‘Full House’ Alum Dave Coulier Reveals He Has Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Full House alum Dave Coulier says he has been diagnosed with stage 3 Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a blood cancer that develops in the lymphatic system.

The actor told People he was diagnosed in October after an upper respiratory infection caused major swelling in his lymph nodes. His doctor recommended several tests, including blood tests, an EKG, and PET and CT scans. After doctors performed a biopsy of a lymph node, he was diagnosed.

“Three days later, my doctors called me back and they said, ‘We wish we had better news for you, but you have non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and it’s called B-cell, and it’s very aggressive,'” he said.

“I went from, I got a bit of a cold to having cancer and it was quite overwhelming,” he revealed. “This has been a really fast rollercoaster of a journey.”

Coulier says he and wife Melissa Bring worked with friends in the medical field to fulfill his diagnosis “head pride.”

“We all put our heads together and said, ‘Okay, where are we going?’ And they had a very specific plan for how to deal with this.”

He got better news after a bone marrow test came back negative. “At that point my chances of being cured went from somewhat low to 90%. So it was a great day.”

Coulier has started chemotherapy and said he shaved his head as a “precautionary move.”

He went on to talk about his diagnosis on Wednesday’s video version Rewind to full house podcast which he co-hosts with his former co-star Marla Sokoloff. Wearing a hat, he said “I think I look a little like Mr. Woodchuck now. But it looks a little military, and that’s appropriate because this is my own personal battle.”

“I started the podcast with a hat, and I said, I’ve always been a man of many hats, but this hat has a special meaning,” he told People. “It was really a conscious decision that I’m going to face this head on and I want people to know that this is my life. I’m not going to try to hide anything. I’d rather talk about it and open up the discussion and inspire people.”

Coulier said he hopes his experience can inspire others to undergo early screening.

“Take good care of yourself, for there is much to live for,” he said. “And if that means talking to your doctors or getting a mammogram or a breast exam or colonoscopy, it can really make a big difference in your life.”