‘General Hospital’ Star John J. York Begins Stem Cell Transplant Cancer Treatment

General Hospital actor John J. York has provided an update after revealing a diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndromes and multiple smoldering myeloma.

He is looking to combat his condition with a bone marrow donor.

York spoke about the blood stem cell transplant process, which he started recently. 

“There’s still a long road ahead, but these next 100 days, I would say, is rocky terrain,” he told People.

York found a donor through BeTheMatch, where individuals have a 29-79% chance of finding a donor outside of their family. York and his donor went through many tests in order to make sure his body would adapt.

York is well aware of the risks involved in the transplant.

“I could pass away. I mean, maybe not from the chemo, but when the transplant starts,” he 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.”

The transplant involves a doctor or nurse inserting a hollow needle through the bone and into the bone marrow.

Following the transplant, York will begin a 100-day process of visiting the hospital daily in order to be tested. 

The actor is best known for playing Mac Scorpio on the soap opera for 22 years.