Known Hollywood actor and professional martial artist Chuck Norris reveals he went on a hiatus to care for his wife.
After Chuck’s wife, Gena O’Kelley, had fallen ill from the three MRI scans that were conducted on her in a week, her health started to deteriorate. Gena accounts for having done these MRI scans back in 2013 to assess her rheumatoid arthritis.
However, whenever she would be evaluated for her disease, she would be injected with gadolinium beforehand, essentially poisoning her body. She learned about the substance being put in her body from a desperate search for an answer after her doctors had tested her for other diseases that came to no avail.
Upon arriving at a hospital in Houston, she alerted her doctors that her body was poisoned with gadolinium, instilling them with urgency to take this substance out of her body before she could die from it.
In an interview with Sharyl Attkisson, Gena recounts her experience as her health was deteriorating. She spent 5 to 6 nights in the emergency room as her symptoms worsened with a perpetual burning sensation. She told her doctors, “I’m burning all over. I feel like I have acid everywhere in my tissues. I’m just on fire.”
Gadolinium and its complications
Injecting a gadolinium-based contrast agent to a patient before MRI scans is common. Many doctors use it to produce better images of specific body tissues. However, some studies have suggested that these substances have the potential to be toxic.
According to an article by Jessica D. Hess, approved gadolinium-based contrast agents are safe for professional use, but repeated doses can result to toxicity. Symptoms include the feeling of burning, headaches, nausea, vomiting and so on. GBCA also has a greater risk of being toxic to people with inflammatory conditions.
Gena O’Kelley had been injected with GBCA three times from the amount of MRI scans that she had to do for her rheumatoid arthritis. Her repeated exposure to GBCA resulted in her being exposed to its toxicity, making her body have the burning sensation effect that she described. Her arthritis also played a huge role in why she got she got poisoned since it is an inflammatory condition.
Gena’s recovery
Chuck Norris wanted to look for treatments for his wife’s ailments and stated, “I can take her anywhere in the world, I’m blessed enough to have the money to do that. But where do I take her?” Gena underwent treatments conducted from alternative medicine. She went to a clinic in China but had previously stayed in a clinic in Reno, Nevada.
There, her symptoms started to deviate from her body, but it came at a slow pace. As she was being nursed back to health, Chuck recalled her experience by saying how she had to be fed baby food since it was impossible for her to swallow. She was bed-bound in the clinic for five months with her right arm stuck in place.
From the treatments she had received, it showed how Gena had high amounts of gadolinium in her body. She had even asked her doctors if her symptoms had to do with the amounts of GBCA being injected into her body. Her doctors were dismissive of her suggestion, and Gena believes that their dismissal had to do with the lack of knowledge they had on how to treat gadolinium poisoning properly.
Chuck Norris’ vulnerability
As she was lying in bed, Chuck had read several books to keep her entertained. The tender care he provided her when she was stuck in her bed shows his devotion towards his wife. It’s a testament to how Chuck’s love is profound and eternal.
Chuck Norris has been made a figure of the American masculine man. The movies that he had starred in have further emphasized this image. In his action films, he is a tough protagonist guy that lacks emotional depth
However, his willingness to give up his career to take care of his wife shows how masculinity does not have to mean you have to be stoic and deprived of emotional capabilities. He subverts the idea of masculinity by the actions he did for his wife. His love for his wife is perpetual, and he is not afraid to let go of his career to maintain this feeling.
Check this article out if you want to read more good news about celebrities!
