Dave Coulieris cancer-free again.
TheFull Houseactor revealed on World Cancer Day Wednesday, Feb. 4 that he's in remission after undergoing an aggressive treatment for tongue cancer. The happy news comes nearly a year after Coulier was declared he was cancer-free from Stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
"It's been a roller coaster ride for sure," the comedian said during an appearance onGood Morning America. "I'm in remission with both cancers. And what a journey this has been."
Coulier, 66, first went public with his tongue cancer diagnosis in December, months after sharing the update that he been cleared of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Doctors had discovered he had p16 squamous carcinoma, a type of head and neck cancer, when they noticed a flare-up where the tongue meets the throat during a six-month checkup and PET scan.
He spoke to PEOPLE about his health that month, explaining that he was "in shock" when he got the news. He assumed the tumor was related to his lymphoma at first, but was told the two cancers were unrelated.
"It turns out, if I hadn't had that PET scan, then they wouldn't have had this early of a detection and I'd have been in [...] a world of pain soon," he said of his second diagnosis. "So as weird as this sounds, I'm now actually thankful for the first cancer, because it helped me detect this second one."
The comedian went on to share that he would be undergoing 35 rounds of targeted radiation through Dec. 31 to treat the cancer. He had already undergone robotic surgery to biopsy part of his tongue, a painful operation in an of itself.
Advertisement
John Stamos/Instagram
Going through the process took an emotional toll on Coulier, he admitted onGood Morning AmericaWednesday. But he told fellow cancer survivorRobin Robertshe adopted a positive mindset to get through it.
"[Radiation] has totally different side effects. It can steal parts of your life away from you, psychologically, emotionally and certainly physically," he said. "And I wasn't going to allow cancer to do that. I was going to laugh my way through it and keep the people that I love close to me. And that helps."
Those people include his wifeMelissa Bring, who he said has been "amazing through all this," as well as his formerFull Housecostar,John Stamos.
"John flew into Michigan, came and visited us, and made me laugh. He's my brother. He wore a bald cap and when he came around the corner dressed like that, I dropped to the floor laughing. He got COVID while he was staying with us, so we were like two fifth graders sitting in the hallway, talking to each other with walkie talkies. We're very mature!"
Now in remission, Coulier said he hopes sharing his experience will encourage others to prioritize early detection and regular checkups.
"I feel as though I can help people," he said. "I never wanted to be the poster boy for cancer, believe me. But now I feel like I can encourage people to get those prostate exams and mammograms. Talk to your doctors and get ahead of this."
He added, "Even though I'm in remission, I feel like cancer's always in the rear-view mirror behind me. 'Ehh, you trying to pass me here?' So early detection really means everything."
Read the original article onPeople
