- Most Chuck Norris fans know him as a tough guy, but his softer side came out when his wife fell ill.
- The actor showed unwavering support for his wife, Gena Norris, after an MRI procedure left her incapacitated.
- Chuck ensured she knew she was not alone amid the ordeal, and the pair are happier today.
Gena’s illness took a heavy toll on her life, but Chuck never left her side. Here’s more information about the long-term and happily married couple’s marriage.
Chuck Norris and Gena O’Kelley during Michael Bolton’s ceremony where he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame | Source: Getty Images
Inside the Norris’ Marriage
Classic action actor Chuck had a good run in Hollywood during his most active years, and his wife was right by his side. The “Walker, Texas Ranger” actor and Gena, a model, tied the knot in 1998.
In 2013, Gena visited medical practitioners, where she underwent scans to diagnose rheumatoid arthritis. Before the MRI scan, the star’s wife was injected with a contrast agent. The injected substance was supposed to create contrast in her organs so doctors would have a clearer outline and detect irregularities.
During an interview, Gena narrated her ordeal, stating how she demanded to know if the contrast agent was safe before it was applied, and the doctors replied in the affirmative. Chuck’s wife also recalled that it was more than one test.
However, she started feeling burning sensations in parts of her body by the time it was close to a month. Gena went back to the hospital with her spouse right by her side. The doctors tested her for things like cancer and multiple sclerosis and wasted no time administering some pain relief medications, and in no time, Chuck and his wife were back home.
Gena and her spouse believed she was poisoned by the chemical and left to nurse terrible pains.
That emergency visit to the hospital became the first of several times due to the burning sensation all over her body. Gena shared in her interview that it felt like acid was poured on her insides.
Gena couldn’t feel some parts of her body; neither could she feed well nor take care of herself. She recalled having “horrible brain damage” and couldn’t think; her memory was terrible, and one of her arms was drawn up at an angle.
During a Houston hospital visit, while Gena was sober-minded and able to think, she told the medical professionals that she had been poisoned. The star’s wife insisted they figure out how to get the substance out of her body, or she was going to die.
Chuck confessed to seeing “death in her eyes,” saying, “I saw her dying.” Luckily, the undying support of her loving husband and her desire to live kept her going, especially for some people who needed her the most.
Chuck Was Gena’s Rock throughout Her Recovery
Gena’s deteriorating health turned into her worst nightmare overnight as she was confined to her hospital bed. Suddenly, she went from the healthy lady on the Total Gym infomercials to a sick person.
She remained in a bed in the clinic on IVs for five months as her husband lay on a couch for the same amount of time next to her. Gena was grateful to her husband, who put his career aside and threw himself into the challenge of being his wife’s sole caregiver.
Gena’s treatment revealed that the gadolinium — which was supposed to have left her body hours after her MRIs — had remained in her body at shocking levels. In a 2017 joint interview, Chuck confessed that his whole life is dedicated to ensuring his wife is as well as possible. Speaking about how he felt about the ordeal, the star admitted:
“It was scaring me to death. Nothing’s going on here, she’s dying right in front of me.”
After Gena’s condition improved, the couple knew they couldn’t leave things as they were. The duo decided to take the legal route to hold those responsible for her illness.
The Court Battle and the Couple’s Lives Now
Chuck and Gena were not about to sweep things beneath the carpet following the ordeal. The pair sued several health companies in connection to the gadolinium-based MRI that caused her pain.
Gena and her spouse believed she was poisoned by the chemical and left to nurse terrible pains. However, some medical experts shared that gadolinium is low-risk, and others noted that the substance tended to accumulate even if the patient’s kidneys were in good condition.
In April and June 2023, the actor showed how well his wife has been doing ever since by sharing Instagram pictures of them. In April, the couple spent time in Hawaii, enjoying and making memories with family.
In June, his post showed the pair enjoying swimming together as they celebrated summer. Judging by the pictures, Chuck and his wife’s measures to save her life were successful, and she’s back to her normal self.
