Actor James Van Der Beek has revealed that he’s endured the “hardest year of my life” following his battle with cancer.
The Dawson’s Creek star, 48, courageously shared his struggles with colorectal cancer last year, divulging how his diagnosis had a profound impact on his family, especially during times when he “was away for treatment”.
In a heartfelt post on Instagram, he expressed his confrontation with mortality: “I had to come nose to nose with death. And all those definitions that I cared so deeply about were stripped from me.” Continuing his candid revelation, James reflected on the roles his illness challenged.
“I could no longer be a husband who was helpful to my wife. I could no longer be a father who could pick up his kids and put them to bed and be there for them,” he wrote. “I could not be a provider because I wasn’t working. I couldn’t even be a steward of the land because at times I was too weak to prune all the trees during the window that you’re supposed to prune them.”
Father to six children – Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn, and Jeremiah – with his spouse Kimberly, whom he wed in August 2010, James is navigating his new reality. Finding solace in self-discovery and meditation, James uncovered a profound sense of self-worth stating, “I am worthy of God’s love, simply because I exist. And if I’m worthy of God’s love, shouldn’t I also be worthy of my own?”.
Previously, James admitted the vulnerability he felt upon learning of his illness, describing himself as a “sobbing, terrified mess”. Seeking to share his current state, James mentioned in an interview on ‘Good Morning America’, saying, “Physically, I’m great. I’m feeling really good. Emotionally, you know, it’s a lot. It’s really a ride ..
“I was honestly in shock [after the diagnosis] … I had a whole agenda for what I thought my year would be and what I thought my priorities would be … and the reality that all of that was going to change and take a different trajectory – it felt like a nightmare honestly at first.”
James then expressed his gratitude that his cancer was detected early, giving him a strong chance of recovery. He continued: “I’m going to make changes that I never would have made otherwise, that I’m gonna look back on 30 years and say: ‘Thank God this happened'”.
“So what can I do right now in order to make that the case. And that’s how it was about 90 per cent of the time. I would say that about 10 per cent of the time I was a sobbing, terrified mess.”
Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.
