Actor Dave Coulier revealed he has cancer in a shocking announcement live on air.
The Full House star, 65, told the Today show that he was diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma five weeks ago.
He said he has undergone treatment for the ‘aggressive’ blood cancer, including three surgeries and chemotherapy.
“It’s definitely been a roller coaster ride,” he said, joking that he looked like a “baby bird” due to hair loss resulting from his treatment.
The actor said he first became concerned when he noticed a lump the size of a golf ball in his groin area, which he initially attributed to a cold he was suffering from.
Actor Dave Coulier revealed he has ‘cancer’ in a shock announcement live on air
However, the lump grew within ‘a matter of days’, forcing Coulier to seek medical advice.
Despite his blood work coming back clear, doctors were concerned about how quickly the swelling had developed and sent him for more scans which revealed ‘hotspots’ in his body.
Further examination of the lump also revealed that it was cancerous, Coulier said.
“We did a biopsy on it, we took it out and they said, ‘We wish we had better news for you, but you have B-cell lymphoma, we have to give you chemotherapy right away,’” he explained.
Coulier added that the situation evolved so quickly that his wife initially did not believe he really had cancer.
“Once that came into its own, it was a gut punch,” Coulier said. ‘But there was another hurdle. We had to find out what the staging was, so they went into my bone marrow and we got good news that day that it hadn’t spread.”
The results mean the disease is more than 90 percent treatable and Coulier hopes to be in remission early next year.
However, the actor will need a second round of chemotherapy on Friday, with the treatments expected to be completed in February.
He revealed that he shaved his head before the first round of chemotherapy.
“I did a little pre-emptive strike because I knew it was coming,” Coulier said.
The Full House star, 65, told the Today show that he was diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma five weeks ago
Coulier, pictured with his Full House castmates, has already undergone several surgeries and one chemotherapy
“I fit better in my hockey helmet now, I’m more aerodynamic on the ice,” he joked.
Coulier explained that despite his diagnosis, he is still “very busy with life matters.”
“When I need to rest, I listen to my body and when I need to step on the accelerator, I do,” he said.
“I look at this as a journey and if I can help anyone watching, get an early screening […] go do it, for me early detection meant everything.”
Coulier praised his ‘incredible’ wife of ten years Melissa, a wellbeing expert, for helping him cope with the shock diagnosis.
“My refrigerator at home is color coded,” he explained. ‘I even have one of those plastic pill boxes for old men. She’s been there every step of the way, she’s been incredible.”
But his positive outlook has ultimately been key in helping him cope with the situation and he hopes to stay strong for Melissa and his son Luc, who is expecting his first child.
Coulier (center) said he became concerned after a lump the size of a golf ball developed in his groin within a few days
‘There are two ways to look at life, it’s the old saying: look at the glass half full. I think that helps a lot and how you go through something like that. This is a journey, this is a bit of a struggle.
“You’re going to have to stay on your game, keep doing what you’re doing, keep laughing through life and keep your friends and family close.”
Coulier said People that cancer runs through his entire family, with the star losing his mother, sister and niece to breast cancer.
His older sister Karen is also currently suffering from cancer.
“I saw what those women in my family went through and I thought to myself, ‘If I can be just one-tenth of one percent as strong as them, then I’ll be fine,’” he said.
Coulier is best known for his role as Joey Gladstone on Full House and the Fuller House reboot, and for hosting America’s Funniest People.