James Van Der Beek stunned fans with an emotional video message at the “Dawson’s Creek” reunion earlier this week, sparking an outpouring of love and concern.

The 48-year-old actor said he was “gutted” to miss the nostalgic night at New York City’s Richard Rodgers Theatre after being sidelined by two stomach viruses amid his ongoing fight with colorectal cancer.

“Despite every effort … I won’t get to be there,” Van Der Beek wrote on social media . “I won’t get to stand on that stage and thank every soul in the theater for showing up for me, and against cancer, when I needed it most.” 3

The “Varsity Blues” heartthrob went public with his diagnosis last November, joining a growing wave of young Americans caught in an alarming rise of colorectal cancer in adults under 50.

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