Chuck Norris is one of the best iconic Hollywood action heroes of all time. The martial-arts Hollywood action star is quite exactly admired all over the globe. But soon after Chuck appeared in The Expendables 2, he silently left Hollywood for good. It’s now been discovered after years of conjecture that his reason for doing so was so that he properly care and attend to his sick wife.
Chuck featured in several martial-arts films all through the ’80s and became known as “The Blonde Bruce Lee”. He first made a name for himself after his friend and fellow martial-arts legend, Bruce Lee, offered him the role of one of the main villains in 1972’s Way of the Dragon.
Chuck’s most iconic character, however, didn’t come up until the early ’90s after he was cast to play Cordell Walker in the western-themed martial-arts-inspired drama — Walker, Texas Ranger. Chuck has also stimulated hundreds, if not thousands, of “Chuck Norris Jokes.”
Chuck Norris fans are nothing if not devoted, that is why so many were puzzled when the martial-arts star apparently walked away from Hollywood.
Now, after years spent speculating, it look as if that we lastly have our answer as to why Chuck hung up his spurs. He didn’t left because he got tired or because he was too old, but he just left to take care of his sick spouse.
Chuck said that he has given up his film profession to focus on Gena, his wife and his entire life right now is about keeping her alive.
Gena had been suffering from nerve pain and kidney difficulties and went to get an MRI scan to shed light on the problem back in 2013. After being injected with the MRI dye, Gena began facing unbelievable pain. She said that within hours after the first injection, she felt like her complete body was on fire and as if acid had been passed through it.
Gena reported terrible brain damage, memory issues, trouble speaking correctly and being so hyper metabolic that her entire body was just trembling. The family saw doctor after doctor trying to figure out what was wrong, but it wasn’t until Chuck found an integrative doctor in Nevada, that she started getting targeted treatment. She was confined to bed and hooked up to an IV for five whole months.
According to Gena, she required round-the-clock care and attention. She said that Chuck slept beside her on the couch and never left and she prayed that she would live to raise her children.
Not only did Gena’s illness require continuous care, but it also cost the couple a small fortune in order to fight it. Chuck and Gena claim to have spent roughly $2 million fighting her illness, which was supposedly instigated by a bad reaction to gadolinium.
Gadolinium is used as a contrast agent in order to help doctors be able to see unusual tissue in MRI scans. It is used in roughly 1/3 of all MRI scans worldwide.
Gena said that it is infuriating and heart-breaking. It is a vicious, ugly secret that has been kept hidden and this is something Chuck and Gena are determined to change. The two have filed court case against 11 healthcare firms that manufacture and distribute gadolinium. This was done way back in 2017, wherein they sought $10 million in damages, saying these firms should be more straightforward about the dangers involved with the drug.
Thanks to Chuck and Gena’s tireless efforts, the couple has been able to enact actual change. In 2017, the FDA passed regulation that required warnings be placed on all Gadolinium-Based Contracting Agents in order to alert patients of their possible damage.
Chuck also expressed how lucky they are to be able to treat Gena at all. He said that they are fortunate that they have the resources to treat Gena, but millions are not so fortunate. The past years haven’t been an easy one, but Gena is now finally starting to feel like her old self.
