Celebrity News February 18, 2026
Christy Carlson Romano Gets Emotional Over Positive Cancer Screening Results
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“Even Stevens” star Christy Carlson Romano has some worrisome news to share.
In an emotional video posted on Instagram, Carlson Romano revealed that she tested positive in a cancer screening.
Christy noted that her family history with cancer prompted her and her husband Brendan Rooney to undergo a cancer screening.
Both of her parents were diagnosed with some type of cancer. Her mom beat it, but her dad died of the disease.
She said, “My husband's [results] came back completely negative… Mine did not come back negative.”
After the results, Christy is now planning to get a PET scan to “check for signs of cancer, heart disease, and brain disorders.”
While she “debated” about revealing the news because she didn’t want to “come off cringe,” Carlson Romano emphasized, “I decided it was my duty to share, so that people get out there and get screenings.”
In the same video, Christy teared up while talking about the late James Van Der Beek, who just died after battling colorectal cancer for two years.
She said, “I live in Austin, and I was able to meet James Van Der Beek a bunch. His family's amazing. He's a pillar of our community in Texas. They always were raising money for the most amazing charities, and he's not with us anymore. Cancer is everywhere. Which is why I got this test."
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View StoryChristy called it a “very vulnerable time for me,” noting it has been “about 367 days since I got shot in the face.”
Last year, Carlson Romano was accidentally shot in the face while celebrating her husband’s 42nd birthday.
Romano took husband Brendan Rooney to “shoot clay pigeons” and was accidentally shot in the face by another party, who “fired in the wrong direction.”
She shared on Instagram, “I was hit in 5 places, one was less than an inch from hitting me directly in my right eye. Unfortunately a fragment got lodged behind my eye and it is too risky to remove surgically at this time. Doctors will continue to monitor me (I can see normally at the moment)."
Romano posted another video on Instagram, writing, “The lead fragment must remain in place, as surgically removing it could leave me blind. I should fully recover with no issues at all, though I may never be able to get an MRI again.”
“The shot fragment in my forehead is lodged in my skull and doctors have decided to leave it, as it will accelerate the healing process,” Christy Carlson explained.
Christy is most known for her roles on “Kim Possible” and “Even Stevens,” on which she played Shia LaBeouf’s older sister Ren.