Ashton Kutcher is opening up for the first time about a medical disorder that left him without the ability to hear, see or walk.
Access Hollywood has an exclusive sneak peek at an upcoming episode of National Geographic’s “Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge,” where the actor spoke about a rare autoimmune disorder he developed.
“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.” It took him about a year to build each back up again, Ashton revealed to Bear.
Vasculitis is a rare autoimmune disorder with many variations which can cause inflammation of the blood vessels, restricting blood flow and leading to organ and tissue damage in some.
“You don’t really appreciate it, until it’s gone,” he said, “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’.”
“Lucky to be alive,” he says.
“Lucky to be alive,” Bear echos.
Despite the scary ordeal, Ashton doesn’t let it, or any of life’s challenges, bring him down. Instead, he views them as opportunities for growth.
“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? You start surfing on top of your problems instead of living underneath them.”
Bear agrees. “What do they say in survival? Storms make you stronger. And I think he’s living proof of that.”
This season of “Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge,” features a new element. Not only will Bear’s guests be pushed to their limits physically and mentally, but they will also have to prove if they can survive under pressure. Bear will teach each guest a key set of skills which they will then have to master and deploy in a high intensity moment as their ticket out of the wilderness.
Don’t miss Ashton Kutcher’s episode airing Monday on National Geographic.
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