Christy Carlson Romano Gets Shock Of Her Life After James Van Der Beek Inspiration

Christy Carlson Romano was brought to tears as she shared a life update, recalling moments with James Van Der Beek.

James Van Der Beek, popularly known for his role as Dawson Leery on the famous TV series "Dawson's Creek," tragically passed away last week at the age of 48 after years of battling with colorectal cancer.

Former Disney Channel star Christy Carlson Romano, while letting fans in on the recent developments with her health, chipped in that James Van Der Beek's death fueled her decision to get checked medically. The news from the health assessment has caused an emotional spiral as it is not what she hoped for.

Romano uploaded a video on Instagram where she tearfully disclosed she probably has stageable cancer after she took a cancer screening test recently. She shared that she, along with her husband, Brendan Rooney, had the routine scan, but his results, unlike hers, came back completely negative.

The TV star continued, sharing a bit of her family history with the illness, "Both my parents had cancer. My mom beat it, my dad eventually didn't, my grandmother on my mom's side had lung cancer and died from that," she said before disclosing the next steps.

She is to get a positron emission tomography (PET) imaging scan later in the week amid her "fighting with [insurance] companies to get that covered." According to the Cleveland Clinic, a PET scan helps to detect early signs of cancer, heart disease, and brain conditions.

Tears clouded up in Romano's eyes as she spoke about Van Der Beek and his family, stating that they were always involved in fundraising for charitable events in Texas, where she lives.

"I was able to meet James Van Der Beek a bunch. His family is amazing, he was a pillar of our community in Texas," the mom of two said before adding that his death and the realization that cancer is everywhere is the reason she decided to get tested.

In the last few seconds of the reel, Romano, still in tears, noted that this phase is very vulnerable for her, adding, "I'm sure people think I'm overreacting, but I'm not because cancer's pretty f-cking serious and I have two little girls. This is a very emotional post."

The 41-year-old hinted that although she is very nervous and scared for what the process will unfold, she has a strong sense of faith that everything lies in God's hands.

She also stated that she has her family's support and love as she undertakes this path. Her husband attested to this with his comment, which read, "You got this, my beautiful wife. We will figure this out and destroy any problem that comes your way. I love you beyond words."

Her post has gotten over thirty thousand reactions so far and over a thousand comments, with many fans sending thoughts and prayers for the Disney Channel alum.

One person wrote that her message will inspire others to also get tested, while another penned "You are not overreacting at all, you got this, Christy!..." Many followers sent encouraging words informing Romano that she was in their prayers.

Many heart emojis followed by reassuring words from fans overflowed in the comment section. Some users, however, noted that home test screenings often show a lot of false positives, encouraging her not to take the results to heart till she sees a doctor.

Last year, Romano opened up about the challenges she had to scale through since entering the industry. She noted that she had these difficulties since her days on Disney Channel after her big fail on a mission on "Special Forces: World Toughest Test."

"I have failed in life before, getting less and less work over the years," she admitted. "I couldn't help but feel like a failure that has sort of affected the way that I process things," the entertainer said, adding that she did not feel she did her best.

Her career behind screens began early because by age 8, she was already on Broadway and worked with Disney from her early teenage days. PEOPLE shared that the actress noted that being a child star was very stressful and competitive.

In the process of striving to build a name for herself while navigating stardom, her relationship with her mother, Sharon, became fractured. Sharon was her manager until she asked her not to continue the role when she was 21.

Admitting that she was not sure she handled her yearning for independence the "right way," she revealed that her communication with her family was cut off for about a year.

Romano had a good run on Disney in her early days, featuring in shows such as "Even Stevens," which marked her big break character with the network, and playing the voice character of the classic "Kim Possible."

On a podcast, "Vulnerable," where she hosts other former child stars, they spend time conversing about their previous works behind the cameras.

The Blast also reported that the Disney alum believes that she has a good knowledge of why the shows that aired over 20 years ago on the channel are still widely loved, stating that there was a synergy that Disney had as one of their mission statements and portrayed on these classic shows.

"It's actually truly the model of old Hollywood synergy, it's something that I think another thing about nostalgia is that when we think about Disney Channel or even Nickelodeon back in the quote unquote 'golden era,' everyone hopped on everyone's TV shows," she said in a previous interview.

Two years ago, Romano sat down with  "That's So Raven" star Anneliese van der Pol on her podcast, and the duo looked back on their days on Broadway, revealing some secrets to their listeners.

Romano played Belle in the musical "Beauty And The Beast" with popular stage actor and singer Steve Blanchard starring as the Beast, which he played for eight years. The mother of two recalled Blanchard as a "naughty beast," though she did not provide clarity on what exactly the term meant.

Van der Pol concurred before telling listeners a story about Blanchard and his influence of drinking alcohol during their shows. Still in the conversation, she also said that Disney ought to take responsibility for what happened to many child actors who struggled with drugs, alcohol, and other vices.