James Van Der Beek revealed on November 3 that he was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer at the age of 46. Now the actor is opening up about his health journey in hopes of raising awareness of the disease, which is increasingly common in otherwise healthy adults under the age of 55.
“That’s one of the reasons why I want to talk about it and the the reason I’m so open about it,” Van Der Beek, 47, tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story.
“I dealt with it pretty much in private for a while, and in the past I found it helpful and cathartic to share things publicly,” says 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, 8, Gwen, 6, and Jeremiah, 3.
“And I found a lot of support in that way. But more than that, I really wanted to raise awareness.”
James Van Der Beek shares his cancer journey with PEOPLE.
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According to the American Cancer Society, 1 in 5 new colon cancer diagnoses are among people younger than 55, up from 1 in 10 in 1995.
Van Der Beek says he had no reason to suspect that he would face such a dire diagnosis at this stage in his life. He had no family history of cancer and took care of his body through exercise and diet.
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“I have always associated cancer with age and an unhealthy, sedentary lifestyle. But I was in amazing cardiovascular shape. I was trying to eat healthy – or so I knew at the time.”
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James Van Der Beek and his family at home in Texas on October 29, 2024.
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But in the summer of 2023, he noticed changes in his bowel movements. He assumed that his diet was to blame.
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“I thought maybe I should stop drinking coffee,” he says. “Or maybe not putting cream in the coffee. But when I threw it out and it didn’t improve, I thought, ‘Okay, I better get it checked out.'”
After the colonoscopy, he was not worried. “I felt really good coming out of anesthesia, that I finally succeeded,” he says. “Then the gastroenterologist said — in his most pleasant bedside manner — that it was cancer. I think I went into shock.”
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Van Der Beek committed himself to treatment, which usually involves surgery and chemotherapy. And while he won’t share specifics about his treatment regimen just yet, he says, “If you’ve heard of it, I’ve probably touched it.”
“This was a crash course in mind, body and spirit mastery,” he explains. “I thought, ‘This is either going to get me out of my body or it’s going to teach me how to truly live in it.'”
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Although he tries to stay positive, he admits it can be difficult at times.
“The worst thing is that there are so many unknowns with cancer,” he says. “You think, ‘How do I fix this? Does this cure me? Does this hurt me? Does this work? Is he coming back?’ As someone who loves answers, not knowing is one of the hardest things.”
As for the current state of health, he does not want to talk about the stages of recovery or remission. But he says he feels fine.
“I am very cautiously optimistic. I am in a place of healing, my energy level is great. When I’m completely out of the woods on what feels responsible, I’ll come back and let you know.”
He adds: “I have something to live for.”
For more on James Van Der Beek’s cancer journey, check out the latest issue of PEOPLE magazine, on stands Monday
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Source: HIS Education