James Van Der Beek Underwent Vasectomy Before Shocking Cancer Diagnosis

James Van Der Beek made a major life decision before receiving his cancer diagnosis.

The Dawson's Creek actor, 47, revealed he underwent a vasectomy after he and his wife, Kimberly, decided their family was complete with their six children: Olivia, 14; Joshua, 12; Annabel, 10; Emilia, 8; Gwen, 6, and Jeremiah, 3.

"Well, we love having kids, but we didn't really plan it out," Van Der Beek told People. "It just happened. We had one planned child."

"One! Out of six. One was 100% on purpose," he pointed out. "The one thing we really sucked at was not getting pregnant. But thank God, honestly, because it's such a struggle for people, and we really don't take it for granted. I joke, and I laugh, but like, yeah, we really just kind of got lucky that way."

The former teen star admitted that he and his spouse, 42, made the executive move years before his current health battle. However, his kids interpretation of what he was going through made the situation memorable. "I figured the only way we're going to stop this is if we have some medical intervention," he said. "I said, 'Listen, guys, you know 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 and said, 'Daddy, I hope your vagina feels better,'" Van Der Beek recalled.

As OK! previously reported, the patriarch recently revealed his secret battle with colorectal cancer. "I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family,” he said in a statement about the life update. "There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good."

The Varsity Blues actor emphasized how stunned he was by the news of his diagnosis. “The gastroenterologist said — in his most pleasant bedside manner — that it was cancer. I think I went into shock. I’d always associated cancer with age and with unhealthy, sedentary lifestyles. But I was in amazing cardiovascular shape. I tried to eat healthy — or as far as I knew it at the time," he added.

"I thought maybe I needed to stop coffee,” he explained. “Or maybe not put cream in the coffee. But when I cut that out and it didn’t improve, I thought, ‘All right, I better get this checked out.’”

"This has been a crash course in the mastery of mind, body, and spirit," Van Der Beek said. "I thought, ‘This is either going to take me out of the body, or it’s going to teach me how to truly live in it.’”