Randy Travis Looks Different in New Photo 10 Years after Doctors Predicted He'd Be Bedridden Forever

• Randy Travis looks great again!
• His wife remained devoted to him even when the doctors couldn't promise his health would improve.
• He was saved by his wife's faith and her children, who were by his side while he recovered.

The country legend Randy Travis found his start in an unusual place. Before he became the country music icon he is today, Randy made a living as a catfish cook at The Nashville Palace. Although he didn't often have the opportunity to sing back then, he already had the talent, and he had the dream.

In his downtime, Randy made music with Keith Stegall, a producer and musician. The two were growing disheartened by the endless rejection letters and constant gatekeeping of Nashville's music scene and eventually turned elsewhere to have their voices heard. Luckily for them, Keith had contacts.

So, the two friends decided to record a cassette tape of Randy's tunes and send them to a friend of Keith's named Kyle Lehning. Much to their surprise, Kyle was highly impressed with Randy's unique voice and old-school guitar. Randy was taking his music in a more traditional country route than his contemporaries, which Kyle admired.

Mary mentioned that the stroke left Randy incapable of even using a TV remote.

Kyle got in touch with Warner Brothers' A&R executive Martha Sharp and introduced her to Randy. Over the next two years, Martha took Randy and shaped him into the country icon he is today. She helped him release his first album, "Storms of Life," which placed him on the map with three hits.

So, Randy became a great musician. Despite his success, one thing always lacked in his life. Randy grew up in a large, loving family, which led him to want a large family of his own. Unfortunately, his first wife, Lib Hatcher, was much older than him. Over the years, they tried to have a kid, but they ultimately couldn't.

Randy Travis Had Heart Surgery and a Stroke but Survived Thanks to His Wife

After his first marriage to Hatcher failed, Randy met his current wife, Mary Travis (formerly Davis). The two tied the knot, and Mary has been by his side ever since. In July 2013, Mary's support was more essential than ever before when the singer suffered a massive stroke. His family spoke out after he was hospitalized.

Mary opened up about the time she spent by her husband's side in the hospital, saying she never lost faith in him.

The time he spent hospitalized for his stroke wasn't the first visit to the hospital the country singer had that year. Early in July 2013, Randy was in critical condition after he contracted viral cardiomyopathy. According to People magazine, the condition causes heart muscles to weaken following a viral infection.

Randy's sister-in-law spoke out about his surgery, which he had a few days after he was admitted to the hospital. Shortly after, Randy fell into a coma. After waking up, the doctors discovered he had had a stroke. The country star spent the next four months under the scrutinous eyes of doctors as they monitored his recovery.

His wife spoke out after he was released shortly before Thanksgiving. Mary mentioned that the stroke left Randy incapable of even using a TV remote. In a Facebook post, Randy sat with his fingers awkwardly wrapped around a guitar neck, trying to recapture his previous prowess at playing the instrument.

Mary opened up about the effects of the stroke, saying Randy had to relearn most basic motor functions. The areas of his brain most affected by the stroke were the sections responsible for reading, writing, and speech, according to Mary. Although things looked bleak, his wife mentioned they were making excellent progress.

With his dedicated wife by his side caring for him, Randy made a remarkable recovery. A recent Facebook post showed the country star sitting in his wheelchair with his friend Kirk Conger beside him. A fan took to the comment section, saying, "Looking good, hope you are recovering quickly and completely."

He Has a New Life on a Horse Ranch Thanks to the Love of His Wife

Mary opened up about the time she spent by her husband's side in the hospital, saying she never lost faith in him. Although the doctors insisted that Randy's quality of life would greatly decrease after his stroke and his coma, Mary kept telling them that he would recover. She recalled what they said to her:

"They said, 'Well, you know, he's going to be bedridden the rest of his life. And you will be in and out of hospitals the rest of his life. So this is a huge task that you're taking on.' I said, 'I don't mind that… and I don't believe it.'"

Mary's reluctance to give up hope proved to be one of the most beneficial things in Randy's recovery. Although he still has difficulty speaking, he has come a long way with Mary's help. She kept encouraging him to keep up with his physical therapy, and in time they developed a form of unspoken communication.

Despite the entire horrible ordeal, Mary noted that Randy doesn't think of himself "as a victim." He has been looking for the silver lining around what has undoubtedly been an intimidatingly dark cloud. In his autobiography, which reflects on his life, the singer noted some of these silver linings.

One of the things Randy realized while he lay incapacitated and unable to speak was that he had a slew of loved ones waiting for him to get better. Although he never had children of his own, he had built a relationship with Mary's son from her previous relationship, Raleigh Beougher.

He wrote in his autobiography that the presence of people like Raleigh, his brother Dennis Traywick, and a whole assortment of fellow artists made him feel much better about his plight. Once he got home, the musician spent his days with his wife, looking after all the animals on their ranch.

Randy updated fans on Instagram on his recovery. He shared images of him and Mary feeding horses and posted a photo of them having dinner on their porch. Despite his difficulty speaking, he shows his love for his wife in other ways, and Mary commented, "Our communication is between hearts now, and not lips."

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