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After announcing that James Van Der Beek had died, his widow said the family he leaves behind is facing an unexpected and sobering reality: they are out of money. Kimberly Van Der Beek launched a GoFundMe campaign on Wednesday, Feb. 11, just hours after news broke that the “Dawson’s Creek” and “Varsity Blues” star had died at 48 of colorectal cancer, saying his months of treatment came with a crushing price. (Vaziri, 2/11)

In high school, Kimmie Ng dreamed of being a concert pianist. But three decades later, she has found herself under a different spotlight: emerging as one of the country’s leading voices in the fight against colorectal cancer in younger people. As founder and director of the Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Center at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, the 51-year-old Ng is a gastrointestinal medical oncologist dedicated to caring for young patients diagnosed with colon and rectal cancer and researching what may be driving rising rates of the disease in younger people. (Chiu, 2/9)

This April marks 10 years since Charles Johnson IV abruptly came face-to-face with the nation’s maternal mortality crisis and began an unexpected journey into public advocacy. The joy of his second child’s birth was shattered by unimaginable grief when Johnson’s wife, Kira, died from a preventable complication. Johnson started the nonprofit 4Kira4Moms to improve maternal health outcomes — and have an outlet for his anguish. Ten years from now, he hopes to have put himself out of business because “every single family in this country receives a safe, dignified birthing experience.” (Johnson, 2/9)

Sometimes it’s a fall that brings a broken hip and a loss of mobility. Or memory problems that bubble into danger. Or the death of the partner who was relied upon for care. The need to move to a nursing home, assisted living facility or another type of care setting often comes suddenly, setting off an abrupt, daunting search. It’s likely something no one ever wanted, but knowing what to look for and what to ask can make a big difference. (Sedensky, 2/9)

Women’s pain is too often dismissed in medicine. An alarming number of women report feeling major surgery and dealing with doctors and nurses who make light of their complaints. Susan Burton, reporter and host of the podcast “The Retrievals,” shares stories from just a few of the many cases of women who felt significant pain during their C-sections. (Burton, 2/6)