John J. York, who plays Mac Scorpio on ABC's General Hospital, approaches each day with hope, gratitude, and faith, no matter what life throws at him. And life hurled some major health issues his way in late 2022. John was diagnosed with two blood and bone marrow cancers - myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and multiple smoldering myeloma - that would have likely killed him in the next three to five years. During a Christopher Closeup interview, John explained that he kept the news quiet, informing only his immediate family and boss. He and his wife, Vicki, were also in the process of moving to Tennessee to be closer to their daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren.
John began chemo treatments at Nashville's Vanderbilt University Medical Center in March 2023, while they searched for a donor who could provide stem cells for a life-saving transplant. Meanwhile, he traveled to and from California to work on General Hospital. During those months, John was encouraged to go public by Courtney at Be the Match (now the National Marrow Donor Program) because it could help not only him find a donor, but also other people. He followed her advice, and by September, they found a match for John.
The night after his stem cell transplant brought severe discomfort because John's new cells were fighting his old cells for dominance. He recalled, "I lay in bed, and I prayed the rosary. I said a million Hail Marys, a million Our Fathers. I prayed to St. Jude, St. Philomena, St. Theresa, St. Faustina, St. Josemaria, St. Pio. . . . I thought about my friends, and [told myself to] be calm, and take one second at a time, one minute at a time."
John never contemplated the thought that he wouldn't get better. His hopeful outlook reflects the Christopher ideal that "it's better to light one candle than to curse the darkness." John observed, "All there is in my life is light. . . . And even in the darkness, there's light beyond that. . . . I know whose hand is there for me, and I'm always reaching out for that hand. . . . I'm very thankful for all the blessings in my life, and I want to make sure that I take time every day to say, 'thank you.'"
After 100 days in quarantine and six months off work, John returned to General Hospital in June with warm welcomes from cast, crew, and fans. That warmth is indicative of the kind of person John is, always trying to put his faith into action by loving his neighbor. He reflected, "In one of [my] prayers, [I say], 'Help me to see the face of God in the people and experiences of my life,' and that's what I try to do. I make it a point to think about that when I'm talking to someone. . . . I'm going to stop, look that person in the eye, listen, give them my full attention, and see the face of God in that person, in that experience, in that moment."
John knows he is not the only person going through illness, so he offered some words of advice for others: "Stay positive. Have faith in God. Have faith in Jesus Christ. They are leading you on your way. Whenever you think you might be alone in whatever circumstance, they're there for you. In your deepest and most incredible pain you might be feeling, they're there for you. They're not causing it. They're there for you for your comfort and your healing. Trust in them. Believe in them. Feel their presence in your life. That's what I would say."
This essay is a recent "Light One Candle"
column by Tony Rossi, Director of Communications, The Christophers; it is one of a series of
weekly columns that deal with a variety of topics and current
events.
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