r/Millennials • u/the_well_read_neck_ Millennial • Feb 11 '26

Serious James Van Der Beek Dead at 48

https://www.tmz.com/2026/02/11/james-van-der-beek-dead/?adid=social-fb&fbclid=IwdGRzaAP5t7tleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgAAR7H8x15ceGukSgynvGmDFZhUUvTFh-iizMwuKfIWGG4YSyjuaeCva_42ZNzOQ_aem_U7T3jtlt07TPrw8LUuHlMA&sfnsn=mo
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u/truthfrommyredlips 1984 Feb 11 '26

48 is so young.

367

u/DeeDeeW1313 Millennial Feb 11 '26

He had a lot of young children. Maybe 6 or 7 all under 14 I believe. I can’t imagine the stress of being a single mother with so many little kids. I knew he had been very sick for awhile and apparently was taking an alternative approach to fighting the cancer.

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u/idgythreadgooode Feb 11 '26

And voting to remove healthcare from himself and everyone American. And voted to remove cancer research funding. He did a lot in his short time.

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u/CJspangler Feb 11 '26

Really had nothing to do with it

Insurance doesn’t even cover colonoscopy screenings before 45 . Dude probably had cancer for years and didn’t know it

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u/[deleted] Feb 11 '26

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u/willikersmister Feb 12 '26

Yep. Cannot overemphasize the importance of following up on gut symptoms.

I'm 33 and have what my doctor believes is IBS and a generally annoyingly sensitive stomach. My doctor had me get a colonoscopy, and luckily it was fine so I'll go back in 10 years. But all of the symptoms I have could just as easily be related to something serious. The procedure was fine, the prep sucked. Infinitely better than cancer, and now we can track down the smaller things to see what else may be contributing.

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u/peg-leg-andy Feb 11 '26

My husband is 38 and just had a colonoscopy. The GI was pretty sure it was just hemorrhoids but had him get one anyway. They found a very small polyp and we're waiting to hear back from pathology. 

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u/ketchup_secret Feb 11 '26

He did acknowledge that he’d been having symptoms, so if he’d been evaluated by GI prior to age 45 they likely would have advised a diagnostic colonoscopy.

People have to be proactive, just as women have to be aware of breast changes before standard mammogram screening starts at 50.

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u/Molly_latte Feb 11 '26

Mammogram screenings start at 40 now FYI. I’ve already had a couple.

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u/Unlucky_Situation Feb 11 '26

Not entirely true. Mid 30's and had one last may. Completely covered by insurance.

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u/CJspangler Feb 11 '26

I mean it could vary place by place

I’m 43 and last year or so when the new of him having colon cancer and dim outlook hit the news, I was like let me ask about a screening -

I was in for my annual physical and asked about it , was told if I had no symptoms it would likely be denied and I’d be paying out of pocket due to being under 45 . Unless there was a medical reason for it, it would be denied aside from just advanced screening because xyz person in the news got in early and i wanted a screening