Christy Carlson Romano is facing her health battle with resilience and transparency. The former Disney Channel star, who revealed earlier this year that she received a positive cancer screening, is now sharing an update with her fans, and the news brings both relief and caution.
In a video posted to Instagram, the 41-year-old actress told followers, “I’ve got my tests back, my initial tests back, and it is definitely better than what I feared, but I do have a lot more tests to take, and I’m going to be meeting with an oncologist”.
Romano’s health journey began when she and her husband, Brendan Rooney, decided to undergo cancer screenings due to her extensive family history with the disease. Both of her parents had cancer, her mother survived, but her father ultimately did not. Her maternal grandmother also died of lung cancer.
While Rooney’s results came back completely negative, Romano’s did not. In an emotional video, she shared the news with tears in her eyes: “I may have stageable cancer”.
She initially struggled to process the news while filming a Hallmark movie in Florida. “I kind of was in disbelief about it, because I was filming, and I was so happy to be back on set, and I didn’t want to really think about it much,” she said.
The actress revealed she was told, “You have tumor cells active in your body, so that means you might already have a tumor”. Her next step was to get a PET scan, a positron emission tomography scan that uses a radioactive tracer to detect diseased cells, but she faced an additional hurdle: fighting with insurance companies to get the procedure covered.
Through tears, Romano also remembered late actor James Van Der Beek, who died on February 11 at age 48 after a battle with colorectal cancer. Van Der Beek lived in the same Austin community as Romano, and she called him “a pillar of our community in Texas”.
“His family’s amazing. They always were raising money for the most amazing charities, and he’s not with us anymore,” she said. “Cancer is everywhere. Which is why I got this test”.
In her recent update, Romano expanded on her experience in her newly launched Substack. She explained that after the initial results, she began what she called a “protocol” supplements, eight weeks of immune-boosting treatments, and “a five-day fast to essentially starve out the circulating tumor cells. Think of a tumor (if I have one) as a tree and those cells as seeds that need to be filtered out”.
The good news? Her subsequent PET scan came back clear. She will continue with the protocol and undergo further testing in June while meeting with an oncologist for more information.
“I’m glad I did the test. I’m glad I got checked. I’m glad I am meeting with an oncologist next week for more information,” she wrote. “Early detection is the whole point of testing before your life gets derailed and your options are vastly different”.
This cancer scare comes just one year after Romano survived a terrifying incident: she was shot in the face while shooting clay pigeons for her husband’s birthday celebration. At the time, she called the experience life-changing, writing on Instagram, “I am feeling more grateful than I’ve ever felt in my life and I’m healing really well. Every day, to me, is a gift” .
Reflecting on back-to-back health crises, Romano wrote in her Substack, “I think the universe has been showing me that I need to take my health seriously. I am humbled by the various health scares I have undoubtedly had the last year or so. I feel spared, once again, and I live with the knowledge that I am here for a reason”.
Throughout her journey, Romano has emphasized the importance of early detection and advocacy. Despite initially hesitating to share her story—worried she might “come off ‘cringe'”—she decided to post her videos to encourage others to get screened.
“When you’re somebody like me, you kinda have to take life a day at a time, really be grateful for all the amazing stuff around you,” she said. “That’s why I always try to make jokes, and I try to be funny. Not just because I’m trying to be liked or stay relevant.”
Her husband, Brendan Rooney, has been by her side throughout, writing in the comments of her emotional video, “You got this my beautiful wife. We will figure this out and destroy any problem that comes your way. I love you beyond words”.
As Romano continues her protocol and prepares to meet with oncologists, she remains focused on gratitude and on the two little girls she’s determined to stay healthy for. “Cancer is pretty serious, and I have two little girls,” she said earlier. “It’s time to have a strong sense of faith and know that it’s in God’s hands, most of it”.
