'General Hospital' Star Reveals Health Crisis Behind His Hiatus
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General Hospital actor John J. York announced he's taking a break from the long-running series after receiving a diagnosis of two blood and bone marrow disorders.
York shared the news in a video posted to X.
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
"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," he explained. "So last December of ’22, I was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndromes, or MDS, and multiple smoldering myeloma—two blood and bone marrow disorders."
"Over the past many months, I’ve had three bone marrow biopsies, many chemo treatments, " he continued. "I have another one coming up in a couple of weeks, and I’m closing in on a blood stem-cell transplant."
York also shared that he will eventually be back on the show, on which he's played Malcolm “Mac” Scorpio since 1991. He's appeared in almost 650 episodes.
Related: General Hospital Celebrates 60 Years
MDS is described as a "bone marrow failure disorder" and occurs when the bone marrow does not produce enough healthy blood cells. Most patients develop the condition after the age of 65 and often experience easy bruising, low white blood cell counts and low red blood cell counts.
In his video, York encouraged his fans and supporters to register at Be A Match to help those who have been diagnosed with a variety of conditions and disorders.
