Ashton Kutcher opened up about his health scare in late 2019 when he suddenly lost the ability to walk, hear or see.
On the premiere episode of Paramount+’s new health series, The Checkup With Dr. David Agus, the actor divulged his “terrifying, life-threatening” medical challenge revealing that he was suffering from vasculitis, a serious and rare autoimmune disease that attacks and inflames the blood vessels.
“I woke up one day and was having vision issues, could hardly see. Knocked out my hearing, which threw off my equilibrium, my balance and I couldn’t walk. I had vasculitis that you’re very well aware of,” shared Kutcher during the conversation with Dr Agus.
“There’s a standard you become accustomed to in your life, like being able to see clearly,” he said. “And then suddenly you can’t see, like you have this occlusion and you can’t see. And then, you’re like, ‘Why are you not f—–g talking louder, because I can’t hear you?’ You want to reclaim the health that you once had.”
According to the Two and a Half Men actor, it was frustration that prompted him set an ambitious goal like running a marathon, a feat he achieved in November as he completed the New York City marathon, raising over $1 million for his foundation Thorn, which protects children from sexual abuse, via People.
“Part of it is this mental thing I have around achieving a full comeback from waking up at the hospital,” Ashton told Agus. “I was unable to walk and I was like, wait a second, if I can go from not being able to walk to running a marathon in a three-year span, then I can let that be a part of the past and be like, ‘I’m back. I’m good.’ ”
Of the 44-year-old actor’s recovery, Dr Agus shared that Kutcher’s recovery was “impressive” and credited Mila Kunis for his journey back to health.
“I will say, your wife was amazing,” Dr Agus, who is also his physician, said of Kunis, 39. “Just curled up there by your side. It was a beautiful thing to watch.”
Ashton agreed, saying about his wife of seven years, “She’s the best.”
Previously, Kunis told Entertainment Tonight the couple had to “power through” the complications together.
“I don’t think you have time to sit down and talk, you kinda just power through,” she said. “You go and deal with whatever health issue comes your way, but you still got kids, you still got a family, you have to live life. And I think that we are so fortunate to have one another, but as far as sitting there and incessantly talking about things, no. You gotta do.”
