Dave Coulier is staying positive as he battles a “very aggressive” form of cancer.
The “Full House” star, 65, shared an update on his cancer treatment on Friday, posting a photo on his Instagram story giving a thumbs-up during a chemotherapy session.
“Putting a positive spin and sending love to all of you who are battling and going through chemo,” Coulier wrote alongside the snap.
“And remember to laugh ❤️,” he added.
In the photo, Coulier had an IV line that appeared to be connected to a chemotherapy port in his upper chest, which can remain in place for weeks, months or even years. It allows for blood draws and medication administration without requiring needle sticks each time he is required to do either of the above, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
It was only two days ago that Coulier revealed he had been diagnosed with “a very aggressive form of cancer,” Stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma in October. The comedian learned of his diagnosis after suffering a bad cold and noticing swelling in his groin area. Those symptoms led him to visit his doctor, who ran some tests.
“Three days later, my doctors called me back and they said, ‘We wish we had better news for you, but you have non-Hodgkin lymphoma and it’s called B cell and it’s very aggressive,’” Coulier told People.
“I went from, I got a little bit of a head cold to I have cancer, and it was pretty overwhelming,” he shared. “This has been a really fast roller coaster ride of a journey.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, white blood cells in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma grow abnormally and cause tumors to grow throughout the body. Coulier’s form of the cancer, B cell lymphoma, is rare.
The actor spoke more about his cancer diagnosis on the “Today” show on Wednesday.
“The first thing I said to them was, ‘Wait a minute — cancer?’” he told “Today” host Hoda Kotb. “[I was] feeling like I got punched in the stomach because it never happens to you. You always hear about it happening to someone else.”
Coulier revealed he began chemotherapy two weeks after receiving his diagnosis and shaved his head as a pre-emptive measure.
“You hear chemo, and it scares the daylights out of you,” he said. “The first round was pretty intense because you don’t know what to expect. 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?”
Coulier revealed he will be receiving six rounds of chemo every three weeks and expects to finish his treatment in February.
Speaking with People, Coulier shared that his bone marrow test last week came back negative. The results mean that “at that point, my chances of curable went from something low to 90% range,” he explained. “And so that was a great day.”
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