Chris Salvatore takes in elderly ill neighbour, and her cat, to limit her health costs

This pair are proving that family doesn't always end with blood.

Emerging actor Chris Salvatore, 31, has invited his elderly neighbour Norma Cook, 89, to live with him permanently in an effort to cut her health costs. Cook is battling leukaemia.

The two have a lot of history; living across the hall from someone for four years will do that, but these two have formed and inseparable bond.

Salvatore, who lives in Hollywood, California, said he considers the "friendly yet sassy" 89-year-old his grandmother. And the feeling of a tight family bond is mutual.

He told USA Today: "She called me the grandson she never had."

In recent months, Cook's health took a turn for the worse. She was forced into hospital for two months where she staved off pneumonia and breathing problems.

"The nurses and doctors told her that it would be a miracle if she lived past the holidays, so the fact that she's still thriving is just a really great thing," Salvatore said.

Despite the odds, Cook persevered, but she was told by doctors she couldn't return to her apartment without 24-hour care - an expense her health insurance would not cover.

Cook, who is childless, has no close family in California and had lived in her complex for 30 years.

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I hope this little update will bring some sunshine to your rainy day here in La. We are reaching the 2 month mark since my neighbor Norma has come home from the hospital and I am so happy to share that she is continuing to prove the doctors and nurses wrong by continuing to THRIVE! To prolong the remaining funds to prevent her from having to be moved into a county facility, Norma and I have decided to move her into my apartment across the hall where she now has her own beautiful room and bathroom! She loves it! I do most of my work at home so I am here most of the time to care for her so it only made sense to the both of us. She is my adopted grandmother and I am her grandson she never had. :) We will still have caregivers coming in to care for her as well as her weekly hospice visits from the nurses and doctors. I just wanted to let you all know Norma loves reading your comments and I seriously think all the support and love is keeping her healthy. Now who wants to come to dinner? 😊#myneighbornorma... I mean #myroomatenorma 😜

A post shared by Chris Salvatore (@chrissalvatore) on Jan 20, 2017 at 4:26pm PST

Desperate not to lose his friend, Salvatore turned to the internet for help. He started a GoFundMe page and within five hours had raised enough money for Cook's care. After a month, he had raised AU$66,000 ($68,000).

However, despite the generosity of strangers, trialling caretakers proved costly and the donated funds were quickly depleted, so Salvatore invited Cook, and her beloved pet cat Hermes, to live with him.

Cook said yes.

"She couldn't be happier that I asked," he said. "I was over there visiting most days anyway.

"The only other option was for her to go into a facility. I just couldn't do that to someone who is like my own grandmother.

"She's doing great. If you could see her right now, she looks so cute on the couch with her feet propped up. She just hangs out on my couch and watches TV."

The two have quickly settled into a routine, Cook told Today: "He cooks for me.
"If he can't make it as an actor, he can make it as a chef," she said.

"We always watch the news," she added. "We mostly talk and drink Champagne and eat peanuts."

Their fast friendship was forged with Champagne.

After months of salutations through their respective kitchen windows, Salvatore knocked on Cook's front door.

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Mexican food, margaritas and good friends! #myneighbornorma

A post shared by Chris Salvatore (@chrissalvatore) on Jan 14, 2017 at 3:42pm PST

"She offered me a glass of Champagne - it's her favourite drink - and we just sat down and talked," he said.

"We connected right away. Back when she was a young adult, she had a lot of friends who were gay, and I'm also gay, so I think it made her feel safe at home and at peace to sort of have that bond again."

It's a bond that Salvatore is grateful for.

"My life has changed forever because of Norma and what happened. It gave me hope again. I'm forever grateful for Norma because I feel like I'll carry this with me for the rest of my life," he wrote on his GoFundMe page.

Faith in humanity restored.

Salvatore frequently posts photos of their adventures on social media with the hashtag #myneighbornorma.