JAMES VAN DER BEEK SHARES CANCER DIAGNOSIS
Actor James van der Beek has announced that he has been diagnosed with cancer.
During his interview with People magazine this week, van der Beek said: “On August 31 of last year, I became one of the many millions of Americans and people around the world who found out they have cancer. Stage 3 colorectal cancer.”
The 47-year-old said he had to tell his loved ones after the initial shock wore off.
“Telling people required a lot of energy. I’m an empath. I like to take care of everybody. I’m a provider, and especially at that point, I was trying to be Superman and be all things to all people and be a dad and a provider. And so to have to tell people and my father and my siblings and my kids, it was really tricky.”
Since the news was shared on Instagram, van der Beek says he has felt the love from people worldwide.
“It was amazing. I’m never the person who asked for any help -ever. It’s not in my DNA. And I thought that was a fine way to be until cancer. The way friends showed up was such a beautiful experience – and I would never have otherwise seen how much people care about me.”
Van der Beek made a name for himself as an actor when he starred as teenager Dawson in the hit TV series Dawson’s Creek in the mid-90s.
Image credit: Newsweek