Chuck Norris gave up his film career to take care of his wife

Chuck Norris was born on March 10, 1940, in Ryan, Oklahoma. His father left when he was 10 years old so his mother Wilma singlehandedly raised chuck and his two siblings.

His mom raised them to be devoted Christians and made sure they always went to church.

Wilma would tell Chuck daily, “God has a plan for you.”

“She loves Jesus with all of her heart and soul and made sure we understood that [growing up],” he was reported as saying by Baptist Press. “She influenced me spiritually and instilled in me a sense of responsibility that carried over in my later adult life, she always told me ‘God has plans for you,’ and I didn’t know what she meant. I think I do now.”

Chuck took on more responsibilities as a teenager as he had to study and also work in other to help the family.

In 1958, Chuck Norris got married to his high school sweetheart, Dianne Holechek. The same year he got married he joined The US army and was stationed at the Osan Air Base in South Korea. During his stay in service, he learned martial arts and after leaving in 1961 he became a karate instructor.

He competed in numerous tournaments, winning the World Middleweight Karate Championship title for the first time in 1968.

He retired from competition in 1974 and he decided to try out acting.

“Finally I found an acting school that I was able to take on my GI bill through the military,” Norris said. “So I went back to school to learn acting. Then I went out trying to find work (as an actor) but I was competing against guys with years and years of experience.”

“I said ‘this isn’t going to work.’ So I wound up writing my screenplay and finally, you know through sheer determination and faith I sold the idea and made it a reality. That was in 1977. That was the beginning of my career.”

He went on to appear in over 40 films and today he has a net worth of around $70 million.

Chuck’s marriage with his high school sweetheart ended in 1977 and along the way, he found love again and got married to GenaO’Kelley in 1998.

The couple was living their happiest moments but not until GenaO’Kelley got an injection that changed their lives.

“Within hours after the first jab, I felt like my whole body was on fire — as if acid had been passed through it. The burning was isolated at first, but it just kept spreading… I just lay in bed on an IV for five months and had to have round-the-clock nursing care. Chuck slept beside me on the couch and never left. I prayed that I would live to raise my children,” she explained.

She was soon diagnosed with nerve pain and kidney problems. They believe she was poisoned by a chemical injected into her multiple times during magnetic resonance imaging scans (MRI).

They have spent over $2 million on treatments alone.

Chuck never left her side as she needed care and someone to always be with her.

“I’ve given up my film career to concentrate on Gena, my whole life right now is about keeping her alive,” Chuck said. “I believe this issue is so important.”

We hope they get out of this trying time together.