Ashton Kutcher said he ran a marathon 3 years after losing his ability to walk so he could say 'I'm back'

• Ashton Kutcher said he ran a marathon three years after losing his ability to walk so that he could say "I'm back."
• Kutcher ran the 2022 New York City marathon this November.
• The actor revealed in August he had a "super rare form" of vasculitis, a rare condition that left him unable to walk.

Three years after losing his ability to walk, Ashton Kutcher ran the New York City marathon to help him let his illness be "part of the past," the actor said. 

Kutcher appeared on the series premiere of "The Checkup with Dr. David Agus," where Agus, a famed cancer researcher who treated Steve Jobs, speaks to celebrities regarding health issues. The show premiered on Paramount+ on December 5.

"You want to reclaim the health that you once had," Kutcher told Agus. 

"Part of it is this sort of a mental thing around achieving a full comeback from waking up in the hospital," he added. "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 sort of just let that be part of the past and be like I'm back, I'm good.'"

The 44-year-old actor and model revealed he had struggled with vasculitis, or inflammation of the body's blood vessels, on an August 2022 episode of the show "Running Wild With Bear Grylls: The Challenge."

Kutcher said he had a "weird, super rare form of vasculitis" that took out his vision, hearing, and balance. Symptoms of vasculitis vary depending on which blood vessels are inflamed, but the condition is often mild and patients typically recover on their own, Insider previously reported.

—Access Hollywood (@accesshollywood) August 8, 2022

Around when the show aired, Kutcher said on Twitter his vasculitis occurred three years ago and he has since "fully recovered." He said on the show it took about a year to build his vision, hearing, and stability back up. 

The "That '70s Show" star finished the 2022 New York City marathon last month while raising more than $1 million to fight child sex abuse through his foundation Thorn. Kutcher said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight he lost 12 pounds training for the race, and relied on his family for support during the challenging process. 

"The biggest change physically has been the transfer of muscle mass from upper body to lower body," he told ET. "My wife [Mila Kunis] has been super supportive." 

Vasculitis can impair many parts of the body

Vasculitis, considered a rare disorder by Mayo Clinic, occurs when the body's immune system starts attacking its own blood vessels by mistake, Insider previously reported. A viral or bacterial infection in blood vessel walls, and allergic reactions or hypersensitivity to medications, drugs, or toxins can cause vasculitis, but researchers are still studying the why the condition happens.

Vessels inflamed from vasculitis can slow or obstruct the flow of blood throughout the body, causing nearby tissues can die or vessels to rupture and cause internal bleeding.

"There's a standard you become accustomed to in your life, like being able to see clearly," Kutcher told Agus. "And suddenly you can't see."