The Dawson’s Creek star James Van Der Beek announced he is selling memorabilia to help cover the “expensive” treatment costs for his recent colorectal cancer diagnosis.
Van Der Beek, also known for the film Varsity Blues, made the announcement on Instagram last week, nearly three weeks after revealing his illness in an interview with People.
The Connecticut actor shared photos on Instagram wearing a Varsity Blues jersey while holding a football, introducing newly released merch to raise funds.
“100% of my net proceeds will go to families recovering from the financial burden of cancer (including my own 😇),” he wrote on Instagram.
The signed jerseys feature the name of his character, quarterback Jonathan “Mox” Moxon, from the 1999 film. Unsigned jerseys are priced at $40, while autographed shirts are available for $80.
Early last month, Van Der Beek told People: “I have colorectal cancer. 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.”
Van Der Beek is best known for his role as Dawson Leery in the US teen drama series from 1998 to 2003 and for playing a fictional version of himself in Don’t Trust the B---- in Apartment 23, in CSI: Cyber as the FBI agent Elijah Mundo, and as Matt Bromley in the first season of the FX drama Pose.
Despite his diagnosis, the 47-year-old has continued working, recently appearing in an episode of Walker (the reboot of Walker, Texas Ranger) and will star in the upcoming film Sidelined: The QB and Me.
Van Der Beek’s need to sell memorabilia to afford cancer treatment highlights the extreme costs of the US healthcare system. Despite spending almost twice as much on healthcare per person than peer countries, Americans struggle to afford medications, and uninsured people often delay care and risk worsening their conditions.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), the health law popularly known as Obamacare, helps cover essential health benefits, including cancer treatment and follow-up care, but coverage for cancer treatments varies based on private health plans.
Bowel cancer develops in the large intestine and can spread to other parts of the body. Rates of colorectal cancer are rising rapidly among people in their 20s, 30s and 40s, while incidence is declining in people over the age of 65, according to a report published by the American Cancer Society in January.
