James Van Der Beek has shared the story of his family’s path to healing after he and his wife Kimberly suffered two devastating pregnancy losses.
Taking to Instagram on Friday (19 August), the Dawson’s Creek actor, 45, shared an emotional post in which he recounted the story of two family road trips to the same place, alongside two moving photos overlooking the same river.
The first snap was taken shortly after his wife, Kimberly, 40, had her first miscarriage in November 2019. The second, in which Van Der Beek can be seen carrying the pair’s newborn son, Jeremiah, on his back, was captured earlier this month.
“Pic #1 we had just lost a baby 18 weeks into pregnancy and almost lost @vanderkimberly in the process,” the actor began in the capition underneath the family snaps.
“I had a collaboration going south, rapidly. And I’d just been booted off a reality dancing competition I’d been favoured to win. (I feel like three out of those four are fairly relatable).”
With barely a pause for breath, the family decided to take a road trip.
“So, last minute, we rented an #RV, and headed north,” the father of six said, explaining that they had no “real plan” and decided instead to live “day-to-day”.
He went on say that the first photos – which feature the actor and one of his sons sporting woolen hats and thick winter jackets – was taken near a river by an RV park they booked en route.
“And thus began the process – not necessarily of healing – but of being present. Present to the pain. Present to the beauty around us. And present to the acceptance of being in a process I did not understand,” he continued.
In June 2020, Van Der Beek found himself again facing a tragic pregnancy loss, after Kimberly suffered a second miscarriage at 17-and-a-half weeks.
Come October 2021, however, the pair welcomed their sixth child, Jeremiah. The pair also share other children – Olivia, 11, Joshua, 10, Annabel, eight, Emilia, six, and Gwendolyn, four.
In another poignant leg of the family’s healing journey, the Van Der Beek clan returned to the same river with Jeremiah in tow.
“Two-and-a-half years later, after another late-term pregnancy loss, after that project blew up completely, after we moved to a new state and got our own RV… we came back to that same spot. With a brand new baby boy,” the star wrote.
Reflecting on their initial visit to the river, Van Der Beek said he was “astounded by how much I didn’t know about the path to where I am now… and by how much peace I was able to feel in the midst of that darkness”.
He concluded the post with a message of support to his fans, writing: “Whatever you’re going through… if you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, or even know where to look for it… I invite you to not underestimate the power of a little change of environment… and of taking the time to sit exactly where you’re at.”
“Healing comes at its own pace. Presence might just be a pre-requisite.”
