Dave Coulier shares stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis
The Full House alum encouraged others to get screened for cancer when they can in a new interview.
Screenshot: Full House Rewind/YouTube
Dave Coulier has been diagnosed with stage 3 Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, he revealed in an interview with People magazine. Coulier was diagnosed in October after an upper respiratory infection caused major swelling that increased rapidly. After visiting a doctor, he was told he had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma “and it’s called B cell and it’s very aggressive,” he recalled the doctors telling him. “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.”
Coulier began chemotherapy within two weeks of finding out he had cancer; separately, he received a negative bone marrow test that improved the prognosis. “At that point, my chances of curable went from something low to 90% range,” the comedian explained. “And so that was a great day.”
Coulier is a longtime stand-up comic best known for his role as goofy but lovable Uncle Joey on Full House. He hosts a rewatch podcast for the show, Full House Rewind, on which he recently revealed his cancer diagnosis to fans. “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 told People. I’m not going to try and hide anything. I would rather talk about it and open the discussion and inspire people.”
In a conversation with NBC’s Today, Coulier—who lost his mother, sister, and niece to cancer—encouraged others to undergo screening for cancer wherever possible (“It’s a really simple thing to do and it can add years to your life”). “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. He shared that he’s expecting a visit from former co-star John Stamos after his second round of chemotherapy: “We’re going to have so many laughs. We’re going to have so much fun. I said, ‘It could be Weekend At Bernie’s if I’m just out of it.’ And [Stamos] said, ‘That’s OK. I’ll carry you around.'”