Ashton Kutcher just said that he is “lucky to be alive” after being diagnosed with the “super rare” autoimmune condition vasculitis two years ago. In his forthcoming episode of National Geographic’s Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge, the 44-year-old actor explained that the condition – which in simplest terms, is inflammation of the blood vessels – affected everything from his vision to his hearing, and gave him a new appreciation for life!
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“Like two years ago, I had this weird, super rare form of vasculitis that like knocked out my vision, it knocked out my hearing, it knocked out like all my equilibrium,” the That ’70s Show actor confessed in the teaser for the episode, which was first released by Access Hollywood.
Vasculitis can occur alone or in conjunction with other rheumatic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus or scleroderma, for example, and can limit blood flow and result in organ or tissue damage. It can either be short-term or more long-lasting, with Kutcher saying that it took him over a year to recover from it.
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“It took me like a year to build it all back up,” the father-of-two continued, before going on to say that you “don’t really appreciate it until it’s gone,” in reference to his vision, hearing, and ability to walk. “Until you go, ‘I don’t know if I’m ever going to be able to see again, I don’t know if I’m ever going to be able to hear again, I don’t know if I’m ever going to be able to walk again.'”
The Two and a Half Men star then said that he felt extremely “lucky to be alive” following the diagnosis, and said that it gave him a new perspective on life. “The minute you start seeing your obstacles as things that are made for you, to give you what you need, then life starts to get fun, right? You start surfing on top of your problems instead of living underneath them.”
