{"id":6638,"date":"2025-08-05T15:53:14","date_gmt":"2025-08-05T19:53:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dailycupofwellness\/?p=6638"},"modified":"2025-08-05T15:53:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T19:53:14","slug":"james-van-der-beek-shares-heartbreaking-cancer-update-my-kids-know-when-im-in-pain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dailycupofwellness\/2025\/08\/james-van-der-beek-shares-heartbreaking-cancer-update-my-kids-know-when-im-in-pain.html","title":{"rendered":"James Van Der Beek Shares Heartbreaking Cancer Update: \u2018My Kids Know When I\u2019m in Pain\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_6641\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6641\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-6641\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/410\/2025\/08\/James-Van-Der-Beek_credit-lev-radin-Shutterstock.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6641\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">@vanderjames \/ Instagram | Inset: lev radin \/ Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Actor James Van Der Beek, best known for <em data-start=\"122\" data-end=\"138\">Dawson\u2019s Creek<\/em> and <em data-start=\"143\" data-end=\"158\">Varsity Blues<\/em>, is opening up about his battle with colon cancer\u2014and how his children have become his unexpected caretakers along the way.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"430\" data-end=\"513\">The <em data-start=\"434\" data-end=\"450\">Dawson\u2019s Creek<\/em> star first shared his cancer diagnosis publicly last November.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"515\" data-end=\"760\">\u201cI have colorectal cancer,\u201d Van Der Beek, 48, told <em data-start=\"566\" data-end=\"574\">People<\/em>. \u201cI\u2019ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family. There\u2019s reason for optimism, and I\u2019m feeling good.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"762\" data-end=\"938\">Van Der Beek has been married to his wife Kimberly since 2010. Together, they have six children: daughters Olivia, Annabel, Emilia, and Gwendolyn and sons Joshua and Jeremiah.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"940\" data-end=\"1075\">During a July 30 appearance on the <em data-start=\"975\" data-end=\"982\">Today<\/em> show, Van Der Beek opened up about what it was like to talk to his kids about the diagnosis.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"940\" data-end=\"1075\">\u201cI\u2019m far from an expert,\u201d he said, \u201cbut our approach was just to be as honest as possible, as honest to the degree of their understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1218\" data-end=\"1308\">He explained that kids can often sense when something is wrong, even if no one tells them.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1310\" data-end=\"1469\">\u201cThey know,\u201d he said. \u201cThey can sense that Dad\u2019s having a tough day. They know if Dad\u2019s in pain. By not telling them, I think you\u2019re confusing them even more.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1471\" data-end=\"1534\">Van Der Beek said he\u2019s learned just how strong children can be.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1536\" data-end=\"1769\">\u201cAllow yourself to be surprised by their resiliency,\u201d he shared. \u201cWhen you tell them what you\u2019re doing, and you tell them the approach, they can see it, and they can feel it. And I think it\u2019s also that your journey is their journey.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1771\" data-end=\"1850\">As he continues to heal, his children have stepped in to help however they can.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1852\" data-end=\"1968\">\u201cI have kids making me tea. \u2018Dad, what do you need?\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s been a lot of beauty that\u2019s come out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1970\" data-end=\"2106\">In a video posted to Instagram in March, Van Der Beek also discussed the emotional impact of being away from home for treatment.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2108\" data-end=\"2360\">\u201cI was away for treatment, so I could no longer be a husband who was helpful to my wife,\u201d he said. \u201cI could no longer be a father who could pick up his kids and put them to bed and be there for them. I could not be a provider because I wasn\u2019t working.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2362\" data-end=\"2436\">Even with the ups and downs, Van Der Beek said he is doing well right now.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2438\" data-end=\"2586\">\u201cI\u2019m feeling great,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s been a journey. There are just so many ups and downs and so many unknowns. Cancer is\u2014I call it a full-time job.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2588\" data-end=\"2756\">Despite the struggle, he\u2019s still working. Van Der Beek recently finished filming <em data-start=\"2669\" data-end=\"2675\">Elle<\/em>, a <em data-start=\"2679\" data-end=\"2695\">Legally Blonde<\/em> prequel series set to release in summer 2026 on Prime Video.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2758\" data-end=\"2874\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">Through it all, Van Der Beek continues to lean on his family\u2014and his faith in the beauty that can grow through pain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Actor James Van Der Beek, best known for Dawson\u2019s Creek and Varsity Blues, is opening up about his battle with colon cancer\u2014and how his children have become his unexpected caretakers along the way. The Dawson\u2019s Creek star first shared his cancer diagnosis publicly last November. \u201cI have colorectal cancer,\u201d Van Der Beek, 48, told People.&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":462,"featured_media":6641,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6638","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>James Van Der Beek Shares Heartbreaking Cancer Update: \u2018My Kids Know When I\u2019m in Pain\u2019<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"James Van Der Beek opens up about his colon cancer battle and how his six kids became his unexpected source of strength and support.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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