Sometimes an interview hits you right in the feels, and that’s exactly what happened during this week’s episode of State of Mind with Maurice Benard. The General Hospital vet (who plays Sonny Corinthos) sat down for another one of those insightful interviews, this time with The Young and the Restless star Lily Brooks O’Briant.
The 18-year-old actress, who plays Lucy Romalotti on Y&R, didn’t just talk about acting and Hollywood; she also opened up about something far more personal: her years-long battle with endometriosis, a condition that affects 1 in 10 women but is still wildly misunderstood!
By the end of the conversation, we were crying, nodding, and more educated, and you probably will be too.
From Apple TV+ to Genoa City
Lily’s story started in Memphis, Tennessee, where she was born. She got the acting bug early, too. Many fans remember her from the Apple TV+ series Life by Ella, where she played the lead. Sadly, the show was canceled after one season.
But, as fate would have it, the same day she learned Life by Ella wasn’t picked up for another season, she got the call: she had booked Lucy on The Young and the Restless.
“It was such an emotionally weird day, but I felt very grateful for that kind of pick-me-up,” she told Maurice.
Fans might also love this tidbit: she’s real-life friends with all three of the actresses who played Faith Newman — Reylynn Caster, McKenna Grace, and Alyvia Alyn Lind.
Then the conversation took a more serious turn. Lily began to share her story, her battle with endometriosis, a chronic condition that had quietly taken over her life during her teen years.
“I started havingincredibly debilitating and painful periods. It would last like 10 days [and] I would have like five days out of that where I couldn’t get out of bed. I would have to cancel plans with friends…”
At first, she brushed it off. Everyone told her it was normal. Her doctor said it was just her body adjusting. But the pain didn’t go away. It got worse. She couldn’t eat. She started losing weight. Some doctors told her it was an eating disorder. Others chalked it up to anxiety.
The Turning Point for Lily Brooks O’Briant: An Instagram Post
Everything changed when Lily saw a post from Bindi Irwin, who had just undergone surgery for endometriosis. But even then, it wasn’t easy. She was put on months-long waiting lists. One doctor dismissed her pain as psychological. Finally, she got in touch with Bindi’s surgeon in New York. After a Zoom call, things really started to look up.
Lily went through with the surgery, paying out-of-pocket, since exploratory endometriosis surgery often isn’t covered by insurance. And what doctors found validated everything she had been saying for years.
Coming out of surgery, the first thing she asked her mom — still groggy from anesthesia — was, “Did they find anything?”
They had. And that moment of relief? Indescribable.
Now, Lily is using her voice to raise awareness and break the silence around endometriosis.
Don’t miss her full interview on State of Mind with Maurice Benard. It’s a conversation that could change lives. Watch below. (Photo: Francis Specker/CBS.)
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