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James Van Der Beek Opens Up About His Shocking Cancer Diagnosis and How He's Doing Now: 'I Have a Lot to Live For'

James Van Der Beek was shocked to learn he had stage 3 colorectal cancer at 46. Now he is opening up to PEOPLE exclusively about how he manages the diagnosis and relies on his family for their support.

"I've been dealing with this pretty much in secret for a while, and in the past, I've found it helpful and cathartic to share things publicly," says the actor, who lives on a ranch in Texas with his wife Kimberly, 42, and their six kids, Olivia, 14, Joshua, 12, Annabel,10, Emilia, 8, Gwen, 6, and Jeremiah, 3. When I’ve been out of the woods completely for what feels like a responsible amount of time, I’ll circle back and let you know.” For more on James Van Der Beek's cancer journey, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE on stands Monday

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