Every week General Hospital’s Maurice Benard manages to find the story behind the story on his video podcast show, State Of Mind. This week he sat down with The Young and the Restless’s Melissa Claire Egan and covered new ground with a raw and honest discussion on struggling with infertility.
Maurice Benard And Melissa Claire Egan: Searching For A Miracle
Benard’s (Sonny Corinthos) show has covered many issues related to mental health but this week’s episode touched on a different kind of State Of Mind: the struggle and anxiety of dealing with in-vitro fertilization, a subject that Egan (Chelsea Lawson, Y&R) is all too familiar with. Married to businessman Matt Katrosar since July of 2014, Egan was eager to start a family. But life has a way of throwing a wrench into plans.
The actress was very open about her journey with fertility. “I always joke that I can’t relate to mental health issues but I can relate to fertility issues until the cows come home.” She laughed before explaining, “I have been very vocal about it. I have had two miscarriages. It took…five years for me to have my son. I have this thing called PCOS [Polycystic Ovary Syndrome]. I have this thing called Silent Endometriosis. I pretty much had everything wrong.
“I believe in God and I just felt like I will just keep going,” Egan explained before describing her IVF experience. “All of the shots, and pills, and blood thinners, and acupuncture, and appointments…it is a very hopeless feeling with fertility. We had several failed IVF transfers. On the fourth transfer, we got pregnant with Caden.”
As many women who go through this experience will attest to, finally having a child makes up for all the heartache. Caden Robert Katrosar was born in August of 2021. “It’s incredible. It’s a miracle.” The Daytime Emmy-nominated actress was elated to be a mom. “My husband, he’s amazing too! He was so helpful to me when I was going through all my stuff. It is a lot of time. A lot of effort that you pour into this, and just hope it works out. And we are so grateful.”
Melissa Claire Egan: Giving Voice To Depression
Egan never succumbed to a deep depression like the one her character, Chelsea Lawson on The Young and the Restless, recently experienced, so she had to consult with an expert on Suicide Awareness for her role on the soap opera to make sure she got it right.
*Trigger Warning: The following subject matter contains references to Suicide and Suicide Ideation. If you or someone you know has suicidal thoughts, there are ways to get help. Call 988 or call 911 in case of an emergency.
“Our head writer, Josh Griffith, told me that we were going to do this story around August [2022].” Her first response was gratitude. “I was truly honored to tell it because it was so relevant. We do so many fun stories on our shows, but I knew this would touch many people who are suffering.”
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But she needed some input to do it justice. “The show consulted with Dr. Dan Reidenberg, who’s head of the National Suicide Prevention Association, so I asked if I could speak to him as well. We zoomed, we texted, and he was so helpful. Helping me just get into the headspace because I haven’t struggled with these issues, but I, of course, had down days and suffered some anxiety but not to this extent. He just helped me get into Chelsea’s headspace.”
Benard, who knows a thing or two about depression himself, was able to catch the episode. “I appreciate The Young and the Restless for telling this story. It is a cool, cool thing. And the clip that I saw of you was just beautiful.”
Melissa Claire Egan had so much more to say! Find out the details of her growing up, acting at a young age, landing her fan-favorite role as Annie Lavery on All My Children, and working with Benard’s co-star, Cameron Mathison (Drew Cain), noting the special bond they share as he was her first TV husband.
Fans will love the behind-the-scenes stories of her other roles on One Tree Hill, Dawson’s Creek, and Criminal Minds. Egan also has a secret life as a singer/musician. Find out more about her pop star turn with Canal Street Band. Don’t miss a minute of this tender episode of State Of Mind.
If you are struggling with infertility issues or know someone who is, find out more about IVF here. For more information on depression and suicide prevention, reach out for more information here.
Follow Melissa Claire Egan on Twitter and Instagram. Follow Canal Street Band on Instagram. Follow Maurice Benard on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
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