Veteran actor John J. York is returning to "General Hospital" after taking a hiatus to undergo treatment for two blood and bone marrow disorders, and is opening up about the ordeal.
During an appearance on "Good Morning America" on Monday, York shared that the cast and crew had been "very welcoming, very supportive," adding, "I can't tell you how nice it's been, the support that I've gotten," according to Entertainment Weekly.
York, known for portraying the role of Mac Scorpio on the ABC soap since 1991, revealed late last year that he had been diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndromes, or MDS, and multiple smoldering myeloma. In November he received a blood stem cell transplant. In a social media post at the time, York shared he had been diagnosed in 2022. He subsequently took time off from acting to undergo treatment.
"I just want to say thanks for all the support over the years," York said in his social media announcement. "This isn't goodbye, this is just 'so long.' I'll have to take a break [from General Hospital] for at least three, maybe four months, but I'll be back."
York was told his life expectancy was three to five years without treatment. Initially, he managed to juggle his treatment plan alongside his work on "General Hospital," but it soon became tricky.
"[I'd do] seven days of chemo in Tennessee, and then I was available to work for two, three weeks in California," he told "Good Morning America." "My philosophy was always one day at a time, let's just get through today."
Reflecting on his time off from "General Hospital," York said that he didn't feel like he has been away for too long.
"I just felt so attached that I didn't feel like I missed anything," he concluded. "I feel like I just had a little break, a little vacation I guess, and had to go through something and now we're here on kind of the other side of it."