The Unexpected Ripple from a Co-Star’s Loss on Cancer Advocacy Efforts

Quick Smiles:

• Joshua Jackson fondly remembers shared joys with Dawson’s Creek co-star James Van Der Beek.
• Van Der Beek embodied grace, faith, and devoted fatherhood amid challenges.
• Both champion vital cancer screenings to empower healthier futures.

Joshua Jackson shared touching reflections on James Van Der Beek during an exclusive TODAY interview. He highlighted their formative time on Dawson’s Creek and Van Der Beek’s remarkable personal achievements.

“He and I shared this very amazing time … and it was formational for us,” Jackson said.

“He became what we used to just call a good man, a man of the kind of belief, the kind of faith that allowed him to face the impossible with grace, an unbelievable partner and husband, just a real man who showed up for his family and a beautiful, kind, curious, interested, dedicated father.”

After Van Der Beek’s 2024 colorectal cancer diagnosis, he advocated for early screenings. Jackson, now 47, joined the NHL and AstraZeneca’s Get Body Checked Against Cancer campaign.

“I’m at the age, right? Like so many people, my family has been touched by cancer,” he noted.

“Guys don’t like to talk about this. We don’t like to go to the doctor, we don’t like to deal with this stuff.”

Van Der Beek urged screenings starting at 45 for average risk. “I got screened at 46,” he shared. “Even just the slightest little change, it could be something, but … don’t think that not having symptoms means you don’t have to get screened, especially for something that is this curable when caught early.”

Embrace early detection today—schedule your screening and spread hope for brighter tomorrows!

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