You may recall this photo that I posted in 2016…
Tanya Dobson died on March 27, 2018. She was only 47 years old.
A lot of you chipped in and helped to raise $1,000 for her and she told me how much she appreciated the donations. The money was going to be used for an apartment closer to the hospital. However, an apartment was not found and the money was utilized to pay for her motel room.
I remember one day, she was treated to a complete hair / makeover by one person who saw the post on FaceBook, which helped remind her of who she once looked like pre-cancer.
On certain days she was unable to get out of bed, due to cancer that she was slowly melting her body away, her enthusiasm to fight – all while living in a cramped motel room.
She tried so hard to reach out to lawmakers for help, but her voice was too weak to receive the services that she needed.
In her younger years, Tanya worked at the Opryland Theme Park in Nashville, TN where she performed for visitors. She told me that she loved singing and would often talk about the songs that she enjoyed the most.
The Nashville native is survived by two sons, Ricky Adkins and Kevin Dobson, Jr.; daughter, Sheree Alana Chapman; mother, Gypsy Brooks; father, Charles Teague; sisters, Degaye Clifton and Karen Hutchison; grandchildren, Ayla Rose Chapman, Dwight Adkins and Amelia Adkins. She is also survived by a host of relatives and friends.
Tanya was laid to rest on Tuesday, April 3, 2018 in the Historic Spring Hill Cemetery.
More about her life in Middle Tennessee:
As a six year old in 1977, Tanya had her first chance to perform at Opryland. She sang on the stage and that event led her to many other singing and even acting engagements throughout her life.
At 16, she was asked to be on Hee Haw. For those who are not from the South, Hee Haw was a popular TV series that first started in 1969. However, after filming an episode with her in it, the episode was cut because she was pregnant at the time. The producer told her it was a "Family" show and that a pregnant teen would not fit in. Life went on.
Tanya was been an extra in several movies, sang with Carl Tipton from Murfreesboro and even raised several children. Of course, raising her children is something that she spoke highly of during our past conversation.
Several years ago a visit to a Dickson, Tennessee medical facility led to doctors finding what appeared to be stage four breast cancer. Shortly after the discovery, a biopsy was performed during which the surgeon accidentally punctured a lung. However, that was not confirmed until about 12 hours later. Tanya told me that she told the doctor she was not feeling good prior to being discharged, but they sent her home anyway.
Soon after being rushed back to the hospital and undergoing surgery, she learned that she had lung cancer in addition to breast cancer. Fights with TNCare insurance soon followed as she sought help while battling her disease.
Tanya was a fighter, but in the end the cancer was too powerful to fight.