Kimberly Van Der Beek Reflects on the 'Unimaginable Journey' of Cancer as She Shares Support for Nara Smith's 2-Year-Old Daughter

Georgia SlaterThu, July 2, 2026 at 3:27 PM UTC

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Kimberly Van Der Beek and James Van Der Beek; Nara Smith and her baby.Credit: Tasia Wells/Getty; Nara Smith/Instagram -

Nara Smith revealed her 2-year-old daughter Whimsy Lou was diagnosed with cancer late last year

Kimberly Van Der Beek, who lost her husband James to cancer earlier this year, shared words of support for Nara

Nara described the challenges of balancing Whimsy’s treatment, postpartum recovery and raising her other children

Kimberly Van Der Beek is sharing her support for Nara Smith after she shared that her 2-year-old daughter was diagnosed with cancer last year.

On Wednesday, July 1, Smith, 24, shared on Instagram that her and husband Lucky Blue Smith's daughter Whimsy Lou was diagnosed with cancer "late last year," though she did not specify exactly what type of cancer Whimsy was diagnosed with or what her current condition is now.

In the comments of her post, Kimberly, whose husband James Van Der Beekdied in February at age 48 after he was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer, expressed words of support for Nara and her family.

"Honoring you and your fortitude as you have embarked on the unimaginable journey that cancer is," wrote Kimberly, 44.

James Van Der Beek and his family; Nara Smith poses for a photo with her children, Rumble Honey Smith, Slim Easy Smith, and Whimsy Lou Smith in July 2024.Credit: James Van Der Beek/Instqgram; Nara Smith/ Instagram

The Dawson's Creek actor first announced his cancer diagnosis in November 2024, saying he was focusing on his health and family. (The cancer was discovered after a routine colonoscopy in August 2023.)

Kimberly announced the news of James' death through an Instagram post earlier this year. Sharing a professional photo of the actor, she wrote, "Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning. He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace."

In her video, Nara, who is also mom to daughter Rumble Honey, 5, son Slim Easy, 4, and daughter Fawnie Golden, who was born in September 2025, with Lucky, 28, shared that it has been "really challenging" to navigate Whismy's cancer while balancing being 9 months postpartum and raising her other kids. Lucky is also a dad to his daughter, Gravity, whom he shares with model Stormi Bree.

"Processing this and navigating all of this as a family has been really hard," she shared. "A lot of you have probably realized that I've been posting a little less and this is the reason why."

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"Having found all of this out and navigating this while postpartum, also loving and caring for our other kids at home, also being in the hospital with Whimsy a lot and balancing work on top of that has been really challenging," she continued.

The content creator said that she struggles "on a daily basis" to find a balance. "Some days are a little easier, some days are really hard, and all I can do is try my best and show up in all those areas in the best way that I can."

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Lucky Blue Smith and Nara Aziza Smith attend the dinner at #BoFVOICES - Day 1 at Soho Farmhouse on November 12, 2024, in Chipping Norton, England.Credit: Shane Anthony Sinclair/Getty

Nara said that she and Lucky first took Whimsy to the emergency room after they "saw something suspicious on her."

"When we took her into our pediatrician, I just remember him going really quiet and calm ... My heart dropped in that moment. I don't know whether it was my gut telling me something or just a mom's intuition, but the first thing that I felt was she has cancer," she recalled.

Upon the advice of the pediatrician, Nara said Lucky took their daughter to the nearest children's hospital. "After a lot of X-rays, ultrasounds and finally a biopsy, they immediately called us and said that she had cancer, told us it had spread and that she needs to come and start chemo treatments immediately," said the mom of four.

Nara said it has been helpful for her to speak with other parents and families going through similar things. "All of that combined really brought me a lot of comfort and alleviated the feeling of loneliness for me," she said. "Processing this and navigating all of this as a family has been really hard."

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”