Christy Carlson Romano Tearfully Shares Cancer Screening Results: ‘Very Vulnerable Time for Me’

While Christy Carlson Romano was filming Hallmark’s upcoming Christmas movie “Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come True” with Lacey Chabert, she tried to let the magical setting distract her from the fact that she didn’t get the best news right before heading to Orlando.

But on February 17, 2026, she shared with fans that now that she’s back home in Texas, she’s facing a health hurdle she did not expect: results from a cancer screening that showed she “may have stageable cancer.”

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Christy Carlson Romano Says She Needs a PET Scan to Determine Next Steps

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“So, the other day I took this cancer screening,” Carlson Romano said in a video posted to her social media. “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.”

Sitting on her couch at home in Austin, Texas, the actress — who first rose to fame playing Ren Stevens on “Even Stevens” and voicing the main character in “Kim Possible” — revealed that she had the test done before filming began in December. While her husband’s results “came back completely negative,” she said, “mine did not come back negative.”

Getting choked up, Carlson Romano continued, “So basically, what that means is I may have stageable cancer. Next steps are to get a PET scan. I’m fighting with companies to get that covered.”

A PET — or positron emission tomography — scan is an imaging test that can “help reveal the metabolic or biochemical function of the body’s tissues and organs” before other tests can, according to Mayo Clinic. The scan can help find the exact location of the disease.

Carlson Romano’s thoughts then turned to fellow actor James Van Der Beek, who died on February 11 of colorectal cancer at age 48. Crying, she said, “I was able to meet James Van Der Beek a bunch. His family’s amazing. He’s a pillar of our community in Texas. They always were raising money for the most amazing charities, and he’s not with us anymore.”

Turning back to her own results, the actress explained, “Cancer is everywhere, which is why I got this test. I kind of was, like, 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 until I got home.”

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Christy Carlson Romano Says She’ll Keep Fans Updated on an Eventual Diagnosis & Next Steps

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Since the movie wrapped filming in early February, Carlson Romano said she’s been working with her legal team on “getting clearances” for a memoir she’ll soon be announcing.

“It’s a very vulnerable time for me,” she said through tears, noting that it’s been just a year since she was accidentally shot in the face while clay pigeon hunting with her husband. “It’s 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 is pretty serious, and I have two little girls. This is a very emotional post.”

Carlson Romano went on to say that she typically tries to keep things light and make jokes, because it helps her get through hard things, along with remaining “grateful for all the amazing stuff” around her. When her book is released, she added, “you’re gonna find a lot of stuff about me that you didn’t know.”

Assuring her fans she’ll be okay, she concluded, “I have a loving family around me to support me, and I’m going to keep fighting for answers and eventually giving you updates.”

Many fans quickly shared their support and good wishes in the star’s comment section, including one who told Carlson Romano that many doctors don’t trust the results of in-home cancer tests. But the actress replied, “it wasn’t an at home screening… But thank you for your support!”