Full House Star Dave Coulier Reveals Stage 3 Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Diagnosis

Dave Coulier has a really scary health update.

The 65-year-old, who unforgettably played Uncle Joey on Full House AND it’s 2016 sequel series Fuller House, has been diagnosed with Stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a blood cancer that develops in the lymphatic system. Dave revealed the shocking news in an interview with People published on Wednesday, telling the outlet he received his diagnosis after coming down with an upper respiratory infection last month, which caused considerable swelling in his lymph nodes — like, to the size of a golf ball. He said his doctor recommended a biopsy as well as PET and CT scans, and shortly after is when he got the life-changing news:

“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.’ 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.”

“Very aggressive”?? That’s so scary. However, Dave said he partnered with his wife Melissa Bring and friends in the medical industry to hit the diagnosis “head-on” with a plan of action:

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

Luckily, he underwent a bone marrow test, which came back negative:

“At that point, my chances of curable went from something low to 90% range. And so that was a great day.”

That’s SO amazing to hear! So, the TV legend started chemotherapy just two weeks after receiving his diagnosis as a “preemptive strike.” And for the time being, he’s just trying to keep a positive mindset, keeping his family in mind:

“I looked at how those words affected [Melissa] and I thought, you know what, I’m going to be strong throughout this, not just for me, but I’m going to be strong for her.”

Dave and Melissa share 33-year-old son Luc, who Dave revealed is expecting his first child. What a critical time to stay focused on his fight for health!

The Thirteenth Year star told the outlet he’s leaning on his family members’ experiences with cancer to fuel his own fight:

“I lost my mom to breast cancer. I lost my sister Sharon to breast cancer. She was 36 years old. I lost my niece, Shannon. She was 29 years old.”

So awful… His family has been so affected by the deadly disease. He also noted his other sister Karen is ALSO currently battling cancer:

“I saw what those women in my family went through, and I thought to myself, ‘If I can be just 1/10th of a percent as strong as they were, then I’m going to be just fine.”

And luckily, he and Karen can lean on each other for support:

“My sister was a registered nurse, and so she’s seen this from different optics than I have. She’s been so supportive and she’s funny. So we’re making jokes about this. One of my jokes is in four short weeks I’ve gone from a Virgo to a Cancer. I’m a huge hockey fan. So when they said ‘You’ve got NHL,’ I thought, ‘I finally made it to the NHL.’”

He wouldn’t be Dave Coulier if he couldn’t find some way to make a joke about it!

But amid the laughter he’s trying to cling onto, the former America’s Funniest People host also got candid about the gravity of the situation:

“When I first got the news, I was stunned, of course, because I didn’t expect it, and then reality settled in and I found myself remarkably calm with whatever the outcome was going to be. I don’t know how to explain it, but there was an inner calm about all of it, and I think that that’s part of what I’ve seen with the women in my family go through. They really instilled that in me and inspired me in a way because they were magnificent going through what they went through, and I just thought, ‘I’m okay with this too.’ I’ve had an incredible life on a journey with incredible people around me and I’m okay. It does change perspective for sure.”

He added:

“I have my good days. I have my bad days. Some days are nauseous and dizzy, and then there’s other days where the steroids kick in, and I feel like I have a ton of energy. I actually skated yesterday with some friends here in Detroit. We just went and skated around and shot pucks, and it was wonderful just to be out there doing something that I love and just trying to stay focused on all the great stuff that I have in my life.”

Well, we hope he just continues to fight it hard. One of his main reasons is for his son, who will soon be a father. He told the outlet:

“I’ve got to teach him how to play hockey. There’s a lot to look forward to.”

As for why Dave came forward with the news publicly, he said he wants to inspire others to get on top of their health:

“Take great care of yourself, because there’s a lot to live for. And if that means talking with your doctors or getting a mammogram or a breast exam or colonoscopy, it can really make a big change in your life.”

Timing really can make all the difference.

Dave also spoke about his diagnosis during Wednesday’s episode of his Full House Rewind podcast. He told his new co-host Marla Sokoloff:

“I started the podcast wearing a hat, and I said, I’ve always been a man of many hats, but this hat has special significance because a couple of weeks ago, I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. 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. I’m not going to try and hide anything. I would rather talk about it and open the discussion and inspire people.”

Watch (below):