Raised by his grandmother, Lyric is the sort of irrepressibly, stubbornly optimistic type that tends to irk the most dedicated pessimists. From the beginning, his mother knew that she wouldn’t be able to take care of a child, and when Lyric was three weeks old, she left him with her older sister. For the next two years her visits were sporadic and brief, until they eventually stopped. Lyric likes to think that he was lucky- his mother loved him enough to leave him somewhere safe, and he has a close relationship with his aunt.

​

When Lyric was eleven, he was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, a cancer that attacks plasma cells. What followed was 18 months of chemo and radiation. He did his homework from the hospital, and mostly managed to keep up. He’d been determined to start high school with his friends, and it was the goal that kept him going.

​

High school came with drama classes, school musicals, and Lyric fell completely in love with the theatre. He wanted to learn everything, from acting to set design, to how the curtains rose and fell, and the use of the bright stage lights.

​

When he was sixteen, 11th grade, the cancer returned. And for the second time, he beat it; but there was lasting damage, leaving him on the kidney transplant wait list.

​

It was the wake up call he needed, and after high school, Lyric auditioned for Juilliard. He didn’t know how much time he had, and all he wanted to do was be on stage. He was accepted, and after Juilliard, has gone to act on Broadway. He’s a rising star, making a name for himself, and loving his life.