"I will be strong"

‘Full House’ star Dave Coulier diagnosed with cancer

Dave Coulier with his "Full House" colleagues John Stamos and Lori Loughlin(Bild: APA/Jason Kempin/Getty Images for TV Land /AFP )

Terrible diagnosis for Dave Coulier: The "Full House" star is battling an aggressive form of cancer.  

The 65-year-old actor, who is best known for his role as Joey Gladstone in the sitcom "Full House", is suffering from stage three non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a malignant disease of the lymphatic tissue.

Aggressive form of cancer
The actor received the shock diagnosis after initially going to the doctor for a simple cold. "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, which is called B-cell lymphoma, and it's very aggressive,'" Coulier told People magazine.

She continued: "It went from a little cold to cancer, and it was pretty overwhelming. It was a really fast rollercoaster ride."

"Chances of recovery increased to 90 percent"
Coulier, who has been married to Melissa Bring for a decade, underwent further tests and had his bone marrow examined for cancer cells. When this test came back negative, he felt a wave of relief.

"We all put our heads together and said: 'Okay, how do we do it?' And they had a very specific plan on how they were going to treat it. At that moment, my chances of recovery went from low to 90 percent. And that was a great day," says the actor.

Two weeks after the diagnosis, he started chemotherapy. His health has fluctuated since then. "I have my good days. I have my bad days," explained Coulier: "Some days I'm nauseous and dizzy, and then there are other days when the steroids work and I feel like I have a lot of energy."

"Full House" friends informed by text message
He also shared the shocking news with his former "Full House" colleagues - such as John Stamos, Candace Cameron Bure and Jodie Sweetin, Coulier revealed. "I didn't want them to find out from anyone else, so I sent a text message."

Dave Coulier with his "Full House" colleagues John Stamos and Lori Loughlin(Bild: APA/Jason Kempin/Getty Images for TV Land /AFP )

The replies were immediate - and they were all "overwhelming". "It was just a flood of 'I'll be there and what can we do?"

The love they feel for each other is "really overwhelming", says the 65-year-old. "We've been there for each other for so many years, it's really remarkable." John Stamos even comes to visit him during his chemotherapy, says Coulier. "He really is like a brother."

Becoming a grandpa for the first time
Coulier emphasizes that he wants to look ahead despite his illness - especially for his second wife and son Luc, who is the result of his marriage to Jayne Modean: "I will be strong in the meantime, not just for myself, but I will also be strong for them."

The main ray of hope is that he will soon be a grandpa - and after all, he still has to "teach his grandson how to play ice hockey", says the series star. "There's a lot to look forward to."