Ashton Kutcher opened up about the “super rare” autoimmune condition that changed his perspective on life.
In a sneak peek of his forthcoming episode of Running Wild With Bear Grylls, Kutcher spoke about his diagnosis for the first time, telling Grylls, “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. It took me like a year to build it all back up.”
Per the Mayo Clinic, vasculitis involves inflammation of the blood vessels, which can limit blood flow and result in organ or tissue damage. Most types of vasculitis are rare, according to the Clinic, and can be short-term or long-lasting.
“You don’t really appreciate it until it’s gone,” the 44-year-old continued, “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.’” He added that he was “lucky to be alive.”
Ultimately, he says, the experience helped shape his 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?” he explained. “You start surfing on top of your problems instead of living underneath them.” Poetry!
Kutcher shares two children with wife Mila Kunis, whom he first met on the set of That ’70s Show. Both recently filmed a scene in the show’s ’90s-set reboot, That ’90s Show, reprising their iconic characters. “It was really nostalgic to be back on the set,” he told Variety of returning to the franchise 15 years later.
The pair, who played Kelso and Jackie in the original, felt a bit of duty to return. “We thought, ‘Listen, we’re only in the position that we’re in because of that show, so let’s just go back and do this.’ We just went back and had fun for a week. It was so random and fun.”
This article first appeared on Glamour.com
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