James Van Der Beek reveals his sudden battle with cancer: "I have a lot to live for"

Actor James Van Der Beek, 46, who popularized the early 20th century series Dawson's Creek, received a fatal diagnosis when doctors told him he had stage 3 colorectal cancer.

The actor decided to make the news public a few days ago, but also sent messages of hope about the immediate changes he is making in his habits and also about his interest in raising awareness about the early detection of this type of ailment, which is increasingly common in people under 55 years of age.

"That's one of the reasons why I want to talk about it and the reason why I talk about it so openly," the actor told People magazine.

"I've been dealing with this in one way or another for quite some time. And in the past, I've found that it's been helpful and cathartic to share things publicly," said the actor, who lives on a ranch in Texas with his wife Kimberly, 42, and their six children, Olivia, 14, Joshua, 12, Annabel, 10, Emilia, eight, Gwen, six, and Jeremiah, three.

"I've found a lot of support that way. But more than that, I really wanted to raise awareness," he said. In fact, the actor said he never imagined he would face such a terrifying diagnosis at this stage of his life, as he had no family history and leads a healthy life, with exercise and diet.

"I had always associated cancer with age and unhealthy, sedentary lifestyles. But I was in incredible cardiovascular shape. I tried to eat healthy, at least as far as I knew at the time," he explained.

How did James Van Der Beek know about his cancer diagnosis?

In the summer of 2023, James revealed that he felt changes in his bowel movements and assumed it was a problem with his diet.

"I thought maybe I should stop drinking coffee or maybe not put cream in it, but when I stopped doing that and it didn't get better, I thought, 'Okay, I'd better get checked out,'"

After the colonoscopy, he was not worried either: "I felt really good coming out of the anesthesia, because I had finally made it, but the gastroenterologist said, in his nicest way of speaking, that it was cancer. I think I went into shock," he said.

The actor detailed that he immediately underwent the usual treatments: surgery and chemotherapy. And although he still does not want to share details about the entirety of his treatment, he assures that it is something comprehensive, not only for his body, but also for his mind and spirit, in search of a comprehensive solution against the disease: "I thought, 'This is going to get me out of my body or it's going to teach me to really live in it.'"

She also pointed out that although she tries to maintain a positive attitude, there are times when her spirits are down in the face of such devastating news:

"The hardest thing is that there are so many unknowns with cancer," he says. "You think, 'How can I fix it? Is it healing me? Is it hurting me? Is it working? Is it going to come back?' As someone who likes answers, not knowing is one of the hardest things."

As for his health, the actor said he is reluctant to talk about stages of recovery or remission, but says he feels fine.

"I'm very cautiously optimistic. I'm in a moment of healing, my energy levels are great. When a reasonable amount of time has passed since I've fully recovered, I'll get back to you and let you know," he said, adding: "I have a lot to live for."

According to the American Cancer Society, one in five new colorectal cancer diagnoses occurs in people younger than 55, up from one in 10 in 1995.