Dawsons Creek star James Van Der Beek associated cancer with unhealthy, sedentary lifestyles before diagnosis

Actor James Van Der Beek is opening up about his journey after revealing to the world that he was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer at the age of 46.“I’ve been dealing with this pretty much in secret for a while, and in the past, I’ve found it helpful and cathartic to share things publicly,” Van Der Beek,47, told PEOPLE for their week’s cover story.“And I’ve found a lot of support that way.

But more than that, I really wanted to raise awareness.”The “Dawson’s Creek” alum hopes that publicly speaking about his experience will raise awareness about colorectal cancer, a cancer that’s becoming more common in adults under 55.“That’s one of the reasons I want to talk about it and the reason I’m talking about it so openly,” Van Der Beek said.Although he does not provide many details about his current health and his stages of recovery, Van Der Beek says he feels good about his current state.“I’m very cautiously optimistic.I’m in a place of healing, my energy levels are great.

When I’ve been out of the woods completely for what feels like a responsible amount of time, I’ll circle back and let you know,” he says.“I have a lot to live for.”According to recent studies from the American Cancer Society (ACS), colorectal cancer is “swiftly shifting to more advanced disease and younger individuals,” and diagnoses of those under 55 doubled from 11-20% from 1995 to 2019.“We know rates are increasing in young people, but it’s alarming to see how rapidly the whole patient population is shifting younger, despite shrinking numbers in the overall population,” said Rebecca Siegel, senior scientific director of surveillance research at the American Cancer Society.

“The trend toward more advanced disease in people of all ages is also surprising and should motivate everyone 45 and older to get screened.”Van Der Beek said he wasn’t expecting this diagnosis in his life because he always took care of his body, and there ...