GH star John J. York returned to the set of the ABC soap opera in June after taking an unexpected hiatus for cancer treatment. Now in recovery, he shared the huge next stop in his healing journey. Keep reading for all the details.
GH Star Battles Cancer
John J. York joined General Hospital in 1991 in the role of Robert Scorpio’s mischievous younger brother, Mac. Over the years, Mac has shifted from a bad boy to a family man. He raised Robert and Anna’s daughter, Robin, after her parents were presumed dead. Mac also basically raised Felicia’s daughters, Maxie and Georgie, on his own after she fled town. Mac and Felicia reconciled after she returned and are happily married.
The actor took an unexpected leave of absence in September 2023. He shared the personal reason behind the hiatus. John J. York had been secretly battling a type of cancer since 2022. He revealed that he was diagnosed with two blood and bone marrow disorders – myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and multiple smoldering myeloma. He went through many rounds of chemo and bone marrow biopsies. The soap star ultimately needed a bone marrow transplant. He was lucky enough to find a match.
The GH recently appeared on the Daily Drama podcast hosted by his co-stars Steve Burton and Bradford Anderson. He recounted the moment in September 2023 when he found out there was a match.
“In September is when I found out that I had an exact match for my stem cells, which was an unbelievable, emotional phone call. To hear that we found an exact match, it’s just unbelievable,” the actor said. John J. York is recovering after the transplant. What’s next?
John J. York Shares Huge Next Step
A person on the brink of death gets a last-minute match for a life-saving transplant. Sounds like the plot of a soap opera. But for John J. York, it was a real situation. He’s actually never met the man who donated the life-saving stem cells. But he plans to.
“Hopefully, coming up on my anniversary – which is November 17th – that’s when I’m hoping to meet him,” he told his co-stars on the podcast.
But that’s not the only update he shared. John J. York revealed that he’s partnered with the National Marrow Donor Program to help promote awareness and support for others diagnosed with the disorders he was. He plans to make a few PSAs to post on social media.
General Hospital fans are more than happy to see the actor back on screen. Mac is at the center of a storyline about Robert’s allegedly secret daughter, Sasha.
