Heavy/Getty Actor Cameron Mathison in 2022
Four years after undergoing successful treatment for kidney cancer, actor Cameron Mathison received a positive report at his latest oncology checkup, he recently told Entertainment Tonight. Mathison, whose future with Hallmark remains uncertain amid his new movie deal with Great American Family, said that he not only remains cancer-free but also feels “stronger than I’ve ever been.”
Here’s what you need to know:
Cameron Mathison Says He’s Adopted a ‘Whole Lifestyle’ Devoted to Health Since Diagnosis
At the 50th annual Daytime Emmy Awards in December 2023, Mathison told ET that his most recent oncology visit was all good news.
“I’m doing great,” he said. “I had my 4-year cancer checkup so I’m healthy, cancer free doing great. I’m stronger than I’ve ever been. I’ve got more energy than I’ve ever been. I worked really hard at it.”
Since his diagnosis, the “Hannah Swensen Mysteries” actor has amped up his health regimen, including eating cleaner, working out and deepening his meditation practice, including attending classes at the Kadampa Meditation Center in Los Angeles.
He told ET, “It’s a whole lifestyle. There’s a lot of ice baths. There’s a lot of stuff, many pieces of the puzzle.”
In 2019, Mathison announced his diagnosis on Hallmark’s now-defunct “Home & Family” talk show, which he co-hosted with Debbie Matenopoulos until 2021, explaining that he asked his doctor for an MRI of his abdomen due to ongoing symptoms they couldn’t figure out. The doctors found a tumor on his right kidney consistent with renal cell carcinoma, he told the audience.
Mathison underwent minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery to remove the tumor, leaving him with 80 percent of his right kidney, he told Good Morning America.
“We got the pathology report back yesterday,” he said at the time, “and it’s very good news. It’s the least aggressive form of kidney cancer … (with a) very low rate of recurring.”
“The kidney cancer diagnosis was definitely challenging for me but my family was absolutely amazing,” he told Digital Journal in 2020. “It was likely that my healthy lifestyle prevented it since it was growing the whole time but it hadn’t spread.”
Cameron Mathison Says He’s Looking Forward to a Bright Future — But It’s Not Clear Whether He’ll Return to Hallmark
HallmarkAlison Sweeney and Cameron Mathison in “A Zest for Death: A Hannah Swensen Mystery”
Mathison’s putting his high energy to good use in 2024, with a full schedule of projects ahead of him. In November, he signed a movie deal with Great American Family, the fledgling network started by former Hallmark Media CEO Bill Abbott in 2021.
Though he has bounced back and forth between the two networks, it’s not clear if Mathison’s new deal will allow him to still appear in Hallmark’s long-running “Hannah Swensen” mystery series with Alison Sweeney.
“It’s gonna be busy,” he told ET about the year ahead. “I’m really fortunate. I got a really cool game show coming out on GSN (Game Show Network). I’ve got ‘General Hospital’ happening…I signed a movie deal with Great American. I got some Christmas movies. So I’m really fortunate.”
The hardest thing for Mathison this year may be adjusting to life without his beloved dog and “best buddy,” Red, who died of cancer in December.