Living a Life of Purpose During & After Cancer
- Dave Coulier was recently diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma, but according to his former costar Candace Cameron Bure, 48, he’s staying positive and coping with laughter.
- Coulier is undergoing chemotherapy to treat his disease. Other lymphoma treatments include active surveillance, radiation, and bone marrow transplant.
- The two main types of lymphoma are Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is more common, and you’re more likely to be diagnosed with it after age 55. People usually develop Hodgkin lymphoma at a younger age.
- Practicing mindfulness with habits like meditation can help you get through darker times, reduce stress and anxiety in the body, including during cancer treatment, and can help control chronic pain, difficulty sleeping, tiredness, feeling sick and high blood pressure. These benefits include increased calm, enhanced sleep quality, more energy, less physical pain, and increased well-being to live your life with purpose and find your best self.
Speaking to US Weekly at the Great American Family’s Christmas Festival, the actress who portrayed “DJ” on “Full House,” said, “I think a life lesson is just to laugh a lot. We’re seeing that even with Dave Coulier right now with his cancer diagnosis.
Read More
“So we’re doing that along with him and I’m glad.”
Cameron concluded, “We are a family, it just comes natural [to support each other]. It does. So we’ve got the text chain, we call and we get together when we’re in town and when there’s some special event for someone.
“We just all show up and support each other. … That’s what family does, right? You stick together.”
View this post on Instagram
Dave Coulier’s Cancer Journey
Coulier, a dad of one who is fighting cancer with the support of his caregiving wife Melissa Bring, was diagnosed with stage three non-Hodgkin lymphoma in October. He has since completed one of six chemotherapy treatments.
Speaking exclusively to People about his diagnosis in a recent interview, he explained how he was informed he had cancer following an upper respiratory infection which led to swelling of this lymph nodes.
After the lymph nodes dramatically increased in size, he underwent PET and CT scans, in addition to a biopsy, which led to his diagnosis just three days later.
View this post on Instagram
The type of cancer he was diagnosed with is “very aggressive” and labeled as B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
He explained, “I went from, I got a little bit of a head cold to I have cancer, and it was pretty overwhelming. This has been a really fast roller coaster ride of a journey.”
As for how he’s feeling emotionally throughout his cancer journey, Coulier said, “When I first got the news, I was stunned, of course, because I didn’t expect it, and then reality settled in and I found myself remarkably calm with whatever the outcome was going to be.
“I don’t know how to explain it, but there was an inner calm about all of it, and I think that that’s part of what I’ve seen with the women in my family go through. They really 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.’”
Expert Resources on non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
- All About Biopsies to Diagnose Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
- All About Follicular Lymphoma: A Common Type of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
- All about Biopsies for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
- Bispecific Antibodies Deliver One-Two Punch to Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
- CAR T-Cell Therapy for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
- Could New Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Drugs Mean Less Chemo in the Future?
- Drug Cocktail Helps Keep Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Under Control
Coulier, who has been coping with cancer by spending time with loved ones and doing things he enjoys, like playing hockey, now insists that others should, “Take great care of yourself, because there’s a lot to live for.
“And if that means talking with your doctors or getting a mammogram or a breast exam or colonoscopy, it can really make a big change in your life.”
Understanding Lymphoma
Dave Coulier is battling non-Hodgkin lymphoma, one of the two most common types of lymphoma.
Lymphoma is a cancer of the immune system that affects infection-fighting cells called lymphocytes. And there are more than 40 different types of lymphoma.
Sneaky Lymphoma Symptoms Often Lead to a Late Diagnosis
“Lymphoma is split up into a number of different categories,” Dr. Elise Chong, a medical oncologist at Penn Medicine, previously told SurvivorNet.
“The first distinguishing breakpoint, if you will, is non-Hodgkin lymphoma versus Hodgkin lymphoma,” she added, “and those sound like two different categories. But non-Hodgkin lymphoma comprises the majority of lymphoma, and Hodgkin lymphoma is a single specific type of lymphoma.”
Hodgkin lymphoma has distinctive, giant cells called Reed-Sternberg cells. The presence of these cells, which can be seen under a microscope, will help your doctor determine which of the two lymphoma types you have.
There are a few other important differences between non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Hodgkin lymphoma to note. For one thing, non-Hodgkin lymphoma is much more common. And you’re more likely to be diagnosed with it after age 55. People usually develop Hodgkin lymphoma at a younger age.
Age, Race, and Exposures Might All Factor Into Lymphoma Risk
It should be noted that another difference between these two types of lymphoma is that non-Hodgkin lymphoma is more likely to spread in a random fashion and be found in different groups of lymph nodes in the body, while Hodgkin lymphoma is more likely to grow in a uniform way from one group of lymph nodes directly to another.
These two different types of lymphoma behave, spread and respond to treatment differently, so it’s important for you to know which type you have.
