Disney Star Christy Carlson Romano has revealed that she “could 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 opposite day I took this cancer screening. Each 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 outcomes back a bit bit before filming down in Florida,” Romano, who recently wrapped her role within the forthcoming Hallmark movie Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come True, continued. “My husband’s [results] got here back completely negative. Mine didn’t come back negative, so mainly, what which means is I could have stageable cancer.”
Romano married author 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 stepping into for a PET scan later this week and hopefully it’s something easy to treat,” she wrote. “I debated whether or not I used to be going to post this because I used to be afraid I’d come off “cringe.” But I made a decision it was my duty to share, so that folks get on the market and get screenings.”
Romano, who’s best known for her starring role as Ren Stevens within the Disney Channel’s Even Stevens, also spoke of how James Van Der Beek’s recent death on the age of 48, in consequence of cancer, inspired her to undergo a cancer screening herself.
“I’m in Austin and I used to be capable of 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 at all times were raising money for probably the most amazing charities but he’s not with us anymore, and cancer is all over the place — which is why I got this test.”
Romano’s cancer scare comes roughly one 12 months after she was shot within the face while celebrating her husband’s birthday. Sharing how the incident modified her life “profoundly” via Instagram in February 2025, Romano shone a lightweight on her evolved mindset on the time. “I’m feeling more grateful than I’ve ever felt in my life and I’m healing rather well. Each day, to me, is a present,” she told fans. “I was 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 within the face,” she said. “Time to have a powerful sense of religion 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 even have two little girls. This can be a very emotional post.”
She concluded her health update on a positive note, demonstrating a determined approach to tackling whatever the long run will bring. “Whenever you’re any individual like me, you’ve to take life a day at a time and really be thankful for all of the amazing stuff around you,” she said before giving fans two thumbs up. “So, know that I even have a loving family around me to support me and I’m going to maintain fighting for answers and eventually supplying you with updates.”