"It knocked out, like, all my equilibrium,” said the actor.
Ashton Kutcher experienced a lot of difficulty in performing even basic functions like seeing, hearing and walking, along with other issues, due to an autoimmune disorder.
“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,” Kutcher, 44, said in a preview of Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge obtained by Access Hollywood.
The No Strings Attached star then revealed that it took about a year for him to regain his senses, as he had to build them back up.
“You don’t really appreciate it until it’s gone,” Kutcher shared. “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.’
After Grylls admired his “strength through adversity,” Kutcher acknowledged that he is "lucky to be alive.”
Now that he has recovered fully, he says he doesn't really let anything stand in the way of his success.
“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?” said Kutcher, who shares two children with wife Mila Kunis. “You start surfing on top of your problems instead of living underneath them.”
Per The Mayo Clinic, vasculitis is a very rare autoimmune disorder that can lead to blood vessel inflammation and reduced blood flow. Vasculitis comes in a variety of forms, but the majority affect at least one organ.
Before there are a bunch of rumors/ chatter/ whatever out there. Yes, I had a rare vasculitis episode 3yrs ago. (Autoimmune flair up) I had some impairments hear, vision, balance issues right after. I fully recovered. All good. Moving on. See you at the 2022 NY Marathon w/Thorn
— ashton kutcher (@aplusk) August 9, 2022
After the video of Kutcher with Grylls speaking about his autoimmune disorder went viral, Kutcher took to Twitter to clarify the situation and give an update on his health. “Before there are a bunch of rumors/ chatter/ whatever out there. Yes, I had a rare vasculitis episode 3yrs ago. (Autoimmune flair-up) I had some impairments hear, vision, and balance issues right after. I fully recovered. All good. Moving on. See you at the 2022 NY Marathon w/Thorn,” he tweeted.
Kutcher's illness comes a few years after he was diagnosed with pancreatitis after getting too into character for a movie role.
In 2013, while Kutcher was preparing for his role as Steve Jobs in Jobs, he adopted a fruit-only diet so he could get into character as the late visionary, according to PEOPLE. At one point, he was "doubled over in pain" from his pancreatic issues.
"First of all, the fruitarian diet can lead to like severe issues," he said at the time following a screening of the film, according to USA Today. "My pancreas levels were completely out of whack," he recalled. "It was really terrifying … considering everything."
His statement came after his wife, Mila Kunis, confirmed that Kutcher gave himself pancreatitis because he was drinking "too much carrot juice."
"He was so dumb. He only ate grapes at one point, it was so stupid," she said. "We ended up in the hospital twice with pancreatitis!"
Speaking of Kutcher's strength and resilience, Grylls said in the video, “What do they say in survival? Storms make you stronger. And I think he’s living proof of that.” And we also think the same.
References:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/vasculitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20363435
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2013/01/26/ashton-kutcher-steve-jobs-sundance/1866023/
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Kevin Winter
