Full House star Dave Coulier has revealed he’s been diagnosed with Stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of blood cancer.
Appearing on the Today show, the 65-year-old actor opened up about being diagnosed with the “very treatable” form of cancer just over a month ago. “It swelled up immediately,” he recalled about the golf-ball-sized lump in his groin.
“I thought, ‘Wow, I’m either really sick, or my body’s really reacting to something,’” Coulier continued. His doctor then ordered a series of blood tests that “came back great,” but they decided to remove the lump and biopsy it just in case.
Just three days later, Coulier was told he had B-cell lymphoma. “(My doctors) said, ‘Hey, we wish we had better news, but you have non-Hodgkin lymphoma, B-cell lymphoma,’” he told Today host Hoda Kotb. “The first thing I said to them was, ‘Wait a minute — cancer?’”
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Coulier added that it felt like he “got punched in the stomach because it never happens to you. You always hear about it happening to someone else.”
After coming to terms with the diagnosis, Coulier learned he had Stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which means the cancer hasn’t spread outside the lymphatic system. Doctors told him that curability was “upwards of 90%,” according to Today.
Immediately afterward, Coulier underwent surgery to install a chemotherapy port, which is used to deliver medication. “You hear chemo, and it scares the daylights out of you,” he said. “You don’t know how you’re going to feel. Is this going to hit me immediately? Is it going to be devastating? Am I going to walk out of here?”
The first round went better than expected, and Coulier will have a total of six rounds every 21 days, with treatment to be completed by February 2025. He expects “total remission.”
In the meantime, Coulier has continued to record his Full House Rewind podcast with new co-host Marla Sokoloff, who portrayed Gia Mahan on Full House and Fuller House. He’s also expecting to see John Stamos later this week.
Dave Coulier announced on TODAY that he’s been diagnosed with Stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of blood cancer that starts in the lymphatic system.
He shares the first symptom that led to his diagnosis, how he’s coping and more. pic.twitter.com/2MvxGITmsk
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) November 13, 2024
