Dave Coulier Says Seeing Women in His Family Go Through Cancer Gives Him Hope amid His Cancer Journey (Exclusive)
“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,’ ” Coulier, 65 told PEOPLE
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Dave Coulier in July 2024Dave Coulier is looking to the women in his family for inspiration during his cancer journey.
The Full House star — who revealed exclusively to PEOPLE this month that he was diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma in October — shared that he is no stranger to cancer.
“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,” Coulier, 65, said, adding that his older sister Karen also has cancer.
“And 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,’ ” he aded.
The comedian also shared that he found an “inner calm” once he received his diagnosis, and he credits it to “all the women in my family.”
“They really kind of probably 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,’ ” he said.
He also noted that he and his sister Karen are helping each other cope as they both navigate having cancer.
“My sister was a registered nurse and so she's seen this from different optics than I have. Certainly more optics,” he said. “And so 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,” he added,
The actor told PEOPLE that he is determined to stay “strong” and positive for those around him, especially for his wife, Melissa Bring.
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Dave Coulier and his wife, Melissa, in 2016“We all have choices in life. You can laugh through the tough times and try and see the glass half full or you can go the opposite direction, which doesn't really help anything. And so I made it — the choice was kind of made for me — you're going to get through this, but you're going to help some other people along the way,” he said, adding that he hopes sharing his story will encourage others to visit their doctor when “something doesn’t feel right.”
This isn't the first time the actor has made the decision to move forward with hope and positivity. He announced that he quit drinking alcohol in a candid Instagram post in 2022, sharing that he had been "alcohol-free since January 2020."
"I decided to make a decision for my own well-being, my family and for those around me who I love so dearly," he wrote in the caption of the post — which featured an image of his bruised face after an alcohol-induced fall.
"The mental and physical withdrawal were big challenges for me, but I was supported by @melissacoulier and friends who had already made the journey," he continued. "The psychological and physical transformation has been amazing. The sky is more blue, my heart is no longer closed, and I enjoy making people laugh until they fall down more than ever before. Thank you, Melissa, for being by my side. I love you❤️"
The actor also shared with PEOPLE that he has received an outpouring of love and support from those around him since his diagnosis, much of it from his Full House and Fuller House family.
“John Stamos is coming to visit me,” he said. “He goes, ‘If you want to just sleep, I'll just sit by you, or if you want to listen to music or just talk, whatever.’ And he goes, ‘You got me for four days.’ And I'm just like — wow. That's like a brother. That just truly is a brother.”
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John Stamos and Dave Coulier in 2017He also revealed that he shared the news of his diagnosis with his Fuller House castmates via a group text, because “I didn’t want them to hear it from someone else.”
“And it was immediate,” he said of their responses. “Andrea [Barber] and Jodie [Sweetin] and Lori [Loughlin], and John and Jeff Franklin and Scott Weger and Candace [Cameron Bure]. It was just this outpouring of, ‘I will be there. You just name the time.’ “
“And it's overwhelming,” he continued. “It really is overwhelming, the love that we have for each other. We've been there for so many years for each other, and it's pretty remarkable.”
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Non-Hodgkin lymphoma causes white blood cells to grow abnormally in the body, which results in the growth of tumors, according to the Mayo Clinic. Swollen lymph nodes, along with chest pain or fever are some of the most common symptoms.
Coulier is optimistic about his prognosis, sharing with PEOPLE that recent test results put his chance of survival in the “90% range.”
“And so that was a great day,” he recalled of results day.
