Some might say that 87 is a little too old to be raising a teenager. However, for 14-year-old Dylan Hamilton-West, it may very well be a lifesaving change.
Dylan is the grandson of the legendary Carol Burnett. Carol raised three daughters — Carrie, Jody, and Erin. Carrie tragically died at 38 years old due to complications of lung and brain cancer. Jody went on to be an actress and producer. Erin's main interest is singing. Currently 52, Erin has two sons — one being Dylan.
Unfortunately, Erin also has substance abuse issues. And they're at a point where Carol is very concerned for the well-being of Erin's children. "Due to addiction issues and other circumstances that my daughter, Erin, has been struggling with impacting her immediate family dynamic, my husband and I have petitioned the court to be appointed legal guardian of my 14-year-old grandson," Carol said in a statement to People magazine.
This isn't the first time that Carol has had to deal with the pain of addiction within her family. The actress grew up with alcoholic parents. Daughter Carrie also had issues with drug dependency prior to her untimely death. Back in the '70s, People released a cover of its print magazine with the headline "Carol Burnett's Nightmare." Both she and her daughter were featured. Back then, it was an even harder topic to talk about. Still, Carol approached it with a positive viewpoint.
Carrie's story, itself, is very tragic. No parent wants to bury their child. "She was on her way, so to speak, when she got sick," Carol told CBS News. "We all went through disbelief, shock. Then you get angry, then scared. They were hoping that they might save one lung. But then it went up to her brain."
Now she's reliving those moments once again with Erin. Carol made it quite clear that she's not trying to change any of Dylan's routines. It's more a matter of safety and guidance until Erin successfully gets the help she needs. Carol still intends for Dylan to fully communicate with his parents.
"Guardianship will be for oversight purposes concerning his health, education and welfare and not intended to deny him nor the parents proper visitation with one another," said her statement to People. "We look forward to recovery being the next stepping stone towards normalization and ask for privacy at this time to allow that process to occur." Carol will provide love, support, and care as needed for Dylan during this time.
People obtained Erin's court documents, which state that she's attempted to get healthy multiple times. Erin has been in and out of rehab approximately eight times, for a minimum of 30 days at a time, throughout the past 19 years. In July, Erin also reportedly threatened to end her life through suicide.
Dylan's father is also in the midst of recovery. Carol believes that Erin's ex, Tony West, will likely try living in Nevada after he's done with his treatment plan. He's admitted that he doesn't have the financial means to help support Dylan the way he should be cared for.
"Dylan's living environment has long been unstable, unpredictable and unhealthy for a child," the initial filing reportedly stated. "Proposed Co-Guardians' appointment is in Dylan's best interests and consistent with the love and care they are already providing to him. This will further Dylan's interests in a stable, secure, and loving environment and ensure that his needs are met on a consistent basis."
After Carol and her husband Brian Miller were granted temporary guardianship, the documents stated that the two have actually helped financially support Dylan for most of his life. "Carol is Dylan's maternal grandmother and Brian is Carol's husband of nearly twenty years," the filing read. "Although Brian is not Dylan's biological grandfather, he has known Dylan for Dylan's entire life and loves him like his grandson."
"Proposed Co-Guardians have always had a close relationship with Dylan and they have financially supported him for the entirety of his life," the filing stated. "This financial support includes providing for his medical insurance, dental insurance, educational needs, as well as his basic living and housing expenses. At this time, Proposed Co-Guardians are his sole source of financial support, and his primary source of emotional support."
The filing also made it clear that living with Carol and Brian would be the most stable environment for Dylan. "Proposed Co-Guardians' appointment is in Dylan's best interests and consistent with the love and care they are already providing to him. This will further Dylan's interests in a stable, secure, and loving environment and ensure that his needs are met on a consistent basis," it continued.
It's just a shame that an act like this is second nature for Carol. Obviously, regardless of her age, she'll be there for her grandkids. But since she was also raised by addicts, she can likely help them out in a way that others can't. She knows how it feels to come second to drugs and alcohol. So she's a great person for Dylan to talk to if he has any questions.
"Daddy drank from when he was a teenager," she told CBS News. "But he was like a drunk Jimmy Stewart. Sweet, but unfortunately he couldn't hold a job, he had the disease. And then Momma, she started to drink in her 30s, and then she became an alcoholic also. So they both died in their 40s." So, similarly, Carol was raised by her grandmother.
She grew up poor. As she told CBS News, they lived on government assistance. When they could save up the money to do so, they went to the movies. That was their guilty pleasure and escape from reality. It also likely shaped Carol's dreams for a career. Yet at that time, she was more focused on being a writer. But she also liked to draw — and admitted that she often relied on art to get her through the tough moments when her mom and grandmother would fight back when she initially moved to Hollywood.
"She and Nanny would go at it, you know, and sometimes I would just sit in the corner and draw," she admitted in an interview with NPR. "I, at one point, entertained the idea of being a cartoonist and having my own comic strip. And I could almost just ignore them while they were arguing, because it was like background music."
It's possible that Carol will share similar moments with Dylan. And she's living proof that things can work out even if your parents are struggling with addiction. Dylan still has an incredible chance of breaking the cycle and making his family proud — and he has Carol by his side to help him stay successful.