Screening for Lymphoma
“Screening is a test we do with the goal of detecting lymphoma in a very early state,” Dr. Elise Chong, medical oncologist at Penn Medicine, tells SurvivorNet. “For something to be a good screening test, we need to see that the screening helps people live longer, and helps people have better outcomes.”
Doctors currently don’t have evidence showing that finding lymphoma early helps people live longer. “That’s the second part of screening that we need to see,” Dr. Chong adds. “Because we don’t meet those two criteria, we don’t have a good screening test for lymphoma yet, although people are certainly working on this.”
What Are Your Risks?
“The patients who are diagnosed with lymphoma early, typically it’s luck,” Dr. Chong says. They may have had a symptom that made their doctor check them, or the cancer showed up on a scan or blood test that was done for another reason.
Until an effective screening test does become available, you can increase your odds of finding lymphoma early by knowing whether you’re at risk, and staying alert for symptoms.
You might be at higher risk for this cancer if you:
- Have been infected with the HIV or Epstein-Barr virus
- Had an organ transplant
- Have a family history of lymphoma
- Have been treated with radiation or chemotherapy drugs for cancer in the past
- Have an autoimmune disease
Let your doctor know about these risks, so he or she can keep a close eye on you. You may need more frequent checkups and tests.
Also watch out for lymphoma symptoms. The most common ones are:
- Swollen glands in your neck, armpit, or groin
- Fever
- Chills
- Night sweats
- Weight loss without trying
- Feeling tired
- Swelling in your belly
Many different conditions, including infections, cause these same symptoms. So don’t panic if you have them. It’s most likely something more benign, but still worth getting checked out. It’s also a good idea to see your doctor for any unusual symptoms, even if they’re not on this list.
How Doctors Diagnose Lymphoma
Most people with lymphoma see their doctor because they have a swollen gland that won’t go away, or they just don’t feel right. If you suspect there’s a problem, you can start with a visit to your family doctor.
The doctor will first ask about your symptoms and risk factors. Then you’ll have a physical exam, looking for swelling in your lymph nodes and belly. Your doctor will try to rule out other causes, such as an infection, which may require that you get a blood test.
The only way to confirm that you have lymphoma is with a biopsy — removing a small piece of a lymph node for testing. Because this test is somewhat invasive, your doctor won’t do it unless he or she has a strong suspicion that you have lymphoma.
A lab will test the sample to see if it contains cancer cells. The biopsy results can also show what type of lymphoma it is.
You might also need imaging tests such as an x-ray, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or positron emission tomography (PET) scan to find out what’s causing your symptoms, and if you do have lymphoma, to determine its stage.
Advocating for yourself is important when you’re trying to get an accurate diagnosis. If you have persistent symptoms that look like lymphoma and your doctor hasn’t sent you for a biopsy, it might be worth seeking out a second opinio
Life After a Cancer Diagnosis
Since Dave Coulier’s diagnosis, the beloved actor has maintained an optimistic attitude throughout his cancer journey, with positivity, laughter, and endless support from his wife, family, friends, and “Full House” costars.
When going through a major life-disruptor and challenging cancer diagnosis, focusing on mindfulness is often beneficial for cancer patients to reduce high levels of anxiety and distress as they navigate their diagnosis, treatment and anticipation of possible disease recurrence.
Finding Purpose by Practicing Mindfulness
Both the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the Society of Integrative Oncology (SIO) recommend meditation as part of a multidisciplinary approach to reduce stress, depression, and mood disturbance, and to improve the quality of life in cancer patients.
5 tips for practicing mindfulness during and after cancer treatment:
- Choose one daily activity to practice mindfully (e.g. eating your lunch, brushing your teeth or taking a shower). During this activity notice your breath and activity of your mind for a few moments.
- Take a pause throughout your day. During your day, find a moment to stop and take 5 deep breaths with your eyes closed.
- Kindly acknowledge a moment you’re experiencing a difficulty by putting your hand on your heart and saying, “I feel my pain. How can I be kind to myself in this moment?”
- Get curious about your emotions. Experiment with welcoming your emotions as they come, instead of pushing them away.
- Become aware when you’re in a rush. Ask yourself, “Do I really need to hurry?”
Jon Kabat Zinn, founder of the eight-week stress-reduction program, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), a course that has entered the mainstream of health care, scientific study, and public policy, describes mindfulness as “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.”
The first step to being able to pay attention in the present moment is slowing down the mind often referred to as the “monkey mind.” This is done through a regular meditation practice.
A Guided Meditation for the SurvivorNet Community
Regularly meditating allows people to start to become more aware of the emotions in the psychical body and the thoughts running through the mind, to feel into their emotions and acknowledge their thoughts as they arise, and then gently let them go.
Not only can this reduce stress and anxiety in the body, including during cancer treatment, it may also help cancer patients to control problems such as pain, difficulty sleeping, tiredness, feeling sick and high blood pressure. These benefits included increased calm, enhanced sleep quality, more energy, less physical pain, and increased well-being.
‘Adversity and the Art of Happiness,’ How Hardship Makes You Stronger
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
