In 2013, when doctors told Mary Travis, wife of Randy Travis, to "pull the plug" on the "Forever and Ever, Amen" singer, she refused.
Videos by Wide Open Country
"That's when I went to him," Mary said. "That was the moment that I knew that Randy Travis was gonna make it because he squeezed my hand, and a tear went down his face. And I said, 'He's still fighting.'"
She then told Randy's caregivers that they were "going to fight with him."
The 66-year-old singer survived, but the stroke damaged the part of Randy's brain controlling speech and language. This condition, known as aphasia, affects his ability to speak and sing.
Randy's fighting spirit remains, as shown in his latest social media post.
Randy Travis Will Be In Nashville This Week
In a TikTok posted on Nov. 11, Mary reminds fans about the singer's upcoming appearance at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville on Saturday, Nov. 15.
This special event is part of Randy's "More Life Tour," which highlights the singer's Hall of Fame career.
"Randy and I are both on stage. I give a little bit of background as far as the music, the musicians, Randy, the stroke, a song, the AI, of course," explained Mary. "And then we show videos of Randy's historical past, as far as some of his joke-telling, which allows people to see the humor that Randy has. And all the way back to his childhood and working with horses in some of the Westerns that he was in, the funny things along the way.
"So it gives you a whole, like I said, biographical sketch of Randy Travis. And then James Dupre is singing all of the songs, and it's just kind of a magical night, really."
Randy Has Made Some Significant Progress Since 2013
However, it's not Randy's return to Nashville that has fans emotional.
The TikTok clip begins with Mary introducing her husband. She says, "Hi, this is Mary Travis, and this is..."
"Randy," the singer says.
Hearing Randy speak on the video, especially considering what he has been through in the last 12 years, demonstrates just how tremendous his progress has been.
While Randy continues to make music with the aid of artificial intelligence, this latest development leads us to wonder if he will even need it in a few years.
