We're in a time of the year where family and togetherness is at the top of mind for many of us, and this is definitely true for actor James Van Der Beek and his wife, Kimberly. They have a lot to be thankful for, not least of which are their six amazing children: Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn, and Remi.
In October 2020, the couple opened up about their experience with second trimester pregnancy loss, something they endured twice before their son Remi was born. In an interview with LittleThings, James recently opened up about his one-man mission to change how we talk about cervixes and pregnancy, how his family is doing in Austin, Texas, and a new partnership with Libby's Vegetables that is bringing joy to Meals on Wheels participants around the United States.
As James shared, Kimberly's pregnancy losses came down to her cervix. The medical term for the condition is "incompetent cervix," but James made it clear that it's more than time for an update.
James explained, "The first thing that I said when the doctor said 'incompetent cervix' is who named it that?"
Clinically speaking, an "incompetent cervix" is the name for what happens when weakened cervical tissue "causes or contributes to premature birth or the loss of an otherwise healthy pregnancy." Essentially, the cervix begins to open up too early during pregnancy, often leading to a devastating loss.
James has taken issue with both the name itself and the delay in treating the condition once it's known. As he shared, a doctor can perform a cervical cerclage by temporarily sewing the cervix closed — as James and Kimberly found out, the treatment is just about as easy as it sounds.
As for the term "incompetent cervix"? That might be harder to change.
While laughing, James asked, "What woman-hating old dude came up with that name? So our doctor calls it a 'weakened cervix' for me and for some of his clients. There's so many terms that cast blame on the mother in this weird way. I don't really tolerate that, so he changed it for me."
He continued, "We had the cervical cerclage, which was an absolute godsend. In some medical schools they don't even bring it up as an option until the third loss."
James and Kimberly lost two sons, John and Zacariah, before welcoming their son Remi in October 2021. Finding out that they were expecting again "terrified" James, and he said, "To find out — wait, that's what it was, and the fix is something you do that quickly, you take it out in the office, and she can give birth naturally … was greater than any miracle I could have hoped for."
As for Remi? He is more than thriving. As James put it, "He's the biggest baby we've ever made. I don't know if it's because everything's bigger in Texas or … that was his soul contract, man."
Clearly, the family has an awful lot to be thankful for this year, which is where James' new partnership with Libby's Vegetables comes in.
When it comes to canned vegetables, the team at Libby's Vegetables really can't be beat. The brand is dedicated to bringing healthy food from farms to tables around the United States in the cleanest ways possible. For example, the food harvested at farms around the country is canned within miles of the harvest site; those cans are BPA-free, and Libby's only offers preservative-free food on top of that.
This year, Libby's Vegetables is going the extra mile in support of Meals on Wheels, which delivers meals and offers friendship to seniors all over the United States. James joined the brand because of his own personal connection to the company and to Meals on Wheels itself.
As James shared, Libby's was the only company offering preservative-free canned goods in the grocery stores his family frequented growing up; on top of that, his grandfather was a volunteer with Meals on Wheels and often shared the best parts of that journey with his grandson. Now it's James' turn to give back with the same organization, proving that the spirit of giving can be passed down through generations.
This year, Libby's Vegetables will donate up to 500,000 coupons redeemable for a free can of food to Meals on Wheels America for every like, share, or comment on James' post sharing his family's favorite recipe for green bean casserole. And yes, thanks to Libby's Vegetables, this year it's that easy to give back.
If making it easy to impact those we share this life with isn't the spirit of Thanksgiving, we're not sure what else is.
