The successful martial arts actor Chuck Norris did not hesitate for a second to leave everything to be by the side of the love of his life. Some people decide to take time off from the city and relax, others are forced to do so to care for a sick family member.
Norris’s case seems to be a mixture of both, after learning of his wife’s illness, he decided to abandon his career in Hollywood and become Gena’s main caregiver.
“I gave up my film career to focus on Gena. I think this topic is that important”, were the words of Chuck Norris in an interview.
© Walker, Texas ranger / CBS and co-producers
He is remembered for several projects, his experience with martial arts dates back to when he served in the United States Air Force and spent time in South Korea. Now among his most important roles, Walker or Texas Ranger stand out.
Gena O’Kelly is 23 years younger than the actor, but that did not matter to them to unite their lives in 1998 and years later to have two children. It should be noted that Chuck had already been with someone else for 30 years, had two children and one out of wedlock.
In 2013, his wife was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, but doctors wanted to apply contrast dye before proceeding to do three MRIs. As the days went by, Gena began to feel a burning sensation in different parts of his body.
“I was in the ER for five or six nights in a row and the symptoms were getting worse, the burning sensation kept spreading through my body, ” Gena said .
It would be 5 long months of visits and long waits in the hospital for Chuck, her health deteriorated so much that she could not take care of herself. “ When I arrived, they asked me what was wrong with me and I told them that I didn’t know, that I didn’t feel well, that I felt like I was burning, as if I had acid inside my body».
The diagnoses were many, some doctors thought it was cancer, others Parkinson’s or multiple sclerosis. Gena, without knowing for sure what was happening to her, began to investigate on her own; Everything indicated that it was gadolinium poisoning, a toxic substance that was applied to him before his MRI.
He immediately went to the hospital to tell his doctors about his discovery and discuss treatment options. In Reno, Nevada, they found the solution to save his life. Through the use of alternative medicine, she received a treatment that brought her, albeit slowly, back to life.
“When we got there, she couldn’t swallow, so we had to feed her baby food through her esophagus,” were some of the experiences that the actor told in an interview.
Like many married couples in this situation, Gena and Chuck faced many obstacles, but true to the promise they made at the altar to be in sickness and in health, Chuck put aside his career to be able to care for his wife throughout. the process.
“My wonderful husband was lying on the couch next to me all this time, and he even read 17 books to me,” Norris’s wife recounted. The family faced a difficult challenge, however, Gena managed to pull through.
