In an interview with Us Weekly, the actor spoke about his health journey and how it’s affected him. “Almost exactly one year” after he had part of his right kidney removed during surgery, he said he’s feeling “strong” once again.
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“My immune system is certainly coming back and I’m just super, super grateful. [I’m] full of energy and, you know, getting tests done and everything,” he told the outlet. “I’m doing really well.
“I’m really in tune with how my body feels and how it looks. I get tests, I do blood work. I kept sort of insisting or asking about an MRI and they’re like, ‘You don’t need it. You don’t need it.’ And eventually I insisted upon it … And they found the [tumour] before it spread into my lymph nodes and other areas.”
Following his tests and ultimate diagnosis, the actor, 51, said the hardest thing was telling his wife, Vanessa Marie Arevalo, 51, and their kids: son Lucas, 17, and daughter Leila, 14.
“Telling my wife was difficult emotionally,” he explained. “I couldn’t get the words out … Her first reaction was, ‘You know, we got this. We’re going to beat it’ … Those are the moments you never forget your whole life.”
Mathison announced his battle with Renal Cell Carcinoma via social media in September last year.
“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 tumour on my right kidney. It’s consistent with Renal Cell Carcinoma … or kidney cancer.”
Mathison said he felt lucky that the cancer was caught early and thanked his doctor, his family and colleagues.
“My surgery is scheduled on September 12, I was hoping to receive positive thoughts, prayers, or whatever you feel comfortable with, on 9/12 (my surgery is at 1pm PST),” he wrote. “I announced this on @homeandfamilytv yesterday, and wanted to make sure I posted about it here as well. Feeling very grateful and optimistic!!”