Cameron Mathison: From soap operas to saving lives: Cameron Mathison turns his health battle into a mission

On General Hospital, Drew Cain (Cameron Mathison) has been through the wringer lately. He survived being shot and remains laser-focused on getting justice against Michael. In the real world, though, actor Cameron Mathison has taken on a very different kind of mission — one rooted in his personal health journey. For years, he battled underlying health issues as well as fighting cancer. But now, the actor has stepped into a new role as a health coach. He recently opened up about his health issue, which has given him a new purpose in life.

From diagnosis to decision

General Hospital’s Cameron Mathison appeared on the Metabolic Mentor Podcast and explained how he often put up a veneer to hide some of the battles that he bravely faced. “The reality is I feel like I've been swimming upstream my whole life,” he remarked. He then revealed some shocking news that will definitely surprise his fans. At age two and a half, he was diagnosed with Legg-Calvé-Perthes Disease, a degenerative affliction of the hip joints that occurs in childhood. “I didn't walk until I was 7 years old,” he stated, adding that he was forced to wear “This big metal A-frame brace night and day. I slept with it. I walked with it with a crutch in [the] back and front. My legs were wide. You can think Forest Gump, but he could walk with his brace. I couldn't.”

The interviewer pointed out that many people assume tall, athletic actors like Mathison have it easy, but his story was the opposite. As the General Hospital star put it, with the braces and crutches he had to use, “People saw the highlights, but the reality was a fight every step of the way.” He was doing well for a long time, but then diets, energy drinks, and endless cardio fueled his acting career — until his body broke down. “Then boom, years later, kidney cancer,” Mathison revealed, crediting a team of specialists and a new holistic approach with saving his life.

Why the old playbook doesn’t work

General Hospital's Drew talking to Alexis. | Image Source: JPI

For Mathison, that wake-up call became a turning point. He discovered that chasing aesthetics through crash diets and overtraining only led to burnout. “People in the pursuit of the best health will destroy their health for the perfect body,” he said. What he ended up doing was work with experts who showed him how to reset his entire system, much like resetting a computer. This included a focus on gut health, hormones, and overall long-term balance.

Now, the General Hospital actor helps run Health 360, a coaching program where he helps the average, super busy person through change that lasts. He said that the process starts with flushing inflammation, rebuilding energy, and gradually layering in testing and targeted support. “I know what doesn’t work,” he emphasized. “Now I just want to scream it from the mountain tops and help other people.”