by Mike Walters
Comedian Joel McHale and his wife are stepping up to continue the care of their adult autistic son, by filing a conservatorship for him.
According to legal documents, obtained by The Blast, Joel and Sarah McHale are asking a judge in the Los Angeles County Courts to give them a conservatorship over their 18-year-old son — Edward Roy McHale — so they can continue working on his medical treatment and education.
As you know, McHale has been very open about the diagnosis and treatment of his son and detailed the situation in interviews with the media.
In most situations like this one, after a person becomes an adult, their medical information and treatments become confidential — even to their parents. A conservatorship is necessary for the parents of an individual to be involved in their medical care or to make important decisions regarding their lives.
Joel McHale Details To Court Reasons For Needing A Conservatorship For His Son
In the filing, Joel is asking for the ability to “access the confidential records and papers, the right to contract for the limited conservatee, the power to give or withhold medical consent, and the power to make decisions concerning the education of the limited conservatee.”
Specifically, McHale touches on his son’s special needs, saying his “primary diagnosis is Autism, with ADHD, and anxiety.”
The good news is that Edward has signed a consent form to have his parents as conservators, and his signature was included in the request to the court.
Back in 2021, ‘The Soup’ host opened up about learning of his son’s diagnosis including having two holes in his heart as a baby. The comedian and his wife welcomed Eddie in 2005 and learned of his serious issues at just 2 weeks old. The comedian shared he bonded with Jimmy Kimmel over the diagnosis his son Billy had with congenital heart disease.
‘Animal Control’ Star Joel McHale Opens Up About Son’s Diagnosis
McHale spoke candidly on the ‘Meditative Story’ podcast about what he was doing when his wife called him with the news. “I’m parked outside of an audition. There’s a script in my hand and I’m about to go in when my wife Sarah calls me. Sarah is at the pediatrician with our 2-week-old son Eddie. We’re in that parenting phase where it feels like you’re at a doctor every other day — but right away I hear something very different in her voice,” he began.
He continued, Sarah explained how doctors heard “some sort of heart murmur,” and Eddie needed to see a specialist right away.
“Well, if I get this job I’ll have enough money to pay for whatever is going on with Eddie,” McHale described feeling at the moment.
Unfortunately, Eddie required a heart surgery to repair the issue and the comedian explained, “Before the surgery, our friends and family would say stuff like, ‘We’re so sorry this is happening to you. I’m so sorry,’” he said. “Here on the pediatric cardiology floor, other parents say, and I’m not joking, ‘Oh we were hoping that our kid had your kid’s problem.’ And they say it kindly and warmly.”
Adding, “After months of feeling like we were unlucky and had a terrible challenge, I’m realizing that we were the lucky ones. It seems so weird because it does seem kind of like, luck, one elevator goes up and another one goes down.”
After the successful surgery, Eddie was diagnosed with Autism, severe dyslexia, and ADHD.
At this point, the conservatorship will need to be signed off on by a judge — but, it shouldn’t be an issue considering Eddie signed off on the situation.
Great guy. Great father. Period.
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Joel McHale Files For A Conservatorship To Care For Autistic Son
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