Dave Coulier revealed he has been diagnosed with Stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
The actor, perhaps best known for his role as Joey Gladstone in “Full House,” announced the news Wednesday on NBC’s Today show.
Coulier said he first noticed signs a little over a month ago when he was sick with a cold, according to Today. He had noticed the lymph nodes in his neck or armpits would swell when he would get sick, but this time he developed a lump the size of a golf ball in his groin, he said.
“It swelled up immediately," he told Today. “I thought, ‘Wow, I’m either really sick, or my body’s really reacting to something.’”
Coulier said he underwent a variety of tests and scans to ensure he was healthy. While all tests came back normal, doctors wanted to biopsy the lymph node as a precaution.
When the results returned, Coulier learned of his diagnosis.
“(My doctors) said, ‘Hey, we wish we had better news, but you have non-Hodgkin lymphoma, B-cell lymphoma,’” Coulier recounted. “It was a shock.”
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a type of blood cancer that begins in the lymph system, according to the American Cancer Society.
Coulier recalled his reaction to doctors.
“The first thing I said to them was, ‘Wait a minute — cancer?’” he said. “[I was] feeling like I got punched in the stomach because it never happens to you. You always hear about it happening to someone else.”
Being the comedian that he is, he still tried to maintain a playful spirit despite the news.
“My joke is that in four short weeks I’ve gone from a Virgo to a Cancer. I’ve tried to retain a sense of reality but also a sense of humor about it,” he said.
Coulier said when he first told his wife Melissa Coulier, she thought he was joking. But once reality sank in, he said she “organized [his] entire life, from nutrition to the doctor’s appointments to the pills.”
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Dave Coulier said doctors took a bone marrow sample to determine his stage of illness. The actor said while awaiting the news, he had already made peace with the outcome.
“I told Melissa I don’t know why, but I [am] OK with whatever the news [is] going to be no matter how devastating,” he said. “I can’t explain where that came from.”
“I’ve had an incredible life. I’ve had the most amazing people in my life. This has been an extraordinary journey, and I’m OK if this is the end of the journey,” he told Today.
A diagnosis of Stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma means the cancer has not spread outside the lymph system, according to the American Cancer Society. A Stage 4 diagnosis would mean the cancer has spread to at least one organ outside the lymph system, such as the bone marrow, liver, or lung.
Doctors told Coulier because his disease hasn’t spread, there’s a 90% curability rate.
"It's very treatable," he said.
The actor is currently undergoing chemotherapy. His treatment plan includes six rounds of chemo every 21 days, which should conclude in February 2025.
Coulier said he expects a “total remission."
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