Austin-based actress and podcaster Christy Carlson Romano shared Tuesday that a recent cancer screening returned concerning results, prompting additional testing.
In an emotional video posted to Instagram, Romano said the screening “did not come back negative,” meaning doctors need to conduct further tests to determine what’s going on.
Romano, best known for her role on Disney Channel’s “Even Stevens,” said she and her husband, Brendan Rooney, decided to get screened because of a strong family history of cancer. She said both of her parents and her maternal grandmother were diagnosed with cancer. Rooney’s screening came back negative, she said, but hers did not.
Romano, who moved to Austin in 2020, said the decision to pursue screening was influenced by her family history and by the recent death of actor James Van Der Beek, whom she described as “a pillar” of the Austin community.
Van Der Beek died Feb. 11 after a battle with Stage III colorectal cancer, according to a fundraiser created to support his wife and children.
Romano said the loss made the risk feel impossible to ignore.
Romano said the next step is a PET scan, an imaging test doctors use to look for abnormal activity in the body that can help detect cancer and, in some cases, see whether it has spread.
She said she received the results while working out of state and didn’t fully process them until she got home — adding that it’s a “very vulnerable time,” especially as a mom of two young daughters.
Romano said she debated whether to share the update publicly but ultimately chose to do so to encourage others not to delay recommended screenings — particularly those with a family history that increases their risk.
The post comes after what she described as a difficult year, referencing a shooting-range accident last year that sent her to the hospital.
She did not share additional medical details.
Romano, 41, rose to fame alongside Shia LaBeouf on the Disney Channel show “Even Stevens” and later voiced the title character in Kim Possible and starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie “Cadet Kelly” alongside Hilary Duff. She now hosts a podcast focused on former child stars.