Defying death multiple times sent Michael Kutcher on a life path like no other.
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00:00Defying death multiple times sent Michael Kutcher on a life path like no other.
00:06Michael Kutcher was born on February 7, 1978, along with his twin brother, Christopher Ashton
00:12Kutcher. Michael was born weighing only four pounds, with undeveloped lungs and breathing
00:18difficulties. At the time, his birth came as a shock to his parents, Larry and Diane Kutcher,
00:24who were only expecting one child, as reported by Today. After weeks of extensive medical care,
00:31he was able to begin life outside of medical supervision. Michael explained in Today's
00:37Parents column,
00:38My mum noticed I was having developmental difficulties and not advancing like my twin
00:42was, so she began taking me to doctors. After several doctor's visits and journeying to find
00:48answers, he received his cerebral palsy diagnosis not long before he started kindergarten.
00:55Cerebral palsy affected Michael's ability to see, walk, and talk growing up, but it didn't
01:01stop him from leading the life he wanted. When he was 13 years old, however, a cardiologist
01:07diagnosed him with heart failure, with less than a month to live before he would experience a fatal
01:12cardiac arrest episode, the Twin Cities Pioneer Press reported. Just three weeks after his initial
01:18diagnosis, Michael's heart stopped. At the time, his parents agreed to use a pump on him to prolong
01:25his life for a couple of days, and miraculously, he received a heart transplant shortly after,
01:31per his website. Even with that, doctors predicted he would only live another seven years,
01:38but Michael is alive to this day. Today, Michael Kutcher has a career away from the
01:44spotlight and outside of the public eye. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in business
01:49management and finance, becoming Transamerica's strategic business planning manager as of 2021,
01:56he also works as an advisor for a service called Joshin that aids in connecting individuals with
02:02disabilities to experienced caregivers and providers, and as a spokesperson for the Cerebral
02:08Palsy Foundation. He also formerly worked on the executive board of Reaching for the Stars,
02:14a foundation of hope for children with cerebral palsy. In these roles, he's brought his story to
02:20some of the most important leaders in the country, including the CDC, the National Institute of
02:26Health, the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine, and even Capitol Hill.
02:33In 2010, he lobbied Congress to bring attention to the lack of funding for cerebral palsy research
02:39in hopes of helping those living with the disability, telling The Hill,
02:44There are more than 800,000 people with cerebral palsy in the U.S. today.
02:48One in 278 children is affected by cerebral palsy, and there's no line item in CDC funding at all.
02:57Before this, however, in 2003, Michael's diagnosis became unexpectedly public during a TV interview
03:04with Ashton, which caused a brief rift between him and his brother. Touching on that experience,
03:10Michael told Today, I was very angry. I didn't want to be the face of CP. I never talked about it.
03:18Rather than stay mad at his brother, Michael further explained that by sharing his story
03:23on such a big level, Ashton allowed him to fully embrace who he was, rather than hide his disability.
03:30Today, Michael is a happily married man and father. His first and only son was born around 2005,
03:38and since welcoming a child into the world, Kutcher has been dedicated to being a dad to
03:43both his biological child and his two stepchildren. He no longer lives in Iowa,
03:49but calls Colorado his home now, as revealed in a 2019 interview with Us Weekly.
03:55Michael Kutcher's story is equally as memorable as it is inspiring. While he frequently shares
04:01his life journey in public speeches and interviews, he was also driven to begin writing his memoir,
04:07My Yellow Brick Road, during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Forbes.
04:13The memoir is set to explore his life and how he used his disability to be a voice to help others.
04:19Michael told the publication,
04:22My aim is for people reading to say,
04:24Here's a guy who has been given a lot of obstacles that most people can't even fathom,
04:29and he's still standing tall. He's still optimistic,
04:33and he's portraying a positive image about overcoming challenges while enjoying life.
04:38Outside of telling people his story, the book is also meant to shift the reader's perspective
04:44on life and more importantly, motivate people to appreciate life a little bit more.
04:49If anyone is inspired by Kutcher's perseverance through life's greatest challenges,
04:54it's his brother, Ashton. The actor spoke highly of his brother to Today in 2021, saying,
05:01My brother's daily actions remind me that life isn't about running around challenges,
05:06it's about running through them.
05:07Mike has a relentless work ethic and a deep compassion for others.