Christy Carlson Romano reveals scary cancer test results, urges fans to get screened early

Former Disney Channel star Christy Carlson Romano shared a very emotional video on Instagram saying she is going through a “very vulnerable time” after a cancer screening showed worrying results. The 41-year-old actress cried in the video and said she is scared because she is a mother of two daughters. She said cancer runs in her family — both her parents had cancer; her mother survived, but her father died from it. She also revealed her grandmother died of lung cancer, which made her decide to get tested early.

Romano said she and her husband Brendan Rooney took cancer screening tests together. She shared that her husband’s test results were completely negative. After a pause, she revealed her own results “did not come back negative,” meaning doctors found something concerning, as stated by Fox News Digital. She said the next step is getting a PET scan, which is a special imaging test that shows how organs and tissues are working.

Romano faces scary cancer test results

A PET scan is a medical test. It uses a small amount of special medicine with a tiny radioactive part. This helps doctors see what is normal and what is not inside the body. Romano said she is having trouble with insurance companies. She is trying to get them to pay for the scan because it is very expensive. She also said all the paperwork and fighting with insurance is making her feel more stressed during an already scary time.


Romano also talked about actor James Van Der Beek. He died at the age of 48 after having colorectal cancer. She said she personally knew him because they both lived in Austin, Texas.Romano called him a “pillar of the community” who supported charities and said his death made her realize how common cancer is. She said she is now relying strongly on faith and believes the situation is mostly “in God’s hands”, as stated by Fox News Digital. Romano added she is not overreacting because cancer is serious, especially since she has two young daughters. She shares daughters Sophia (7) and Isabella (9) with her husband.

Romano coping by staying busy with work

Romano said she is in disbelief and is trying to stay busy with work, including a new movie and her upcoming memoir. This comes almost a year after another major health scare — she was accidentally shot in the face in Feb 2025 during a clay-pigeon shooting event.

In her caption, she said she was nervous and scared but hopes the issue is something easy to treat. She also said she almost did not post the video because she feared people would think it was “cringe”, as cited by Fox News Digital. Romano said she finally shared it to encourage people to go for regular health screenings.She ended by asking fans to send positive vibes and promised to update them after getting more medical results.

FAQs

Q1. Why did Christy Carlson Romano get a cancer test?

She got tested because cancer runs in her family and she wanted to check her health early.

Q2. What did Christy Carlson Romano tell fans?

She asked people to get regular screenings and send positive prayers while she waits for more results.