The Insider.com

Ken Baumann is best known for playing sweetheart Ben on The Secret Life of the American Teenager, but when it comes to the actor's battle with Crohn's, it's no more Mr. Nice Guy.

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The 23-year-old opened up about his struggle with the autoimmune disease earlier this year, which cost him a sizable portion of his intestines. Thankfully, Baumann was spared his life and he recently sat down with The Insider's Kevin Frazier with an update on his health.

"I feel great and incredibly grateful to be around," says Baumann, with an admittedly greater respect for life. "Like anyone who's gone through a sting or anything in the hospital or medical scare, biologically you're given this sense of wonder …It's amazing to look at anything that's functional and healthy."

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Potentially life-threatening, Crohn's is a condition that occurs in the intestines when the body mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. The exact cause of the disease is unknown.

While the discovery couldn’t have come at a worse time (the star tied the knot with Superbad actress Aviva Farber in June), Baumann says discovery of the disease brought him and his family closer together.

Watch the video for more.