A 9-year-old's birthday message to her late father changes how people grieve

James Van Der Beek died from colorectal cancer on February 11, 2026. On what would have been his birthday, his 9-year-old daughter Emilia shared a video message that stopped people mid-scroll. Not because it was polished or performed, but because a kid had figured out something most adults spend years learning.

"So today is my dad's birthday, and the number one thing for somebody's passing is to talk to them and let your emotions out," Emilia said in the video her mother shared. "If you miss them, you can cry. You can talk to them. I talk to my dad every day. I start with a sentence. And I say, 'Hi, Dad. I miss you, and I love you so much, and I'll never stop loving you.'"

That's it. No therapy-speak, no self-help framework. Just a kid who understood that grief isn't something you get over—it's something you keep doing, every day, in whatever way feels true.

What She Learned From Him

Emilia spoke about her father's death with a maturity that caught people off guard. "I know that my dad's in a good place," she said. "He's not in pain anymore. He's in heaven above the clouds with God and the Lord." Her faith wasn't defensive or uncertain—it was the ground she stood on.

But the part that really landed was what James had taught her before he got sick. "Something my dad told me was if this doesn't work out the way he wanted it to and the way we wanted it to for him living, I still have to believe in miracles," she explained. "Miracles can still happen, just later on in life, and they'll keep coming."

That's the inheritance that matters. Not money or fame (though Van Der Beek had both). He left his daughter with a way to hold hope and heartbreak at the same time—to know something didn't work out and still believe in what comes next.

Emilia also thanked the people who'd shown up for her family. Her composure wasn't cold or rehearsed. It was the kind of grace that only comes from actually feeling something deeply and deciding to speak about it anyway.

The response was immediate. People who'd never met her family commented that Emilia had become a role model, that watching her process loss with such honesty had shifted how they thought about their own grief. One commenter wrote about being "blown away" by her emotional intelligence and wanting to follow her journey.

James Van Der Beek left behind his wife, Kimberly, and six children. But what's becoming clear is that he also left behind a family that knows how to love out loud—and how to grieve without apology. That's a legacy that doesn't fade.