‘General Hospital’ Star John J. York Gives Health Update Amid Cancer Battle
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General Hospital‘s John J. York is giving fans an update on his health amid his ongoing cancer treatment as he undergoes a blood stem cell transplant.
The actor known for playing Mac Scorpio on the ABC soap for more than 20 years told People, “There’s still a long road ahead, but these next 100 days I would say is rocky terrain.” York revealed his health struggles earlier this year, sharing that he’d been diagnosed with two forms of cancer in December 2022, both of which are blood and bone marrow disorders.
Since then, a search for a donor has become the star’s top priority, as People revealed he’s been lucky enough to find one via the site, BeTheMatch.org. In the months since, a series of tests have been conducted on York and his donor to ensure his body will adapt to the transplanted stem cells.
(Credit: ABC/Todd Wawrychuk)
“It’s literally a whole new ballgame from then on. From what I understand — this is kind of how I received the information — has been like pre-game and practice,” York said as he began the process. Despite the challenges he’s facing, York is maintaining a positive outlook.
“The first week is an 8-day process of heavy-duty chemo, where I’ll probably lose my hair, and that’s OK,” he told the oultet. “And, you know, there’s just all kinds of issues. I could, I could pass away. I mean, maybe not from the chemo, but when the transplant starts. So after the eight days of these different chemo treatments that they’re doing, they’re basically wiping my body of what I’ve been living with in terms of my blood and DNA and all this stuff for my entire life. They’re wiping that clean and then they’re gonna put new stuff in me from the donor. And that’s going to be the new me.”
Ultimately, the blood stem cell transplant is a 100-day process, where York will have to go to the hospital everyday. Throughout that process, should the results show improvement early on, York said, “that would be wonderful. Then they may say, ‘You don’t have to come in tomorrow, come in the next day. And then we’ll test after that.’ That goes on for 100 days, and I would say the first probably 20 days [after the transplant] are the crucial days.”
Even after the 100 days, York still faces another year or two of treatments and testing including bone marrow aspiration and biopsy. According to the Mayo Clinic, the procedure York goes through involves a doctor or nurse inserting a hollow needle into the patient’s bone and the bone marrow.
“I thought I was done doing bone marrow biopsies, but I still have like five bone marrow biopsies out there. Those are just not my favorite things in the world to do,” the actor admitted. For now, he’s taking things “one day at a time.”
