General Hospital star John J. York stunned fans in September when he announced he was taking a hiatus from the soap. A few days later, he explained he was diagnosed with a type of blood cancer that required a bone marrow transplant.
John J. York Searched For A Match
In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), York shared a video in which he explained his illness, saying: “I said I was going to give you an update on the reason I’m taking a little hiatus from ‘General Hospital,’ and here it is. So last December of ’22, I was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, or MDS, and multiple smoldering myeloma — two blood and bone marrow disorders.”
He went on to explain that he needed to find a bone marrow match, which he did soon after. By the end of September, he appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America to share the happy news. He thanked Be The Match.org for helping him. Now comes news that the transplant has been scheduled after an intense round of chemotherapy.
York Begins Chemo Before Transplant
On November 8, York began his chemotherapy treatment, telling People: “There’s still a long road ahead, but these next 100 days I would say is rocky terrain.”
The actor went on to explain the whole process.
“The first week is an 8-day process of heavy-duty chemo, where I’ll probably lose my hair, and that’s OK. 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,” York said. “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.”
Longtime co-star Kristina Wagner (Felicia) shared a photo on X of York getting ready for treatment.
“@JohnJYork with his medical team, Dr. Kassim, and medical practitioner, Anne. Chemo starts this week. The transplant is scheduled for the 17th.”
GH’s Jon Lindstrom (Kevin) also wished his friend good luck.
“I hope you’ll all take just a minute today to send some healing thoughts to my friend John J. York. It’s a big week and we would all appreciate your help. Thank you.”
Daily Drama wishes John J. York successful treatment and recovery vibes.
Hey gang, here’s the update, Check out @bethematch if you want to support https://t.co/AxA8xTbDcq pic.twitter.com/ZBinOwIrpd
— John J York (@JohnJYork) September 13, 2023
@JohnJYork with his medical team, Dr. Kassim, and medical practitioner, Anne. Chemo starts this week. The transplant is scheduled for the 17th. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/x1mtleDXCb
— Kristina Wagner (@KristinaWagnr) November 9, 2023
I hope you’ll all take just a minute today to send some healing thoughts to my friend John J. York. It’s a big week and we would all appreciate your help. Thank you. 🙏❤️ #JohnJYork @GeneralHospital #gh60 #gh #generalhospital #MacScorpio #MatchForMac @BeTheMatch @JohnJYork pic.twitter.com/DM0fMc6nll
— Jon Lindstrom (@thejonlindstrom) November 7, 2023
