What is vasculitis? Ashton Kutcher shed some light on the rare disease after his diagnosis.
'I feel lucky to be alive.'

"I feel lucky to be alive."
On a recent episode of National Geographic's “Running Wild With Bear Grylls: The Challenge,” actor Ashton Kutcher opened up about being diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease called vasculitis.
According to WebMD, vasculitis is a general term for several conditions (which are currently unknown) that cause inflammation in the blood vessels. Different types of vasculitis affect different organs, and all at varying degrees.
Some forms of the disease might not even need treatment, while others could be severe and result in organ damage and even aneurysms. General symptoms include fever, weight loss, fatigue, rashes and pain. But because vasculitis affects different parts of the body, more specific symptoms include ulcers, ringing in the ears, itchy eyes, numbness in the hands or feet, shortness of breath and bleeding under the skin.
Kutcher, who dealt with a particularly rare form of vasculitis, told Grylls that it “knocked out my vision, it knocked out my hearing, it knocked out like all my equilibrium” in an exclusive clip from "Access Hollywood" leading up to the episode.Though the “That ’70s Show” star didn’t specify what type of vasculitis he was diagnosed with, it could have been Behcet’s disease or giant cell arteritis, both which include symptoms of blindness, or perhaps Cogan’s syndrome, which can cause dizziness and hearing loss.
Mayo Clinic lists out a total of nine different forms of the disease. However, the Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center notes that there are “approximately 20” different disorders classified under the name.
During the year-long recovery period, Kutcher had time to reflect. "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,'" he told Grylls.
As with most autoimmune diseases, the risk factors of vasculitis vary—including age, race or ethnicity, sex and other medical conditions. Some forms may be hereditary, however lifestyle factors, such as smoking, are known to raise risks, as well as certain medications like hydralazine, levamisole, propylthiouracil and tumor necrosis factor inhibitors.
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute states, "If you are diagnosed with vasculitis, medicine can help improve your symptoms and help you avoid flares and complications. If vasculitis responds to treatment, it can go into remission, a period of time when the disease is not active.”
Of course, a positive attitude can also go a long way, which Kutcher can attest to. He told Grylls at the end of their nature walk: “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. You start surfing on top of your problems, instead of living underneath them.”
Luckily, Kutcher was able to fully recover and feels“lucky to be alive.” On Aug. 8 he even let fans know of his plans to run in the 2022 New York Marathon.
Before there are a bunch of rumors/ chatter/ whatever out there. Yes, I had a rare vasculitis episode 3yrs ago. (Autoimmune flair up) I had some impairments hear, vision, balance issues right after. I fully recovered. All good. Moving on. See you at the 2022 NY Marathon w/Thorn
— ashton kutcher (@aplusk) August 9, 2022
You can learn more by clicking here to visit the Vasculitis Foundation website.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.