Originally appeared on E! Online .

James Van Der Beek didn't want to wait for this reunion to go on without him.

After the 48-year-old announced he wouldn't be able to attend the planned "Dawson's Creek " cast charity event on Monday due to two stomach viruses amid his battle with stage 3 colorectal cancer, he surprised fans with a special video appearance.

"I can't believe I'm not there," Van Der Beek shared in the pre-recorded video, which played at the Richard Rodgers Theater in New York City. "I can't believe I don't get to see my castmates, my beautiful cast, in person. I wanted to stand on this stage and thank every single person in this theater for being here tonight."

The actor — who played Dawson Leery in the 1998 teen drama until 2003 — emphasized how much he

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