He stole the hearts of daytime fans with his portrayal of All My Children's Ryan Lavery, and now actor Cameron Mathison is hoping to snag a few prayers from fans, as well. The beloved soap opera alum has revealed that he was recently diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma, otherwise known as kidney cancer.
Mathison first shared the news of his unsettling health condition on Hallmark's Home & Family, where he co-hosts alongside Debbie Matenopoulos. He then took to Instagram with details about the cancer, which he says was fortunately caught early but still presents a problem and will require surgery.
"I have a health situation that I want to share with you all," he wrote. "There are many reasons I love social media, staying connected with you all, sharing fun experiences... well this time I'm asking for your help. About a month ago, I had an MRI for some gut issues I've been having, and during that MRI they found a tumor on my right kidney. It's consistent with renal cell carcinoma ... or kidney cancer."
He continues, "The good news is that it hasn't spread to any other organs. They say my healthy lifestyle and diet has no doubt helped keep it from growing and spreading to other areas, as doctors think it's been growing in me for minimum ten years. I am extremely lucky that we found it early."
Mathison then thanks his wife Vanessa, children Lucas and Leila, and his family and coworkers before revealing that he is scheduled to have the cancerous tumor removed from his kidney via surgery on Thursday, September 12.
"Feeling very grateful and optimistic!!" Mathison writes about the upcoming procedure that -- at this stage -- will not require radiation or chemotherapy.
Renal cell carcinoma is also called hypernephroma, renal adenocarcinoma, or renal cancer. According to Healthline, it is the most common type of kidney cancer in adults, responsible for approximately ninety to ninety-five percent of cases. RCC is a fast-growing cancer and often spreads to the lungs and surrounding organs. The first treatment step is either partial or complete removal of the affected kidney. According to the National Cancer Institute, the five-year survival rate for RCC is over 70 percent. This means that over two-thirds of those diagnosed with RCC live at least five years after their diagnosis.
Mathison starred as AMC's Ryan from 1998 to 2011. He currently co-hosts Hallmark's Home and Family and frequently works as a co-host on Entertainment Tonight. He has also appeared in several of Hallmark's Murder She Baked movies alongside Days of our Lives' Alison Sweeney (ex-Sami Brady).
UPDATE (SEPTEMBER 12, 2019): The daytime community has rallied behind Cameron Mathison. To read their messages of love and support, continue reading here.
UPDATE (SEPTEMBER 19, 2019): Cameron Mathison shared on social media that his operation was a success and his tumor was removed. You can see his complete update here.
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