Busy Philipps Reveals How James Van Der Beek's Death Directly Led To Her Being Diagnosed With A Malignant Brain Tumor

In a recent interview with People, Busy Philipps confided that after Dawson's Creek co-star James Van Der Beek's death, her life turned around, and it had a lot to do with her friend's illness and passing.

Philipps was still reeling from the loss of Van Der Beek, the second friend she'd lost to cancer at far too young an age. She was also busy trying to find new acting work, as she was struggling to keep her family in New York without work, and her daughter wanted to continue her education in the city.

Finally, she landed an audition, which she scheduled for the upcoming Friday, only to realize that she'd also scheduled a whole-body MRI scan, just in case, for the day before. She considered canceling it, but when her ex-husband pointed out that it was a good way to honor Van Der Beek's memory, she agreed to keep it on her schedule.

Thank goodness she did, as a mass was discovered on her brain. They soon discovered it was in her brain and was a real danger to her health. Philipps agreed to a five-hour operation to remove the tumor, and because it was detected early, the malignant tumor is much less likely to regrow.

If it hadn't been for wanting to honor Van Der Beek's memory, Philipps admitted she would have canceled the appointment indefinitely in exchange for the audition and more time for work, which would have increased her chances at complications later.

You can watch the video here:

Viewers were glad Philipps got the scan and wished everyone could access preventative scans.

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James Van Der Beek became very outspoken toward the end of his life about his cancer. He wanted people to know what he initially did not, to increase their chances of early detection and treatment.

Not only did Van Der Beek put this on Philipps's mind, but wanting to honor his memory made her keep the MRI appointment. Not only did she end up honoring him, but she also performed self-care that just might have saved her life.