[music playing]
TERI: My name is Teri.
I'm 47 years old.
I'm a registered nurse here in Hawaii.
A hoarder-- to me, actually, when I first heard the term,
I thought it was such a negative thing.
There's no way, you know?
That-- I'm not a hoarder.
We're just messy.
My name is Kerry.
I am Teri's husband.
I just made 55 years old, and we've
been married for 15 plus years.
I get angry every day when I come home.
I see the house, the way it is.
The more that I try to do something,
like just clear little area--
I come home the next day, and it's
even worse than what it was when I had
cleaned it up the day before.
So after a while, I said, I just give up.
My friends have asked me so many times,
why are you guys together?
TERI: My current relationship with Kerry
is very touch and go.
KERRY: We argue and fight about just about anything--
the kids, the house, the clutter.
We've been very close to divorce several times.
The relationship has progressively
gotten worse over the years.
My name is Cory.
I am 12 years old, and Teri is my mother.
There's definitely too much stuff in our house.
I don't know.
There's sometimes I kind of just need to get away from it all.
[somber music]
My name is Jordan, and I am eight years old,
and Teri is my mom.
I don't like the mess, and I'm trying to clean it up,
but it keeps on getting messier.
TERI: I think the respiratory stuff is not
very good for my kids, so the dust
and things don't help at all.
Both of them are asthmatic.
The clutter-- I'm sure all of that's contributing to the lack
of air quality and--
and just not a safe environment.
[somber music]
I know when Cory was born--
[cries] I told myself I would give up my life for him.
And I put him in this situation.
And now that Jordan--
I've done the same thing to her so it's like I've
let both of them down.
Oh, I just feel like crying right now.
I don't know why.
[cries]
[somber music]
[uplifting music]
We have with us today four members of the Hawaii
Association of Professional Organizers,
our 1-800-GOT-JUNK team, the family,
and we have a plan of action.
I'm Darnita L. Hayden.
I'm a life management specialist working
with people with chronic disorganization and clutter.
The stakes are high, and it's not
an option to leave without getting this house in order.
My name is Dr. Robin Zasio.
I'm a licensed clinical psychologist,
and I specialize in OCD and compulsive hoarding.
KERRY: It was a no-brainer.
Kids over stuff.
Stuff is history.
This looks like a Donate bag.
Wouldn't you say?
Cory has been a tornado.
He's been making decisions quickly.
He's not second guessing.
OK, good work.
Fast.
Donate.
Trash.
OK.
I really thought there was very little
that we could do about it because it's just so daunting.
But after seeing the progress from just this morning,
I mean, in a few hours, it's such a big difference
and much improved.
TERI: All that stuff is stuff that
just got bought as gift items.
That, I can tell you right now, I'll keep.
That's all Tupperware stuff.
You can tell me from a glance?
I'm going to pass you over there.
There's-- there's Dr. Robin.
TERI: It's, like, the little Tupperware things.
OK, there's, like, a cockroach or something in there.
It's an egg.
TERI: That's a cockroach egg.
It's a cockroach egg, OK?
Teri, I mean, you--
you are not going to use that, right?
TERI: You know what?
I can just have them take it to the church.
Well, we can't-- we're not going
to take this to the church. You can't.
But I mean, OK.
All right, where's the trash?
We can't slow down at this point.
There's still a lot of work to do,
and they have to keep that momentum up so that I
can see and feel comfortable that this
is a safe house for them.
Is this supposedly rubbish?
ROBIN ZASIO: This area is a biohazard.
What is this we're standing in?
Wet--
Wet paper towels?
[laughs]
No, that is cat feces.
This is your cat food.
There's cockroaches and kitty litter in the cat food.
Um--
OK, you guys have got to start purging this food.
Anything that is expired and not edible has got to come out, OK?
These kids cannot come in and make good decisions about
what's there because this has got to be taken
care of before we leave today.
Where-- where are you guys going?
I don't now. I don't know.
Where am I going? ROBIN ZASIO: Refrigerator.
