Dog The Bounty Hunter Diagnosed With Life-Threatening Condition | 22 Words

Just three months after the tragic death of his wife, Duane Chapman (also known as Dog the Bounty Hunter) was rushed to the hospital due to an emergency heart problem at the age of sixty-six.

Now, even sadder news has emerged, as it has been announced that Duane has been diagnosed with a life-threatening condition which some are even describing as a ticking time-bomb.

Dog, who was most recently married to Beth Chapman, has been taking the past three months to cope with his wife's death. Beth, aged fifty-one, lost her on-going battle with throat and lung cancer on June 26th, 2019. Dog broke the news on Twitter, stating: "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."

Read on to learn more about Duane's history and the heart-breaking diagnosis which was revealed just hours ago.

Dog first met Beth in 1986.

via: Getty Images

 She was only nineteen years old and Dog was already married, but this didn't stop the pair from striking up an on-off relationship. They went their separate ways when Beth married her first husband, Keith Barmore, although the marriage ended in divorce.

They reunited in 1995.

With the pair both being divorced, they began seeing each other again in 1995 and were eventually married in 2006. The couple had two children together, Bonnie and Garry, and Beth had a daughter, Cecily, from her first marriage.

Dog the Bounty Hunter.

via: Getty Images

 The TV show, Dog the Bounty Hunter, is based on the life and experiences of Duane, who bounty hunts for a living. The pair partnered up to work together shortly after rekindling their relationship, and Beth began starring alongside him as his show grew in popularity. They also created a spin-off show: Dog & Beth: On The Hunt.

They put in some pretty hard work.

Beth and Dog were said to have tracked down over 6,000 criminals and made over $4 million in bonds that they've won as a consequence of catching them.

The couple well and truly made a name for themselves.

Beth and Dog very quickly became recognized as the brash and outrageously hilarious couple that they have been til the very end. Their constant bickering and disagreeing on the show was entertainment gold, and a lot of married couples felt like they could relate to the relationship that they shared.

But Beth announced some tragic news in September 2017.

She had been diagnosed with stage 2 throat cancer. Despite being told that she was free of the disease only 3 months later, the cancer returned in 2018. This lead to Beth having to endure an emergency operation to remove a mass on her throat.

The heartbreaking realization...

Despite the operation being a success in removing the mass from Beth's throat, it was discovered that the cancer had spread to both her throat and her lungs and that it was, unfortunately, incurable.

Beth wanted to "spend her last days on the hunt."

Somehow, the family managed to come to terms with this tragedy, and Beth wanted nothing more than to spend her last days doing what she did best on America's Most Wanted. According to Metro, speaking to The Daily Mail in March, Dog said, "My baby has cancer and she is fighting like hell. I've cried a lot over this because is my everything."

Beth was put into a medically induced coma.

After resting at home in recovery from further treatment, Beth was taken to Queen's Medical Centre in Hawaii after having difficulty breathing. According to reports, she began fighting against the help of doctors and it was understood that she was attempting to remove the tubes that were in place to feed her medication and fluids.

She "wasn't reacting well" when she arrived at the ER.

Beth had to be given oxygen in order to breathe when she arrived at the ER. According to TMZ, medics first put her under mild sedation but she quickly fell into a full medically-induced coma.

Praying for a miracle...

Despite the tragic news that the cancer was incurable, Beth and her family refused to give up hope. A worldwide surge of support was sent their way and Dog begged his followers via Twitter to keep praying for Beth's recovery.

Her family was with her the entire time.

On June 25th, Dog tweeted this photograph of Beth's hand saying, "You know she is all about her nails!" This brought on a huge surge of love and admiration, alongside Dog and Beth's fanbase sending their thoughts and prayers.

She passed away today at home in Hawaii at 5am.

Dog broke the devastating news via Twitter, announcing the passing of his wife.

"She hiked the stairway to heaven"...

Dog's emotional announcement captured the hearts of the world, with millions of messages of condolence and support being sent to the family. According to Metro, the family sent out their sincere thanks to everyone for their prayers throughout Beth's battle with cancer.

The world lost an amazing person that day.

Duane later made a public statement regarding his tragic loss, while tributes poured out for the late reality star.

Tributes rolled in.

One truly moving one came from Beth's youngest daughter, Bonnie, who wrote that she was "thankful" to get her mom's "beautiful smile."

Earlier, she'd shared something even more moving.

Bonnie posted an image of her holding hands with her dying mother (recognizable by her signature statement nails), with the simple caption: "Love you."

Tributes came from outside the family, too.

Country music star, Crystal Gayle, spoke highly of Chapman, calling her a "friend," and promising that "we will miss you."

There were professional tributes, too.

WGN, the network that hosted Duane and Beth's wide range of popular shows, spoke in her memory, calling Chapman an "exceptional woman."

Some of the tributes were a little surprising.

One that was rather unexpected came from Judge Jeanine Pirro, who called Chapman "a good lady and a great American."

The media also paid homage.

Many of the largest publications have created extensive tributes to Chapman and her fascinating life, alongside her love story with Duane.

Some tweets gave us a more personal insight into Beth.

Gossip writer, Perez Hilton, shared cute and emotional text exchanges between Chapman and himself.

And that's not all.

Amazingly, the American Bail Coalition also paid homage to the late star, calling Chapman a "titan of the bail industry."

The tributes weren't just online, either.

CBS journalist, Jim Brenneman, showed how fans had responded to the tragic passing in real life.

And it seemed that Bonnie was pleased about this.

She shared an image from outside the home of Duane and Beth, encouraging fans to pay their tributes there.

