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Hallmark Channel star Cameron Mathison has shared a special photo with his fans — a hospital photo from his battle with cancer four years ago to send love to fellow cancer survivors on National Survivors Day, which was June 4.
Cameron Mathison Wrote ‘Love to All Fellow Survivors Out There’
In an Instagram post where Cameron Mathison is in the hospital flanked by his two children Lucas and Leila, the Hallmark star wrote a message to all the cancer survivors out there:
Remember how far you’ve come, not just how far you have to go. You may not be where you want to be, but neither are you where you used to be. It can be easy to get caught up in how far you have to go. Don’t forget to look back, and recognize how far you have come. Every day brings you one step closer.
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Love to all fellow survivors out there❤️👊🏼💪🏼
(Photo taken 9/12/2019)
#nationalsurvivorsday
#cancersucks
In the comments, several fellow actors and famous friends left heart emojis and words of encouragement, including Melissa Claire Egan from “ALl My Children” and “The Young and the Restless,” Hallmark actress Faith Ford and chef Maria Provenzano.
Mathison has recently been dealing with cancer in his family as his dog Red was diagnosed with having cancer in his bone marrow and on his spine, he revealed on the Hallmarkies podcast.
“So, everybody at home, send (love) and I’ll send love to all the other doggies out there that are sick because I know he’s not the only one. So, you know, just send love to all the people out there who are struggling right now,” said Mathison.
He also has been dealing with being diagnosed with celiac disease, which causes a “serious gluten sensitivity,” he told TV Fanatic in an interview. Which has been tricky when he plays Mike in the Hannah Swenson mystery movies because one of Mike’s key features is that he is constantly eating Hannah’s baked goods.
“Mike is in love and engaged to a baker. And in real life, I found out while we were shooting the last movie that I’m actually technically celiac. I’ve got celiac disease; I’ve got a real serious gluten sensitivity, and it’s such a pain and so ironic. However, Mike isn’t,” said Mathison, adding, “If you watch some of the movies, I’m inhaling the brownies or the chocolate and cookies. And I really feel like it would be weird for the audience to watch Hannah’s fiancé take a little nibble of her yummy baked goods when it’s such a big part of this series of movies. Way back, I started making that decision, and in a way, I’ve paid for it.”
But he said the production has started trying to get him gluten-free baked goods to eat on-screen.
Mathison Has Become an Advocate for Cancer Research
Mathison was diagnosed with kidney cancer in August 2019, telling Survivornet in an interview two years later that he didn’t have any idea what that would mean for him at the time of his diagnosis.
“I didn’t know what that meant when I got the phone call,” said Mathison. “I had no idea what kidney cancer would have meant as far as life expectancy or success. I didn’t really know if it had spread to either the lymph nodes or some of the common areas.”
He added that at the time, his family was “shell shocked” about it, due in part because his wife’s father died of cancer.
“My wife’s dad passed away from cancer, multiple myeloma, it was PTSD for her, finding out. We were shell shocked. I was known as such a healthy guy. There was so much confusion around that: If I can get kidney cancer, we got to try and figure out how it all came to be. The kids were really kind of hit hard. I worried about how they were dealing with their stress. We kind of recognized that and talked through it. We’ve really grown closer as a family, and I think they learned about themselves through this experience,” said Mathison.
But he had the cancerous tumor removed and he was able to keep most of his kidney, writing on Instagram at the time, “Feeling loved and supported by my family and friends, including each and everyone of you. I’ve been very overwhelmed and so grateful for all of the supportive comments and prayers. The surgery went very well. The tumor is gone and I even got to keep 80% of my kidney😊 We are all optimistic. Keep you updated. So grateful for all of you.”
He has been active in the organization Stand Up to Cancer in recent years, and also tries to “spread joy and kindness in the world.”
“[I try to do things to] benefit others: to help spread joy and kindness in the world; to volunteer; to be there for others. I don’t want to get too metaphysical but to work on things in your life you can bring with you after you die. These things are what for me makes life meaningful with your family, your friends. I try to do it even with strangers and people that have different views than me. The more we can feel close together and connected and benefit each other, it’s what life is all about from my perspective,” Mathison told Survivornet.