[music playing]
My name is Ruth.
I'm retired.
And I just like to shop, I guess.
[chuckles]
I have everything-- ceramics and glassware
and clothes and papers.
It's just an array of stuff.
My name is Jewel, and I am Ruth's oldest daughter.
My mother is addicted to shopping.
She cannot pass up a deal.
I like the Goodwill.
I might go to Macy's sometimes just
to look around, see what they might have that I might like.
JEWEL: She comes home with bags, and the bags just get tossed
on top of the other bags.
It's very overwhelming.
My name is Tanea.
I'm Ruth's daughter.
You could break your neck in that house.
You get outside of the path, you're done.
She needs to do something about it.
TANEA: I'm to the point now where I think the house
actually is a fire hazard.
If a fire broke loose, and my mom's in the house,
she's going to die.
If she doesn't clean up the house, I'm going to call APS.
I'm sick and tired of it.
When I was younger, the house was never like it is now.
We used to skate all the way through the house,
from the back room, which was my room, all the way to the front
of the living room.
I really miss those days.
[music playing]
I'm Matt Paxton.
I'm an extreme cleaning specialist.
We're here at Ruth's house today.
We got a lot of work to do and a short time to do it.
I'm going to get the guys in the house so we can start working.
Ruth?
Everyone's searching for Ruth, but she's nowhere to be found.
In the meantime, I've got an entire crew sitting around,
because I can't clean the house until Ruth gets here.
I went looking for her, and I didn't see her.
Well, isn't that something?
I found her.
You cannot get away, lady.
Get in the car.
I'm walking.
I'll be there in a minute.
JEWEL: Well, we're going to follow you.
I was real anxious this morning.
I just had to get away for a minute
just to kind of collect my thoughts
and try to get myself together for this day.
[music playing]
Donate it.
Perfect.
Just say stop when you want me to stop.
RUTH: OK.
We're making a lot of progress really quickly.
Ruth's making really good decisions,
and it's going very fast.
What in the world is going on?
MAN: This [inaudible].
This is the main thing to get rid of!
[laughs]
If they drop me, I'm gonna kill 'em.
I'm glad it's gone.
[laughs]
This is a very symbolic moment for her.
My dad bought the couch a long time ago,
and she hated it when he bought it.
It's good to see the couch go.
Goodbye.
[interposing voices]
Hated you ever since he brought
you in here [inaudible] my other stuff [inaudible] goodbye.
[laughter]
[birds chirping]
Heavenly Father, we're coming to you this morning
hoping that you'll help me keep an open mind and an open heart.
And these and many blessings I'm asking in your name, Jesus.
Thank you.
Amen. - Amen.
[interposing voices] MAN: All right.
Let's do this.
ROBIN: I am Dr. Robin Zasio.
I'm a licensed clinical psychologist,
and I specialize in OCD and compulsive hoarding.
I'm about to take Ruth into the master bedroom, which she
has avoided for over 10 years.
You ready?
One at a time.
I'm going to follow you.
You know, I'm too old for this.
No, you're not.
[chuckles] [inaudible] my legs.
If you're not too old to hoard,
you're not too old to crawl over the pile.
Keep moving in.
By avoiding dealing with her pain,
it's actually perpetuating it, and it's making it worse.
I think you've done an amazing job up until this point.
But I'm looking at T over there, and you
know where she's standing.
That's the most difficult place of all.
Tell me why.
Well, that's where, when my husband came home
from the hospital, and he--
he took his pants off, and he put them up on the dresser.
And that's where they've been ever since he
died, ever since he came home.
ROBIN (VOICEOVER): The pants were
the most symbolic reason why she was not
able to return to this room.
Tell me why you left them there.
I just couldn't move them.
How do you feel about that now?
I know it's something that I need to do.
I'm going to leave it up to you to do what
you need to do at this point.
[sobs]
You got to do it.
ROBIN: You're not letting him go.
He's already gone physically.
But he's here.
He's here still.
That will never go away.
And keeping those pants are not going to change anything.
Do you understand?
That by moving forward, you're honoring him.
Mom.
ROBIN: Look at her.
You can do it.
ROBIN: For the first time, Ruth is at a place where she can
pick up the pants, hold them, and start to heal
from the loss of her husband.
He's looking down at you saying, I'm so
happy you're finally moving on.
You're not moving on from him.
You're moving on with your life, OK?
It's time to let go of them.
They are a barrier for her to move forward and her families.
What are you going to do with these pants?
I wouldn't want anybody else to wear them.
So it's [inaudible] put them aside, just put them away.
Put them [inaudible] get them away.
[music playing]
To take them out of the house and discard
them was a little rough, 'cause you feel like you're
actually throwing him away.
But I'm not really throwing him away, because he's in my heart.
He'll always be in my heart.
[vacuum whirring]
When we started a couple days ago, it didn't feel like this.
You had a family that came together to help you.
Think you felt that all week, didn't you?
Yes, I did.
Y'all want to go in there and see the house?
Yes. [interposing voices]
Yes. All right.
Let's do it.
Oh, lord.
Oh, god.
I don't believe this.
MATT: [inaudible]
RUTH: Oh man.
This is beautiful!
Oh.
Sorrow or happiness?
Oh man.
I don't believe this.
Oh, this is gorgeous.
We had an entire family come together and help this woman.
This is so pretty.
It's just one of the coolest things I've ever done.
Jump!
[laughter]
[interposing voices]
[music playing]
TANEA: Since we've came this far, she's not going to stop.
I'm not going to allow her to stop.
I'm going to help her every way I can.
It's just breathtaking-- my mom
realizing that she's at a place where she's ready to move on.
And I couldn't ask for much more.
I believe that this family is off to a very,
very happy future.
Hopefully, I've gotten the grief out of my house.
Hopefully, I can begin to live now, and live with a smile.
[music playing]