When was Dodie Osteen diagnosed with cancer? Joel Osteen’s mother survived metastatic liver cancer before dying at the age of 91

Lakewood Church co-founder and author Dolores Pilgrim Osteen, better known as Dodie Osteen, died at the age of 91. Renowned televangelist and senior pastor of Houston-based megachurch, Joel Osteen, announced the news of his mother’s passing on Wednesday, July 30. The Texan shared a joint statement with his wife Victoria across different social media platforms:

“It is with a heavy heart that Victoria and I, along with our family, announce the passing of our cherished mother and grandmother, Dolores 'Dodie' Osteen.”

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Joel Osteen (@joelosteen)

Joel addressed his mother as the “beloved matriarch of Lakewood Church” and called her “a faithful servant of God,” and “an inspiration to millions of people” across the globe. He continued paying tribute to Dodie:

“Known as ‘Mama Dodie’ to the entire Lakewood family, together, we celebrate her amazing life and lasting legacy. She passed of natural causes, peacefully at her home. She was 91 years old.”

Apart from helping co-found Lakewood Church, the Houston native is well-known for surviving cancer. The mother of five was diagnosed with the disease in December 1981. According to the Washington Times, doctors gave her weeks to live after detecting metastatic liver cancer.

During a 2019 interview with TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network), Dodie Osteen recounted attending her son Paul’s medical school graduation. At the ceremony, Paul noticed his mother’s physical appearance and suggested she see a doctor. Dodie said (via TBN):

“He said, ‘Mother, you look a little bit older than I expected you to look, and you're a little jaundiced. I think you need to go [and] be checked out.’”

Dodie recalled being admitted to the hospital for 20 days, after which she was told about her diagnosis. However, Osteen claimed that she was miraculously healed by Jesus.

Dodie Osteen’s son, Dr. Paul Osteen, hailed her recovery as a “remarkable miracle,” and affirmed it wasn’t a misdiagnosis

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Dodie Osteen (@dodieosteen)

As mentioned earlier, Dolores Pilgrim Osteen recounted an interaction with her son Paul that led to her visiting the doctor and receiving a diagnosis of liver cancer. Dr. Osteen spoke to the Washington Times in 2023 and claimed:

“I was there, and I saw the results of the scans and I saw the results of the biopsy.”

He further explained:

“I know it wasn’t a misdiagnosis. Mama just didn’t get over something. She had a diagnosis from a reputable institution of cancer that had metastasized to her liver. So I mean, people just don’t survive that.”

Paul Osteen concluded:

“She had multiple lesions that are different... It’s just a remarkable miracle. It’s one of those things you can’t explain other than just to say, ‘God healed her.’”

Talking to the same outlet, Dodie recalled her husband praying after she returned home from the hospital:

“I remember so, so well. He said, ‘Father, I need her, Jesus, you need her, the children need her, and the church needs her.’”

Dodie Osteen, who credited Jesus for her healing, claimed that she was healed on December 11, 1981. She recalled a particular moment during an interview with TBN in 2019:

“I just got up from that floor, that was December 10th, and my Bible was on the foot of the bed, and I said, ‘Jesus, would you mind if I stood on the word of God. And I put it on the floor and I thought would Jesus be pleased if I stood on his word? And then I thought, ‘I don't think he'll care, I think he'll be proud of me.’”

She added:

“I put those little feet on there and I said Jesus, I'm standing on your word. So I went around the house saying December 11th, I believe that Jesus healed me December 11. Everybody would say how are you Miss Dodie? I never said I feel bad. I don't feel good. I just said I'm blessed.”

Dodie Osteen, who was married to John Osteen for 44 years until his death, went on to live another four decades. She also authored Healed of Cancer in 1986 to share her experiences.