“That is one of many causes I wish to speak about it and the purpose I am speaking about it so brazenly,” the 47-year-old advised PEOPLE. “I have been coping with this gorgeous a lot in secret for some time, and previously, I’ve discovered it useful and cathartic to share issues publicly.”

“And I’ve discovered quite a lot of help that approach,” he added. “However greater than that, I actually needed to boost consciousness.”

The Dawson’s Creek alum lives on a ranch in Texas along with his spouse 42-year-old spouse Kimberly and their six children, Olivia, 14, Joshua, 12, Annabel, 10, Emilia, 8, Gwen, 6, and Jeremiah, 3.

Van Der Beek revealed his stage 3 colorectal most cancers analysis got here as a shock, claiming his household has no historical past of most cancers and he took care of his physique and his vitamin.

“I might all the time related most cancers with age and with unhealthy, sedentary existence. However I used to be in wonderful cardiovascular form. I attempted to eat wholesome — or so far as I knew it on the time,” he advised the outlet.

The daddy of six mentioned he seen modifications in his bowel actions in the summertime of 2023. He presumed it was his weight-reduction plan and determined he ought to “cease espresso” or strive not placing “cream within the espresso.”

“However once I reduce that out and it did not enhance, I believed, ‘All proper, I higher get this checked out.’”

Step one was a colonoscopy which he wasn’t nervous about, till the gastroenterologist walked in.

“I felt actually good popping out of anesthesia, that I might lastly executed it,” he mentioned. “Then the gastroenterologist mentioned — in his most nice bedside method — that it was most cancers. I believe I went into shock.”

He has since gone by means of therapies that he doesn’t but wish to share particular particulars about — nevertheless, he added: “When you’ve heard about it, I’ve in all probability touched on it.”

Regardless of the analysis, he stays “very cautiously optimistic.”

“I am in a spot of therapeutic, my power ranges are nice. Once I’ve been out of the woods fully for what appears like a accountable period of time, I am going to circle again and allow you to know,” he advised the publication, earlier than including: “I’ve loads to stay for.”

The actor introduced his analysis in an interview with Folks final week.

It was the primary time some members of his household heard the information, main Van Der Beek to take to Instagram to apologize.

“It’s most cancers … Every year, roughly 2 billion individuals world wide obtain this analysis. And I’m one in every of them. There is no playbook for easy methods to announce these items, however I might deliberate on speaking about it at size with Folks journal sooner or later … to boost consciousness and inform my story alone phrases,” Van Der Beek defined. “However that plan needed to be altered early this morning once I was knowledgeable {that a} tabloid was going to run with the information.”

Including that he has “been coping with this privately till now, getting therapy and dialing in my general well being with higher focus than ever earlier than,” the actor famous that he is “in place and feeling robust.”

“It has been fairly the initiation, and I am going to inform you extra once I’m prepared,” Van Der Beek added. “Apologies to all of the individuals in my life who I might deliberate on telling myself. Nothing about this course of has occurred on my most well-liked timeline… However we roll with it, taking every shock as a signpost, pointing us towards a higher future than we might have found with out divine intervention. Please know that my household and I deeply respect all of the love and help.”

Per the American Most cancers Society, colorectal most cancers begins within the colon or the rectum, which make up the massive gut within the digestive system.