I'd rather put somebody else on it
because I can be more neutral--
No, no, would like you guys to be accountable to get
that cleaned out.
I don't want somebody else to do it.
I want you guys to see what's in there.
I'm not wasting time on this.
ROBIN ZASIO: That smell was horrific.
It was really horrific.
Sorry, I disagree.
ROBIN ZASIO: There's a lot of minimizing, saying that it was
a Hawaiian smell rather than a rotting smell,
and that just wasn't the case.
[dramatic music]
How much a year are you guys spending on storage?
But this is cheaper than what I used to do, so--
What did you use to do?
I used to have a bigger storage.
[laughs]
Well, having a storage unit in her yard
doesn't seem strange to her.
It seems as a normal behavior because you're basically paying
rent for your stuff to have a place when you
have a 3,000-square-foot home.
We're back to putting stuff in front of the kids again.
You know, Kerry-- um.
DARNITA L. HAYDEN: Teri?
When we're dealing with compulsive hoarding,
we're dealing with a mental condition.
When she gets overwhelmed, she bolts.
At this point now, she's holding on to all the dysfunction
that-- that, as you're suggesting,
got her into this place.
So you know what?
I'm-- I'm perfectly happy with you looking at her and saying,
I'm getting rid of the stuff, because I don't want this.
That would be the end of it.
End of what?
Your marriage?
Probably.
What will she do?
KERRY: I'm not sure, but I know it won't be something
that I'm going to like.
ROBIN ZASIO: When I asked him to go talk with Teri
and really confront her, he kind of
went back to that old pattern of sort of caving.
Problem is is that the easiest route
is not always the best route.
[cries] I can't take this anymore.
I've had it.
Too much.
I can't take this.
[cries]
[somber music]
What's the matter?
ROBIN ZASIO: Now is the time.
Now is the time.
Tell her how you feel.
She knows.
ROBIN ZASIO: No, no, no. DARNITA L. HAYDEN: Don't assume.
I did already.
ROBIN ZASIO: Do not--
tell her.
Tell her just like you told us.
I'm scared.
I'm overwhelmed.
What are you scared of?
Going back to what we were.
I'm scared about losing the kids.
I mean, I walked out there and I looked at--
it was like what had happened before-- it all exploded.
[sniffs] And I didn't see anything happening.
[cries] Been there too many times.
I don't want to go back.
I asked Kerry if he would reveal
to her what he revealed to me, and he was very reluctant.
But with some nudging, he did it.
And for the first time I felt that Teri actually listened.
Will you both, together, follow through
with aftercare services?
[laughs]
I do.
OK.
I do.
DARNITA L. HAYDEN: Are you OK?
ROBIN ZASIO: Oh, my gosh.
[uplifting music]
All of these have money in them.
DARNITA L. HAYDEN: So do you want a container?
Well, Jordan'll I'll be happy.
She'll be like, yay.
Yeah.
[uplifting music]
Good.
Nice.
Whoa!
You can actually stand in the room.
Yeah?
So did you believe this could happen.
We're standing on the floor, a clear floor.
Only in my wildest dreams.
[laughter]
ROBIN ZASIO: [laughs] Jordan.
This is great.
TERI: [inaudible]
Whoa!
You are king of your bed.
How does that feel to be up there?
TERI: Good! - Good.
Who's sleeping with you tonight?
[inaudible]
That's right.
Everybody's got their own place now
Can you believe it?
Can you believe this?
Do you remember what this was like yesterday?
Yesterday, guys, we had mountains of stuff as tall
as you, Teri.
This is my dream kitchen.
It is.
I'd like everybody to have a seat.
I am certifying this house as safe, no longer hazardous.
That's great.
Oh, thank you.
For today, we have a happy ending.
We've accomplished the job that we set out to do.
I'm extremely happy, and, yes, I am confident that my children
are here to stay with us.
I'm excited about the new thing that's
here for me and my family.
I mean, my kids can run through the house.
They're-- they're ecstatic.
[cries]
It was so nice meeting you.
Are you crying again?
[laughs] Are you crying again?
I know.
[inaudible]
[music playing]