After revealing he had been battling a rare autoimmune condition that had rendered him unable to hear, see, or move, Ashton Kutcher made his first public appearance on Monday. Ashton Kutcher’s wife, Mila Kunis, stood by him the entire time.
The actor admitted he is “fortunate to be alive” after being diagnosed with vasculitis and was smiling as he joined Mila at Ping Pong 4 Purpose, a charity event held at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
Vasculitis is described by the Mayo Clinic as an inflammation of the blood vessels that may thicken the arterial walls and limit the flow. When blood flow is restricted, the body’s organs and tissues may suffer.
Ashton discussed the crippling symptoms he endured as a direct result of his disease in a sneak peek for an upcoming episode of Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge.
He said, “Like two years ago, I had this unusual, very rare form of vasculitis, it like knocked out my vision, it knocked out my hearing, and it knocked out like all my equilibrium” in the footage that Access Hollywood posted.
In relation to his traumatic experience with his health, he remarked, “It took me about a year to build it all backup.”
“You don’t realize how much you loved something until it’s gone,” Ashton said. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to see properly again. I’m grateful to be alive.”
After his diagnosis was made public, Ashton provided more detail about his health issue on Twitter. “Before this, there were a lot of rumors, chitchat, or whatever you want to call it.” He had written, “Yes, I experienced a bizarre vasculitis event three years ago.”
“As soon as it happened, I started having problems with my hearing, vision, and balance. My regular self has fully recovered. It’s all good. Moving forward”
