James Van Der Beek has opened up about his battle with cancer.
• Also read: Actor James Van Der Beek announces he is suffering from colorectal cancer
Earlier this month, the actor Dawson revealed that he had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer. In a new interview for People, published on November 8, the 47-year-old actor explained that he shared his diagnosis in the hope of raising public awareness of this disease, which is increasingly common among adults under 55.
“That’s one of the reasons why I want to talk about it and why I talk about it so openly,” he said. “I dealt with this issue in secret for a while, and in the past I found it helpful and cathartic to share things publicly. And I found a lot of support that way. But more than that, I really wanted to raise awareness.”
The father of six children, Olivia, 14, Joshua, 12, Annabel, 10, Emilia, 8, Gwen, 6, and Jeremiah, 3, all born from his union with his wife, Kimberly Brook, has admitted that he did not imagine himself at risk.
“I had always associated cancer with age and sedentary, unhealthy lifestyles,” he confessed. “I was in excellent cardiovascular shape. I tried to eat healthy, at least as much as I could at the time.”
The actor underwent a colonoscopy after noticing his bowel movements had changed, but was not concerned. However, the diagnosis left him in “shock”.
“The gastroenterologist said, in the nicest way possible, that it was cancer. I think I was in shock,” he recalled, before specifying that the most difficult part of the fight against cancer had been the “unknowns”.
Regarding his current health, James Van Der Beek said he is “cautiously optimistic” and on “the road to recovery.”
