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Topics: Celebrity, Cancer, TV And Film, Health
Rhiannon Ingle
Topics: Celebrity, Cancer, TV And Film, Health
James Van Der Beek has raised an eye-watering sum for his cancer treatment by auctioning his Dawson’s Creek possessions.
The 48-year-old actor, who played Dawson Leery on The WB's Dawson's Creek, announced in November 2024 that he'd been diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer.
He told PEOPLE Magazine: "I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family. There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good."
The father-of-six also shared an Instagram reel to break the news to fans at the time, which he captioned: "It is cancer... Each year, approximately 2 billion people around the world receive this diagnosis. And I’m one of them."
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Van Der Beek continued: "There’s no playbook for how to announce these things, but I’d planned on talking about it at length with PEOPLE Magazine at some point soon... to raise awareness and tell my story on my own terms.
"But that plan had to be altered early this morning when I was informed that a tabloid was going to run with the news."
The NHS explains that bowel cancer is cancer found anywhere in the large bowel, which includes the colon and rectum. It's one of the most common types of cancer in the UK.
Those diagnosed with colorectal cancer may be offered a combination of treatments, including surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and targeted medicines, and early treatment is key to avoiding the dangerous cells spreading elsewhere in the body.
According to OncoDaily, Van Der Beek has since auctioned 'cherished personal memorabilia' from the hit TV series, which skyrocketed him to fame to offset the mounting costs of his stage 3 colorectal cancer treatment, ultimately raising over $47,000.
Standout items included the silver necklace Dawson gifted Joey Potter in season three, which sold for a staggering $26,628, as well as a rare E.T. action figure from Dawson’s bedroom for $5,991.
Other notable high-value price tags include the actor's signature blue flannel shirt ($2,396) and additional props like scripted pages, posters, and bedroom decor, which fetched between $2,000 to $4,000 a pop.
Every single dollar, all 47,000 of them, was directed to medical expenses amid ongoing chemotherapy and surveillance.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.