Ashton Kutcher ‘Lucky to Be Alive’ After Fight With Rare Autoimmune Disorder

Ashton Kutcher recently revealed that he suffered from a rare disease nearly two years ago that left him unable to see, hear, or even stand up straight. On a new episode of National Geographic’s “Running Wild With Bear Grylls: The Challenge,” Kutcher said a very unique form of vasculitis knocked out many of his major senses as well as his equilibrium. The road to recovery took almost a year.

“Like two years ago I had a weird, super-rare form of vasculitis that knocked out my vision, knocked out my hearing and knocked out all my equilibrium,” Kutcher said. “It took me like a year to build it all back up again. You don’t really appreciate it until it’s gone, 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.’”

Vasculitis is an autoimmune disease that results in the inflammation of the blood vessels. Vasculitis is the inflammation of the body’s blood vessels. It can affect very small blood vessels (capillaries), medium-size blood vessels, or large blood vessels such as the aorta (the main blood vessel that leaves the heart). In most cases, the exact cause is unknown; however, it is clear that the immune system (the system that keeps the body healthy) plays a big role.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, the immune system can sometimes become “overactive” and end up attacking parts of the body. In most cases of vasculitis, something causes an immune or “allergic” reaction in the blood vessel walls. Substances that cause allergic reactions are called antigens. Sometimes certain medicines or illnesses can act as antigens and start this process.

Ashton Kutcher just reprised his role as Michael Kelso in “That 90’s Show”

The actor and tech entrepreneur did not go into details regarding his specific diagnosis, but he did say that he’s “lucky to be alive.” The bout with vasculitis has seemingly changed his entire perspective on life, as well.

“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,” Kutcher added about his personal growth following the diagnosis. “You start surfing on top of your problems instead of living underneath them.”

Now that he’s feeling like himself again, Kutcher is promoting his return to the “That 70’s Show” universe alongside wife and costar Mila Kunis. The real-life husband and wife will reprise their roles as dimwitted lovers in the new spinoff “That 90’s Show” for Netflix.

“It was really nostalgic to be back on the set,” Kutcher told Variety at the red carpet premiere of “Vengeance” last month. “It’s all the same folks that made ‘That ’70s Show,’ so it was pretty bizarre.”

Kutcher went on to explain that he and his wife, his “That ’70s Show” costar Mila Kunis, felt a return to the property was the right thing to do. As the actor said, “Mila and I were contemplating it. 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.”