Dave Coulier was recently diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
The Full House alum, 65, told People in an interview published on Wednesday, November 13, that he received his diagnosis in October after an upper respiratory infection resulted in severe swelling of his lymph nodes. After one area grew to the size of a golf ball, Coulier underwent PET and CT scans and a biopsy.
“Three days later, my doctors called me back and they said, ‘We wish we had better news for you, but you have non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and it’s called B cell and it’s very aggressive,’” he told the outlet. “I went from, I got a little bit of a head cold to I have cancer, and it was pretty overwhelming. This has been a really fast roller coaster ride of a journey.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a form of cancer that fights the body’s lymphatic system and affects “white blood cells called lymphocytes [that] grow abnormally and can form growths (tumors) throughout the body.”
Coulier said he and his wife, Melissa Bring, advised friends of theirs in the medical field and worked to create “a very specific plan for how they were going to treat this.” He noted that his recovery rate “went from something low to [the] 90 percent range” after a bone marrow test came back negative.
In addition to shaving his head and undergoing one round of chemotherapy thus far, Coulier revealed during a Wednesday appearance on Today that he’s had “three surgeries” If his treatment goes as planned, Coulier said he should be in “total remission” by the time he completes chemo in February 2025.
The cast of ‘Full House’ – John Stamos, Jodie Sweetin, Ashley or Mary-Kate Olsen, Bob Saget, Candace Cameron, and David Coulier circa 1989. Fotos International/Getty Images
Coulier continued to open up about his cancer diagnosis on Wednesday’s episode of his “Full House Rewind” podcast, explaining that he was wearing a hat after choosing to shave his head. “That was really a conscious decision of, I’m going to meet this head-on, and I want people to know it’s my life,” he shared. “I’m not going to try and hide anything. I would rather talk about it and open the discussion and inspire people.”
Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images; Mike Coppola/MG19/Getty Images Two years after the death of Bob Saget, Dave Coulier is opening up about how the tragic loss brought him back together with his former Full House costars, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. “When we saw them at Bob’s funeral and his memorial, it was just wonderful,” Coulier, 64, shared […]
The actor told People he’s keeping a positive outlook throughout his cancer journey, especially since his son, Luc Coulier, is expecting his first child. “I looked at how those words affected [Melissa] and I thought, you know what, I’m going to be strong throughout this, not just for me, but I’m going to be strong for her,” he stated.
Andrea Barber, Dave Coulier and Candace Cameron Bure attend 90s Con on September 14, 2024 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Gerardo Mora/Getty Images
Coulier went on to note that he has both “good days” and “bad days,” sharing, “Some days are nauseous and dizzy, and then there’s other days where the steroids kick in, and I feel like I have a ton of energy. I actually skated yesterday with some friends here in Detroit. We just went and skated around and shot pucks, and it was wonderful just to be out there doing something that I love and just trying to stay focused on all the great stuff that I have in my life.”
He encouraged fans to “take great care of yourself,” adding, “There’s a lot to live for. And if that means talking with your doctors or getting a mammogram or a breast exam or a colonoscopy, it can really make a big change in your life.”
