General Hospital’s Cameron Mathison shares the most unexpected gift from his rebuild journey

General Hospital
General Hospital's Cameron Mathison | Image: ABC

Last year knocked the ground out from under General Hospital’s Cameron Mathison in a way that doesn’t come with a neat recovery arc. The California wildfires took his family home, reduced years of memory to ash, and forced a long, public rebuild that’s been equal parts exhausting and quietly revealing.

He’s shared moments of genuine gratitude along the way, and this week added another chapter to that record with a social media post.

General Hospital’s Cameron Mathison opens the boxes

Mathison wrote on Instagram, “Didn’t know I needed this gift…until I got it. You gotta watch till the end,” and then let the video do the rest of the talking. In it, he explained that after months of people showing up with generosity following the fires, he received a notice from a neighbor in Altadena saying two boxes had been delivered directly to the burn site.

He explained that the boxes were “basically dropped off at this…property where there is no house at all, right? So I'm like, ‘Wow, that's interesting.’” He retrieved the boxes and admitted he didn’t recognize who sent them. “Maybe it's for the rebuild, the new house, this next chapter,” he thought to himself.

Mathison drove out, picked them up, and admitted he had no idea who sent them or why. He unpacked them at home, talking through the moment as it unfolded, the way people do when they’re still trying to catch up to their own reactions.

What he found weren’t tools or appliances or anything obviously practical for a rebuild. There were just two large disco balls. He laughed and paused, then said, “I love it. Thank you. Whoever this is, let's dance.” (Find out what other GH star was affected by the wildfire.)

When the Comment Section Joins In

General Hospital's Willow, Nina, Scout, and Drew | Image Source: ABC
General Hospital's Willow, Nina, Scout, and Drew | Image Source: ABC

The response didn’t take long. Mathison's ex-wife, Vanessa Mathison, jumped in with, “These would be kinda fab in the future home gym,” while @debrajeanrogers wrote, “Oh my gosh! Love this, Cameron! I think a disco room has to go in the new house!” @lawrencezarian kept it simple with, “Honestly…hell ya.”

Others leaned into the absurd joy of it. @jenlder posted, “Not a party till there’s a disco ball." There were jokes, dancing emojis, disbelief, and a steady undercurrent of affection that didn’t need explaining.

Mathison had recently looked back on the devastation from a year ago. But ultimately, what lingered from his latest gift wasn’t the joke or the sparkle. It was the way something so unnecessary, so unserious, showed up right in the middle of rebuilding, and stuck. Not as a symbol. Just as permission to move, laugh, and keep going.

General Hospital can be seen weekdays on ABC and Hulu.

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Edited by Hope Campbell