Duane has spoke out.

via: Getty Images

 He was spotted outside the home that he had shared with Beth in Hawaii and broke down in tears as he spoke to reporters about his loss.

After the family returned home, they left a homage on their drive.

Bonnie shared an image of Beth's beloved Mercedes covered in flowers, which they had parked out of the view of reporters to honor her memory.

Duane was visibly upset.

via: Getty Images

 Before he spoke to reporters to give his statement to press, he was seen pacing and looking both stressed and sad whilst chatting on the phone.

But what he shared about Beth's passing was truly heartbreaking.

via: Getty Images

 "When she had an attack I didn’t know anything to do but to say 'in Jesus' name' and hold her and when I said 'in Jesus' name' she said, 'Say it again, say it more,'" he claimed.

Duane shared Beth's own final words.

via: Getty Images

 He broke into sobs as he admitted, "And then she, you know, she told the girls and everybody with her mouth and stuff she said I love you guys, are you guys all OK? But she never accepted it."

People have been worried about Duane.

via: Getty

 Dog and Beth were inseparable, so fans have understandably been concerned for the star's welfare since Beth's passing.

He admitted that he has been struggling without his wife.

via: Getty

 Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Dog opened up about his struggles getting back into a routine without Beth by his side. "I haven't gotten past the place where I'm [not] putting a pillow where she was and covering it up. And then I wake up in the middle of the night and I see her and it doesn't register that it ain't her. I'm still there."

He also revealed that he's struggling to eat without her.

via: Getty

 Dog has lost a shocking seventeen pounds since her death. "I can't eat. Two bites, I'm full. I got to force feed myself like I force fed her," he admitted.

He also struggles to eat alone.

via: Getty

 Dog revealed that Beth would often help him to read menus at restaurants because the lighting would be too dim and he needs glasses. "I would go, 'What do I want today, honey?' and she would name two things," he explained. "I never ordered…I'm having a hard time ordering food. Chewing ice helps, and I've lost seventeen pounds in about two weeks."

Though he wants to use this pain to help others.

via: Getty

 In his interview, Duane revealed that he is channeling his grief into helping those struggling with loss themselves. "I went through experiences to help others - I really mean this. The other day I met a guy. He goes, 'Dog, you know I love you. I'm sorry, I lost my wife six months ago,' and I hugged him and I felt a connection like, boom, instantly brotherhood, right," he shared. "So when you go through something and somebody else goes through the same thing, there's something there. That's why I'm going through it, but I use that thing that's bad to help me help others."

It has been a couple of rough months for Duane.

via: YouTube/Star Advertiser

 As if losing the person you were closest to wasn't enough, some of Beth's treasured and personal items were also stolen by thieves after Dog's merchandise store was broken into in Colorado. 

And recently, it has been announced that Dog was admitted to a Colorado hospital following a heart emergency.

via: Getty

 TMZ reports that Dog was sent to the hospital from his home in Colorado after feeling pain in his chest region. The shocking incident comes just three months after Beth's death.

An updated report claimed Dog was well and under care.

A representative for the star confirmed via Instagram that Dog thanks everyone for the well-wishes, and is under a doctor's care resting comfortably. Dog's feed was immediately inundated with comments and well-wishes, however overnight, tragic news broke about Duane's condition.

However, now he has been diagnosed with a life-threatening condition.

via: Getty

 After suffering what was rumored to be a minor heart attack, Duane has now been diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism of the heart. The condition has been described as a "ticking time-bomb."

Dr. Oz paid Dog a visit after his health scare.

via: Getty

 More specifically, a pulmonary embolism in the heart is a life-threatening condition which means that one or more arteries have been blocked by blood. Former health expert on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Oz, paid Dog a visit to express his concerns over his health. It was Dr. Oz who described Dog's condition as a ticking time-bomb and he said that, if Dog doesn't make some immediate changes, he will not be alive for much longer.

Dr. Oz described his condition as a ticking time-bomb.

via: The Dr. Oz Show

 Speaking on The Dr. Oz Show, the doctor said: "You’re a ticking time bomb. You’re not going to be here with the heart the way it is right now. "Fear of death is normal. I’m surprised you don’t fear death when you’re chasing after convicts. But when you run away from the doctor, that means you have to do your own doctoring." The doctor added that Duane was, initially, denying life-saving care.

The doctor asked Duane what Beth would do.

via: The Dr. Oz Show

 Dr. Oz pleaded with Dog, saying "what would Beth do?" More specifically, he said: "[Duane] was fearful. Beth had been his north star. She was the one that would go with him and keep him balanced so he could deal with these things. Losing her took away his biggest support. "I said, ‘What would Beth do, what would she say to you? I don’t think she’d be happy with what you’re doing. You’re throwing away your life, you’re throwing away your ability to parent your kids. You have to man up.’ That’s what she would say."

Thankfully, Dog took Dr. Oz's advice.

After Dr. Oz pleaded with Dog, he eventually came around to his way of thinking and agreed with him. Speaking to PEOPLE, Dog said: "I hesitated for a minute thinking, I don’t want to have to go through this again. I don’t want to die right now. I’m not afraid to die anymore, but I really didn’t care for awhile if something would happen. I do care now. "Once this goes away, I am 100 percent. I’ve had fears. The blood clot is not a normal thing but it happens a lot, but I’m going to be 100 percent. I’m encouraged by it."

And Dog is making changes towards a healthier self immediately.

via: Duane Lee Chapman/Instagram

 Following his serious health scare, Dog is on blood thinners - as well as a strict healthy diet. He is also doing all he can to try and kick his smoking habit. Let's hope the legend that is Dog the Bounty Hunter can succeed on the road to recovery. We're all behind you Dog!