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Disney Star Christy Carlson Romano has revealed that she “may have stageable cancer” following a recent medical screening.
Romano, 41, broke down as she detailed the news via an Instagram video shared on Tuesday, February 17. “The other day I took this cancer screening. Both my parents had cancer. My mom beat it, my dad eventually didn’t, my grandmother on my mom’s side had lung cancer and died from that,” she began while seated on a couch inside her home.
“I got the results back a little bit before filming down in Florida,” Romano, who recently wrapped her role in the forthcoming Hallmark movie Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come True, continued. “My husband’s [results] came back completely negative. Mine did not come back negative, so basically, what that means is I may have stageable cancer.”
Romano married writer and producer Brendan Rooney in 2013 and the couple share two daughters, Isabella, 9, and Sofia, 7.
The actress took to the video’s caption to detail her next steps. “I’m going in for a PET scan later this week and hopefully it’s something easy to treat,” she wrote. “I debated whether or not I was going to post this because I was afraid I’d come off “cringe.” But I decided it was my duty to share, so that people get out there and get screenings.”
Romano, who is best known for her starring role as Ren Stevens in the Disney Channel’s Even Stevens, also spoke of how James Van Der Beek’s recent death at the age of 48, as a result of cancer, inspired her to undergo a cancer screening herself.
“I’m in Austin and I was able to meet James Van Der Beek a bunch. His family is amazing, he was a pillar of our community in Texas,” she explained through tears. “They always were raising money for the most amazing charities but he’s not with us anymore, and cancer is everywhere — which is why I got this test.”
Romano’s cancer scare comes approximately one year after she was shot in the face while celebrating her husband’s birthday. Sharing how the incident changed her life “profoundly” via Instagram in February 2025, Romano shone a light on her evolved mindset at the time. “I’m feeling more grateful than I’ve ever felt in my life and I’m healing really well. Every day, to me, is a gift,” she told fans. “I used to be so closed off about sharing the things in my life I loved out of fear of being judged. Now I just don’t care.”
Romano was just as candid in Tuesday’s video. “[This is a] very vulnerable time for me. About 367 days since I got shot in the face,” she said. “Time to have a strong sense of faith and know that it’s in God’s hands, most of it. I’m sure people think I’m overreacting but I’m not because cancer’s pretty f***ing serious and I have two little girls. This is a very emotional post.”
She concluded her health update on a positive note, demonstrating a determined approach to tackling whatever the future will bring. “When you’re somebody like me, you have to take life a day at a time and really be grateful for all the amazing stuff around you,” she said before giving fans two thumbs up. “So, know that I have a loving family around me to support me and I’m going to keep fighting for answers and eventually giving you updates.”
