Celebrity News December 06, 2022
Ashton Kutcher Details Battle with Vasculitis
Ashton Kutcher is opening up about his battle with vasculitis in 2019 on an upcoming episode of "The Checkup with Dr. David Agus” on Paramount+.
According to the Mayo Clinic, “Vasculitis involves inflammation of the blood vessels,” which “can cause the walls of the blood vessels to thicken, which reduces the width of the passageway through the vessel. If blood flow is restricted, it can result in organ and tissue damage.”
In a clip from Ashton’s sit-down with Dr. Agus, he says, “I woke up one day and like was having vision issues, could hardly see. Knocked out my hearing, which threw off my equilibrium and my balance. And I couldn't walk.”
He went on, “I had vasculitis, that you're very well aware of.”
Kutcher explained, “There's a standard you become accustomed to in your life, like being able to see clearly… and then suddenly you can't see… and then like, ‘Why are you not talking louder because I can't hear you?’ You want to reclaim the health that you once had.”
Ashton also sat down with his twin brother Michael for the episode, who was born with cerebral palsy.
Michael later developed an unrelated heart condition as a teen that nearly took his life.
Kutcher opened up about his brother’s heart emergency during another preview of “The Checkup,” saying, “My dad comes and picks me up and says we are going to go see your brother… and I was like, ‘Everything is not okay,’ and he flatlines in the room and I’m like, ‘What the hell…?’”
Michael was by his side, adding, “I had no idea if I would come out or not.”
Over the summer, Ashton talked about his vasculitis diagnosis for the first time on “Bear Grylls: The Challenge.”
At the time, he shared, “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.”
Ashton said it took about a year to recover, adding, “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.’”
The actor felt he was “lucky to be alive.”