Former Disney Channel star Christy Carlson Romano has shared an emotional health update, revealing she might have ‘stageable cancer’ after taking advice from James Van Der Beek before his passing.
At 41, Christy Carlson Romano, known for her roles in Even Stevens and Kim Possible, disclosed in a recent Instagram video that she and her husband, Brendan Rooney, underwent preventative cancer screenings. Their decision came after both of her parents were diagnosed with cancer.
While her husband’s tests returned negative, Christy emotionally announced that her results indicated a possible presence of cancer.
“I got the results back a little bit before filming down in Florida [last December],” Romano said. “Mine did not come back negative.
“So basically what that means is, I may have stageable cancer.”
Romano explained that she had a conversation with Van Der Beek before the Dawson’s Creek actor’s passing from colorectal cancer the previous week.
It was Van Der Beek’s diagnosis that prompted Christy to seek medical evaluation.
In an emotional social media video, she shared: “I was able to meet James Van Der Beek a bunch. His family is amazing, he was a pillar of our community in Texas. They were always raising money for the most amazing charities and… he’s not with us anymore, which is why I got this test.”
Van Der Beek passed away on February 11 at the age of 48. His family shared the news on Instagram, describing him as ‘a loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend’.
The Rules of Attraction actor publicly revealed his cancer diagnosis in 2024 after learning about it a year earlier.
Christy is scheduled for further testing in the coming weeks, including a positron emission tomography (PET) scan later this week.
In the video, the mother of two expressed the importance of discussing the issue, even if some on social media might perceive her as ‘overreacting’.
“I’m sure people think I’m overreacting but I’m not because cancer’s pretty f***ing serious and I have two little girls,” she said.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone confidentially, reach out to the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345 or use their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.