Actor Dave Coulier revealed he has a cancer in a shock announcement live on-air.
The Full House star, 65, told the Today show that he was diagnosed with Stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma five weeks ago.
He shared that he has been undergoing treatment for the ‘aggressive’ blood cancer, including three surgeries and chemotherapy.
‘It has been a rollercoaster ride for sure,’ he said, as he joked he looked like a ‘baby bird’ due to hair loss as a result of his treatment.
The actor said he first became concerned when he noticed a ‘golf ball’ size lump in his groin area, which he initially attributed to a cold he was suffering from.
Actor Dave Coulier revealed he has an ‘cancer in a shock announcement live on-air
However, the lump grew in ‘a matter of days’, leading Coulier to seek a medical opinion.
Despite his bloodwork coming back clear, doctors were concerned about how rapidly the swelling had developed and sent him for more scans which revealed ‘hot spots’ in his body.
Further testing on the lump also revealed it to be cancerous, Coulier said.
‘We biopsied it, we took it out, and they said, ‘we wish we had better news for you but you have B cell lymphoma, we need to get you into chemotherapy right away’,’ he explained.
Coulier added that the situation progressed so quickly his wife did not believe that he really had cancer at first.
‘Once that settled in, that was a gut punch,’ Coulier said. ‘But there was still another hurdle, we had to find out what the staging was so they went into my bone marrow and we got good news that day that it had not spread.’
The results mean that the disease is more than 90 percent treatable and Coulier hopes to be in remission by early next year.
However the actor will need a second round of chemotherapy on Friday with the treatments due to finish by February.
The Full House star, 65, told the Today show that he was diagnosed with Stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma five weeks ago
Coulier, pictured with his Full House castmates, has already been through several surgeries and one round of chemotherapy
He revealed that he shaved his head before the first round of chemotherapy.
‘I did a little pre-emptive strike because I knew it was coming,’ Coulier said.
‘I fit better in my hockey helmet now, I’m more aerodynamic on the ice,’ he joked.
Coulier explained that despite his diagnosis, he is still, ‘really really busy with life stuff’.
‘When I have to rest I listen to my body and when I need to step on the gas pedal I do that,’ he said.
‘I’m treating this as a journey and if I can help someone who is watching get an early screening […] go do it, for me early detection meant everything.’
Coulier praised his ‘incredible’ wife of ten years Melissa, a wellness expert, for helping him deal with the shock diagnosis.
‘My fridge at home is all color coded,’ he explained. ‘I even have one of those old man plastic pill cases. She has been there every step of the way, she has been incredible.’
Coulier (center) said he became concerned after a ‘golf ball’ sized lump developed on his groin in a matter of days
But he a positive outlook has ultimately been the key to helping him manage the situation and he hopes to remain strong for Melissa and his son Luc who is expecting his first child.
‘You can look at life one of two ways it’s the old saying look at the glass half full. I think that helps a lot and how you go through something like this. This is a journey this is a bit of a battle.
‘You’re going to need to be on your game, keep doing what you’re doing, keep laughing your way through life and keep your friends and family close.’
Coulier told People that cancer runs throughout his family, with the star losing his mom, sister and niece to breast cancer.
His older sister Karen is also going through cancer at the moment.
‘I saw what those women in my family went through, and I thought to myself, ‘If I can be just 1/10th of a percent as strong as they were, then I’m going to be just fine,’ he said.
Coulier is best known for his role as Joey Gladstone in Full House and the reboot, Fuller House as well as hosting America’s Funniest People.
Coulier said he wants to remain positive for the sake of his wife Melissa and their son Luc
In 2022, Coulier revealed that he had been battling alcoholism and decided to go sober after a nasty drunken fall left his face a bloodied mess.
In the announcement on Instagram, Coulier revealed that he had been two years sober.
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