Chuck Norris Slept On A Couch Beside His Wife For 5 Months To Help Her Recover And Read Her 17 Books

As a Hollywood actor, martial arts expert, celebrity trainer, and author of two New York Times bestsellers, Chuck Norris has had a long and prosperous career. He has trained superstars like Steve McQueen and Priscilla Presley and has over 30 karate studios to his credit. The former US Air Force officer has appeared in a number of popular movies, including The Way of the Dragon, Missing in Action, Code of Silence, and The Delta Force.

The actor, who has five children and 13 grandchildren, is a devoted family man. The 82-year-old will commemorate his 24th wedding anniversary with his wife of 24 years, former model Gena O’Kelley, in November.

He expressed his emotions on Instagram on their 23rd wedding anniversary. He shared a picture of them looking into one other’s eyes and captioned it, “My universe, my best friend, my love, and my life. Happy 23rd Anniversary to my lovely wife, whom God blessed me with 25 years ago when we first met. I adore you a thousand times over.”

Norris was recently concerned about his future with his life partner when she developed a serious illness. Nine years after divorcing his first wife of 30 years, Dianne Kay Holechek, Norris met O’Kelley. In 1998, the actor and the model got hitched. Two years into their marriage, Norris and O’Kelley welcomed twins into the world.

O’Kelley saw a doctor in 2013, and to get a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, he had to have scans done. She received a contrast agent injection before the MRI scan. The substance was created to create contrast in her organs, providing her medical team with a sharper view of the condition of her organs and helping them spot irregularities.

O’Kelley admitted in an interview with Sharyl Attkisson that she had her doubts about the contrast agent’s safety but had been convinced by doctors that it was. The 59-year-old reported feeling different a few days later but wasn’t too concerned until a month later, when she started to experience terrible agony and severe burning all over her body.

Norris left Hollywood to take care of O’Kelley as her condition worsened and she started to display new symptoms like speech and memory issues as well as a persistent trembling. Norris arranged for his wife to be transferred to a Nevada specialist, where she received effective pain management. She would need to go to the hospital more than once to find relief from the excruciating pain she was feeling.

O’Kelley said in an interview that it was like having acid spilled on her. She needed care around-the-clock, which her devoted husband provided by spending the night next to her so he could be there for her in every way. He even read her 17 novels on her journey to rehabilitation.

The pair claimed that O’Kelley was poisoned and filed lawsuits against numerous medical professionals in relation to the gadolinium-based MRI that gave her distress. The couple filed a lawsuit in a San Francisco court, asking for $10 million in compensation. They continued by saying that the lawsuit was meant to increase awareness of the risks associated with gadolinium in MRI contrast agents.

In 2017, Norris told the Washington Post “My main concern for the past few years has been Gena’s wellbeing. And right now, we’re collaborating to raise awareness of the risks associated with MRI contrast agents.”

In 2020, the couple announced that they were dropping their lawsuit because no settlement had been reached. Despite appearing to have left the film business, Norris is still featured in a number of commercials. He is now concentrating his energies on taking care of his wife, who has recovered significantly.

Source: washingtonpost.com