“Full House” star Dave Coulier has cancer

CNN
—

Dave Coulier, an actor and comedian who rose to fame as Uncle Joey on “Full House,” has announced that he has been diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a blood cancer.

Coulier shared the news during an interview with “Today” on Wednesday. He told the show's co-host Hoda Kotb that he was diagnosed five weeks ago.

“During that time, I had three surgeries, I had chemotherapy and I lost some hair,” he said, patting his head. “I kind of look like a baby bird now, but it’s definitely been a rollercoaster ride.”

Coulier said he has “B-cell lymphoma,” which he described as “aggressive.”

“This growing lymphoma in my groin came on really quickly, so I said, 'Something's wrong, I've got a golf ball down here,'” he told Kotb. “And so we did a biopsy, took it out, and they said, 'You know, we wish we had better news for you, but you have B-cell lymphoma, we need to get you on chemotherapy right away.'”

According to the American Cancer Society, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) is one of the most common cancers in the United States, accounting for approximately 4% of all cancers.

The actor said he was home alone when he received the news, and when he told his wife Melissa that the tests had found cancer, she told him to “stop joking.” Then there was the hurdle of finding out the stage of the cancer.

Fortunately, Coulier said, a test of his bone marrow showed it had not spread.

“At that point, the cure rate was over 90 percent, making the disease highly treatable,” he said.

After battling a cold, Coulier said the swelling in his groin increased rapidly within five days. Although his blood work was good, he said scans showed “hot spots” in his neck and groin.

The star said he has received one round of chemotherapy so far, with another due this week. He joked about getting his hair cut as a preventive measure so he could fit better in his hockey helmet and be “more aerodynamic on the ice.”

The dedicated hockey player and fan is staying as active and positive as possible and expects to be in full remission by the time treatment is completed in February.