\n<\/p>\n
James Van Der Beek<\/strong> celebrated the birthday of his eldest child, his daughter Olivia, on Thursday, September 25. And in light of recent events, the milestone was all that much more special.<\/p>\n On Monday, September 22, the cast of Van Der Beek\u2019s seminal teen drama, Dawson\u2019s Creek<\/em>, reunited for a reading of the pilot at Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York City. Unfortunately, the 48-year-old was unable to attend in person, as he is currently battling stomach virus complications related to his stage 3 colorectal cancer diagnosis.<\/p>\n However, while Van Der Beek couldn\u2019t be there in person, his wife Kimberly Van Der Beek<\/strong> and the couple\u2019s six children, Olivia, Annabel, 11, Emilia, 9, and Gwendolyn, 6, and sons Joshua, 13, and Jeremiah, 2, were all in attendance.<\/p>\n At one point in the evening, the cast assembled on stage to sing the show\u2019s theme song, \u201cI Don\u2019t Want to Wait,\u201d by Paula Cole<\/strong>. Olivia and Emilia then walked out onstage mid-song with microphones to sing solo performances<\/a> of one of the verses, before being joined by the rest of their family.<\/p>\n For Van Der Beek, who made a brief virtual appearance<\/a> at the event, it was certainly a proud and bittersweet moment. As such, he took to Instagram<\/a> to wish Olivia a happy birthday and share a video of her performance.<\/p>\n \u201cMy oldest turned 15 today. Same age that Dawson was in the pilot,\u201d Van Der Beek wrote. \u201cTo watch you stand there in that red dress, so confidently taking center stage amidst all those people I\u2019ve known so long and cherish so deeply \u2026 I\u2019m just left in awe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve always joked that you came out \u2018parent proof,’\u201d he continued. \u201cBut this last year, as I\u2019ve watched you accelerate into so many big decisions, jump into so many activities, budget your time, do your homework and your hair (which, from my point of view, seem to require roughly the same amount of time & focus) \u2026 the less I think the parent-proof thing is a joke.\u201d<\/p>\n Van Der Beek noted that while no one is perfect, a few weeks ago Olivia had \u201cscrewed up\u201d his ticket to her high school basketball game when he was on his way there. But when she sensed his annoyance, he noted that the teen took responsibility, apologized, and did what she could do to fix the mess.<\/p>\n \u201cI was more proud of how you handled the mess-up than if you\u2019d done it all perfectly the start,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cKeep taking big swings, kiddo. Risk imperfection. Keep dreaming big and most importantly, be true to who you are,\u201d he concluded. \u201cBecause, while only YOU will know exactly who your most authentic self will be, as someone who\u2019s known you your whole life \u2026 I can guarantee you\u2019re going to love her.\u201d<\/p>\n Although Van Der Beek couldn\u2019t make the reunion, which was a fundraiser for the F Cancer nonprofit, several of his A-list co-stars were in attendance, including Michelle Williams, Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson<\/strong>, and Busy Philipps<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cI have been looking forward to this night for months and months ever since my angel Michelle Williams said she was putting it together,\u201d Van Der Beek told the audience in a pre-recorded video \u201cI can\u2019t believe I\u2019m not there. I can\u2019t believe I don\u2019t get to see my castmates, my beautiful cast in person.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n<\/blockquote>\n