Sadly, the actor revealed a colorectal cancer diagnosis in 2024, having dealt with it privately since 2023.
Just last year in December, the star told NBC6: « It’s been the wildest, hardest journey I’ve ever had in this lifetime. It’s required more patience, more discipline, more strength than I knew I had, quite frankly. But there’s also been a lot of beauty in it. »
While he revealed he was living more intentionally since his diagnosis, he also warned that colorectal cancer can strike silently, and urged people to get checked.
« I think the biggest misconception is the same one I had, which is that you need to have something seriously wrong with you to get screened for colorectal cancer. You don’t. You can have no symptoms and still have cancer, » he said. »There wasn’t any red flag or something glaring, » he admitted. « I was healthy. I was doing the cold plunge. I was in amazing cardiovascular shape, and I had stage 3 cancer, and I had no idea. »
One sign that led to him getting screened was minor changes in his bowel movements.
According to the American Cancer Society, symptoms of colorectal cancer include bleeding from your rear, blood in your stool, losing weight unintentionally, fatigue, and cramping or abdominal pain.
Van Der Beek is survived by his wife, Kimberly Brook, and six children.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.
