Cameron Mathison has brought holiday cheer to the homes of many by appearing in over a dozen Hallmark movies, but recently Mathison went through a great loss after losing his mother to cancer. It was after this loss that he decided to turn to optimism and be an advocate for cancer research.

Mathison went through his own battle with cancer and shortly after he won his battle, his mother received her diagnosis.

During his appearance on The Tamrol Hall Show, he opened up about his feelings of grief after losing his mother.

“I’m hanging on there,” said Mathison after Hall asked how he was doing. “Doing well and as well as can be expected.”

He went on to talk about his mother and all the support she provided throughout his career.

“She was the most supportive sport of mom,” he said. “She was there for me and supporting me and loved me.”

One of the challenges she supported him through was his own battle with cancer. Sadly, it was after one of his surgeries that she was diagnosed with brain cancer.

Despite dealing with these tough circumstances, Mathison said he decided not to dwell on these things and use them to empower him.

“I try my best in life to take these experiences and use them to empower me and kind of improve my own inner qualities,” he said.

Mathison took on the task of hosting a gala for cancer research shortly after his mother’s passing, and although many thought he would withdraw himself from the event, he set his grief aside to provide help for others.

“I really felt like if there was a time to really do this, to step up and do it is when emotions are this raw and to use it and in a sense transform the pain and this experience of grief to be able to spread the word and make it something positive,” he said.

During the gala, Mathison shared his story and his mother’s and was able to raise over four million dollars that will go towards cancer research.

Despite all the grief Mathison has experienced, his life has also been full of great success, and tried to be a beacon of hope and inspiration for others.

“We’ve got all these incredible things in life and sometimes our conditions can be quite great but at the same time, if you’re not kind of using your life in a way to help others and benefit others it’s like, it all seems sort of hollow,” he said.

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