In a current Instagram video, the actor mirrored on his battle with colorectal most cancers as he marked his forty eighth birthday, and shared how his journey affected his marriage and household.

“At present’s my birthday, and it has been the toughest 12 months of my life,” started Van Der Beek, who shares Olivia, 14, Joshua, 13, Annabel, 11, Emilia, 8, Gwendolyn, 6, Jeremiah, 2, with spouse Kimberly. “I needed to share one thing that I discovered with y’all.”

“After I was youthful, I used to outline myself as an actor, which was by no means actually all that fulfilling,” the Dawson’s Creek star continued. “Then I turned a husband, and that was a lot better. After which I turned a father, and that was the final word.”

“I might outline myself then as a loving, succesful, sturdy, supportive, husband, father, supplier, steward of the land that we’re so fortunate to reside on,” he added. “And for a very long time, that felt like a very good definition to the query: ‘Who am I? What am I?”‘

Van Der Beek — who revealed his stage 3 colorectal prognosis in November — stated through the previous 12 months he “needed to look his mortality within the eye,” including, “I needed to come nostril to nostril with dying. All of these definitions that I cared so deeply about had been stripped for me.”

The daddy of six went on to element how being “away for therapy” impacted his life at residence.

“I might not be a husband who was useful to my spouse,” he stated. “I might not be a father who might choose up his youngsters and put them to mattress and be there for them. I couldn’t be a supplier as a result of I wasn’t working. I could not even be a steward of the land as a result of, at instances, I used to be too weak to prune all of the timber through the window that you simply’re speculated to prune them.”

He continued, “And so I used to be confronted with the query: ‘If I’m simply too skinny, weak man alone in an condominium with most cancers, what am I?’ And I meditated and the reply got here via. I’m worthy of God’s love just because I exist. And if I am worthy of God’s love, should not I even be worthy of my very own? And the identical is true for you.”

The Varsity Blues star stated he needed to share the “revelation” together with his followers as he continues “via this therapeutic portal towards restoration.”

He added that he desires his followers to know they’re “worthy of affection.”

“Since you are,” he concluded.

In November, Van Der Beek revealed his colorectal most cancers prognosis whereas talking with Individuals.

“I’ve colorectal most cancers. I have been privately coping with this prognosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the help of my unbelievable household,” he stated in an unique assertion.

“There’s motive for optimism, and I am feeling good,” he added.

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.

In an interview with TooFab in December, Van Der Beek gave an replace on his well being, sharing that he was feeling “nice.”

“Thanks, yeah, feeling actually sturdy, in an excellent place,” he stated.