CNN
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Dave Coulier, an actor and comedian who found fame as Uncle Joey on “Full House,” has revealed that he has been diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a blood cancer.

Coulier shared the news on Wednesday during an interview on ‘Today’. He told show co-host Hoda Kotb that he was diagnosed five weeks ago.

“In that time I’ve had three surgeries, I’ve had chemo and I’ve lost a little hair,” he said, stroking his head. “I look a bit like a baby bird now, but it’s definitely been a rollercoaster ride.”

Coulier said he has “B-cell lymphoma,” which he described as “aggressive.”

“The onset of this growing lymphoma in my groin area was very rapid, so I said, ‘Something’s wrong, I have a golf ball here,’” he told Kotb. “And so we biopsied it, we took it out and they said, ‘You know, we wish we had better news for you, but you have B-cell lymphoma, we have to give you chemotherapy right away.'”

According to the American Cancer Society, non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is one of the most common cancers in the US, accounting for approximately 4% of all cancers.

The actor said he was home alone when he received the news, and when he told his wife Melissa that tests had revealed cancer, she told him to “stop joking.” Then there was the hurdle of figuring out the staging of the cancer.

Fortunately, Coulier said, examination of his bone marrow showed it had not spread.

“At that point the cure rate went up to over 90 percent, so it’s very treatable,” he said.

After battling a cold, Coulier said the swelling in his groin grew rapidly within five days. Although his blood tests were good, he said scans showed ‘hotspots’ in his neck and groin.

The star said he has had one round of chemotherapy so far, with another coming this week. He joked about getting his hair preemptively cut, which will help him fit better in his hockey helmet and make him “more aerodynamic on the ice.”

The devout hockey player and fan remains as active and positive as possible with the expectation that he will be in full remission by the time he completes treatment in February.