GENERAL HOSPITAL’s John J York Returns to Set After ‘Aggressive’ Cancer Treatment
By Movieguide® Contributor
GENERAL HOSPITAL’s John J York (Mac Scorpio), is making a comeback after undergoing an “aggressive” treatment for two kinds of cancer.
“York, who announced his hiatus from the hit soap opera in September, was a guest on GOOD MORNING AMERICA and explained that a number of people signed up to donate bone marrow after he announced his cancer diagnosis,” Fox News reported.
Last September, Movieguide® reported the actor put his diagnoses “in God’s hands:”
GENERAL HOSPITAL star John J. York was recently diagnosed with two types of cancer, but he has trusted God with his future.
“Personally, I feel like it’s in God’s hands. God’s will be done,” he said. “It’s gonna work out okay, one way or another,” he said. “I’m either gonna survive or I’m not. And life goes on and things are gonna be okay for everybody…Let’s just go one day at a time.”
York revealed last week that he was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndromes, or MDS, and multiple smoldering myeloma. Both diseases are cancers that target the blood and bone marrow.
York is touched by the love he’s received from fans, friends and family.
“Everybody has been very welcoming, very supportive,” York said with tears. “And here I go already right off the top ‘cause I can’t tell you how nice it’s been, the support that I’ve gotten.”
“I made the announcement and it has helped. And so many people have joined the registry, just to help to save someone’s life,” York said.
The doctors told York he’d have three to five years left to live if he didn’t get treatment.
“I was like, ‘3-5 years, are you crazy? I feel fantastic!’” he told Good Morning America.
Nevertheless, he pursued the most “aggressive” treatment and underwent a bone marrow transplant and seven days of chemo at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee.
It took a while for York to get a stem cell donor.
“She said we found an exact match and I just couldn’t talk,” York said. “It’s just a little bag of blood and fluid, and they put it in my body, 40 minutes later, and now I’m this person,” with cells that are “now fighting each other and battling each other and getting to know each other.”
“My philosophy was always, ‘One day at a time, let’s just get through today,'” he said. “I made the announcement, and it has helped and so many people have joined the registry just to help save someone’s life.”
“And here we are, back to work,” said York, who has been on GENERAL HOSPITAL since 1991.
The show’s co-stars and crew welcomed his return with thoughtful “Mac is Back” shirts.
York’s first episode back on the show came out on Wednesday.
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