Actor John J. York, who plays Malcom “Mac” Scorpio on the long-running soap opera “General Hospital,” opens up about his battle with blood cancer, his decision to undergo a bone marrow transplant, and the importance of maintaining hope, resilience, and family support throughout his recovery.
Can you walk us through your journey from your initial blood cancer diagnosis to undergoing a bone marrow transplant?
I have ulcerative colitis. I was diagnosed when I was 17. I had medications, treatments, colonoscopies, bleeding, the whole thing. Eight to 10 years ago, my intestinal doctor found a section of my colon that didn’t want to heal, and he asked if I wanted to take a certain drug. The only problem is there’s a very, very minimal risk that I can develop cancer. He emphasized that the risk was very minimal and he thought the drug was going to be beneficial. So, I said, “Okay, fine. Let’s try.” I was on that drug for eight years with blood testing every six months. Then, after one blood test in October 2022, my doctor said he’d like to do a bone marrow biopsy.
He canceled a couple of follow-up meetings due to scheduling, so we ended up meeting in December. He walked in with a stack of papers in his hand and asked, “Is your wife available for a conference call?” I thought to myself, “That can’t be good.” I got Vicki on the phone and I said, “He wants to talk to us.” He starts saying words, and I don’t understand any of them — “myelodysplastic syndrome” and “smoldering multiple myeloma,” different things. These are all brand new words coming into my life. Vicki, who also wasn’t really understanding, just shouted, “Does he have cancer?” He said yes.
My first reaction was, “Why do I feel so good then?” He said, “You’re in good shape for a man your age. We caught it early.” He gave me three options. One was the bone marrow transplant or stem cell transplant. Another was treating it with drugs or medication, chemo, that kind of thing. Three was not doing anything. In that case, I’d have three to five years to live.
The very next day, a moving truck came to take all our things in our new house to Tennessee. About a week later, after that was all done, I had to call and tell my daughter about our meeting. I’d wanted to tell her in person, but after several nights of not being able to sleep, I finally called her up and told her. I said, “I’m going to do my treatments here at UCLA. I’ll do everything. I’ll fly back and forth for the chemo, and I’ll come back home. My son-in-law said, “No, you’re going to do it here at Vanderbilt.” It was his recommendation and his input that changed my life — he was so right. UCLA is a great institution for this treatment and this blood transplant, but Vanderbilt is one of the best in the world, and it’s right there in my backyard. He said, “You’re going to have your family here. We’re here. Everybody’s here in support. You have grandkids. It’s so much better.” He connected us to a doctor at Vanderbilt, and we were able to get a meeting with Dr. Kasim at Vanderbilt less than two weeks later.
It was September 2023, nine months later, when the nurse called and said they found an exact match. That’s really when I was asking questions. What was the process? What was going to happen? You also have to go through a battery of tests, as does the donor, so the transplant was scheduled for November.
I went into the hospital on the 14th, had the transplant a day or two later, and I was home two days after that. They did the transplant on Thursday and I was home Sunday, and then it was just one day at a time.
My whole attitude, starting with when I was diagnosed, turned into a one-minute-at-a-time, one-hour-at-a-time, one-day-at-a-time mentality. I’m not going to worry about what’s going to happen tomorrow when I just have to get through today. Let’s just drive to the airport and enjoy the drive. Let’s not wonder if the plane’s late, you know? Let’s just enjoy the drive. Let’s get to the airport. That was very helpful.
How did you first recognize the graft-vs-host disease (GVHD)?
First, it presented as a rash on my chest, maybe a little bit on my forehead. They gave me a cream, and I had to rub that on me every night. I had my transplant in November, and I was able to start working in May. I did have a little of the rash then, but because I’m a 68-year-old man on “General Hospital,” I never take my shirt off. They just covered the rash with makeup. Then shortly thereafter, the next thing that happened was my vision. I noticed my vision was changing. I asked whether my eye prescription could change with the GVHD, and they said that it could.
So, I went in and checked it. I had it in my right eye, and two weeks after starting medication, that seemed to be fine. Then the next thing was my mouth. I developed these little water boil-like blisters — it felt like I constantly had a little water in my mouth. I never really got it in my throat, so I was able to eat.
What’s the most important thing the medical community and the public should know about the patient experience with both blood cancer and GVHD?
I think every individual is different. Every hospital is different. Every doctor has a different approach. I can only speak from what I experienced, which was just an amazing group of people who were patient and caring and loving and always asking questions like, “How are you doing? How are you feeling? How are you holding down your food?”
Regardless of your experience, the GVHD Alliance provides a ton of resources and support for patients and their families. They can answer any questions you have.
Also, my advice for anyone with blood cancer or GVHD is this: Don’t be afraid. They’re going to try to help you, so don’t be afraid. Give them your best shot. Go in there with a great attitude, and you’re going to beat it. Trust your family, trust yourself, and be positive. Just laugh, laugh a lot. Everybody’s got something.
