might have said along those lines — maybe "it"s good that you were supportive of your wife; cancer patients need that."
We know that it sounds like Dog is trying to take credit for Beth"s remission but he just talks a little strangely.
Anyway, we are absolutely delighted by the news. Obviously, no one"s stake in this was as personal as Beth"s, but the world can breathe a sigh of relief.
Cancer is the absolute worst.
In this video below, in addition to the good news and Beth"s family"s reactions, you can see Dog express his fears.
No one wants to have to bury a loved one, and Dog is among them. He says that he would want to die before Beth because he doesn"t know that he could bear it.
That"s understandable. Maybe now he won"t have to think about that for a long while. Hopefully, ever again.
