James Van Der Beek is opening up about a painful chapter in his life. <\/p>\n
The \u201cDawson\u2019s Creek\u201d alum shared a candid update about his battle with Stage 3 colorectal cancer, offering fans an emotional glimpse into the strength it has taken him to face each day. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a journey,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are so many ups and downs and so many unknowns.\u201d<\/p>\n
Van Der Beek was asked if there were warning signs. He revealed that it was \u201cnothing that made him rush\u201d to get checked, and that\u2019s why he wants to \u201cspread the word\u201d about getting screened, because \u201cyou don\u2019t have to have symptoms.\u201d<\/p>\n
A father of six, he shared that after his diagnosis, he \u201ctakes things more slowly\u201d and \u201cappreciates every single moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPost-cancer me is me actually accepting help from people and allowing my friends to show up in my life in a way that I wasn\u2019t because I was trying to be Superman,\u201d the \u201cVarsity Blues\u201d actor said.<\/p>\n
He was then asked what advice he would give to fathers who may be on the same medical path that he\u2019s on.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m far from an expert, but our approach was to be as honest as possible,\u201d he said, adding that the honesty with children should be gauged \u201cto the degree of their own understanding.\u201d <\/p>\n
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