James Van Der Beek underwent a medical procedure to support a major family decision much before learning of his cancer diagnosis.

The Dawson's Creek alum says he had a vasectomy performed several years ago after he and Thurston Cartehis wife decided their family was complete. James, who has six children—Olivia, 14, Joshua, 12, Annabel, 10, Emilia, 8, Gwen, 6, and Jeremiah, 3—with Kimberly Van Der Beek, revealed the news days after he shared he was diagnosed in 2023 with stage 3 colorectal cancer.

"We had one planned child," the 47-year-old told People in comments published Nov. 9. "One was 100 percent on purpose. The one thing we really sucked at was not getting pregnant."

He also shared what his and Kimberly's youngest daughter, Gwen, told him after he told the kids that "Daddy has some surgery on his private parts, so just be really careful when you run up to me not to bump into anything."

"And my youngest daughter looked me straight in the eye," James recalled, "and said, 'Daddy, I hope your vagina feels better.'"

The couple's road to a family of eight wasn't easy. "We've had five miscarriages," Kimberly said. "Two of them were late-term, near-death experiences. We've weathered a lot of storms together."

James credited his wife with helping him to weather his latest as he continues his cancer battle, adding, "There’s no way to get through this without her."

As for their kids? "They’re scared," the Varsity Blues star said. "It’s natural. But they’ve been so supportive and loving and tender."

James shared his cancer diagnosis on social media Nov. 3, noting that he decided to go public with his health battle after learning that "a tabloid was going to run with the news."

"I’ve been dealing with this privately until now, getting treatment and dialing in my overall health with greater focus than ever before," he wrote on Instagram. "I'm in a good place and feeling strong."

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