Dave Coulier has given a candid update on his battle with stage 3 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
The Full House star, 65, has been undergoing chemotherapy for his blood cancer and admitted that adjusting to baldness has been a bit difficult.
‘I feel good. My hair hasn’t grown back at this point,” he told his co-host Marla Sokoloff, 44, on their podcast on Friday: Rewind Full House.
“I realize how much that hair keeps you warm,” Coulier said. “It’s getting a little cold here in Michigan where I am.”
Marla told him that would be useful in the summer, “like a little air conditioning on your head,” prompting Coulier to say, “But then you have to make sure you put on sunscreen.”
“I don’t know if I’m going to let it grow for a very long time to make up for it,” Coulier shared with a laugh. “It’ll be nice to have her again.”
Dave Coulier has given a candid update on his battle with stage 3 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
Soon after, he became more serious about the uphill battle he faces. ‘It’s been kind of a rollercoaster ride. Different effects,” he began.
“And people who watch or listen to the show, who have been here before, know it’s a roller coaster because the side effects have side effects – and then you take a drug to counteract this and this and that.
“So it’s a constant cocktail where your body is in fight or flight mode, and you’re just trying to adapt to, like, ‘Okay, how do I adapt to steroids?’ How do I adapt to the chemo cocktail? And how am I supposed to adapt to all those other things?’
“You know, your body is in a fight. “It’s a bit of an internal battle,” he said.
He also revealed that he has heard from many people who have or have had cancer, and that their notes have warmed his heart and encouraged him to keep going.
“I’ve heard from so many people, Marla, who have been affected by cancer in their lives. And you know, the words of encouragement, I think, have really helped people. So that, to me, is worth the journey of it all,” he said.
“If I have to feel a little out of place for a few months, so be it,” he concluded.
“But just the fact that we can educate people that it’s OK to get a colonoscopy, an early screening or a mammogram is really worth it.”
He admitted that getting used to being bald was a bit difficult. The Full House star, 65, had been undergoing chemotherapy for his blood cancer
‘I feel good. My hair hasn’t grown back at this point,” he told his co-host Marla Sokoloff, 44, on their podcast Full House Rewind on Friday.
In November, the Fuller House star revealed his diagnosis live on the Today Show, saying he had undergone chemotherapy and three surgeries at the time.
“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.
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.
“I realize how much that hair keeps you warm,” Coulier said. “It’s getting a little cold here in Michigan where I am.”
Marla told him this will be useful in the summer, “like a little air conditioning on your head,” prompting Coulier to say, “But then you have to make sure you put on sunscreen.”
“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.
His old friend John Stamos stood by Coulier’s side during the treatment and even donned a rather realistic bald cap to make his newly bald friend laugh.
Stamos shared the photo on Instagram and wrote: ‘There’s nothing like putting on a bald cap and practicing some Photoshop skills to show some love and solidarity with my brother @dcoulier.
‘You deal with this with so much strength and positivity, it is inspiring. I know you will get through this, and I am proud to be with you every step of the way. I love you
‘(ps – @melissacoulier is the most beautiful – your true lifeline!)’