[music playing]
I collect cuckoo clocks.
Owls, I collect owls, lamps.
Sleepwear, I'm one for a lot of Victoria's Secret sleepwear.
And I can't even tell you everything
that's under the pile.
I just know it's things that I've collected over the years.
You cannot walk through rooms.
The stove is piled up to where I cannot cook on it.
The sinks are piled up to where I can't get even any water out
of the sink.
I'm Sheila, and Nora is my sister.
The last time I was in Nora's home was over 13 years ago.
She will not allow you even to visit or stop by.
I'm Verlee, and I am Nora's sister.
There's been days where I can't get hold of my sister
for like a day and a half on the phone.
Yes, I'm worried about her.
About 30 years ago, her son Kevin
was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
And he lived about eight years with it.
When Kevin passed away, that's when the things started
accumulating.
Every time I would buy a set of something,
I would buy a set for him.
It was almost a feeling that Kevin was going to come back.
She's told us, she does not want to get rid of anything.
She doesn't have anything to get rid of.
And she will die first in the home before she
parts with them.
I'm not hoarding anything.
I'm collecting things.
And I love my collectibles.
And I'm going to keep collecting them.
I'm very concerned that my sister will die in the home
and no one be there with her.
[music playing]
I haven't been in 2/3 of the house in over five years.
I haven't been in the kitchen in years.
I haven't been in my dining room in almost two years.
I walk in the door, go straight to the bedroom,
and I sit down on the bed, and that's it.
That's home.
I'm Vernon, and I'm Coral's fiance.
Vernon was my fiance when I was 17.
And we broke up.
And then we never saw each other again
until 31 years, when I found her on Facebook.
When I walked inside the door, it's like, oh, no.
No, no, no.
This is impossible, you know?
This is a disaster.
I've already told Coral, I said, look,
I don't want to leave you.
I love you.
But look at the situation.
We've got to figure something out,
or else I'm not living in this trailer.
I'm Michael, and Coral is my mother.
Growing up was strange.
I don't remember ever having any friends come over.
I was terrified, but it was my home.
Yeah, he's got a lot of scars from the way he grew up.
All of a sudden, out of the blue my son
told me he was moving out.
And I was hurt.
It just blew up.
The house just blew up.
I was very surprised by Vernon's reaction
because I didn't think the place was that bad.
But he was horrified.
I really don't want to leave her,
but there's no way I'm staying in this house.
[crying]
[music playing]
My house is a mess, and I'm embarrassed to show it to you.
Some of this stuff, I don't really remember where I got it
or when I got it.
I'm Belinda, Joyce's niece.
She'll have three or four things of one item.
And then eventually when she wants it,
she can't find because other things done came in.
And then she goes out and buy it again.
She shops for everything, anything.
It's a vicious cycle.
I'm Wallace.
I've been married to Joyce for 31 years.
I'm tired of living like this.
Especially because every time I turn around,
I'm knocking something over.
I can't live like this.
But as always, all you did was move my stuff.
You didn't move any of your stuff.
What are you talking about, Wallace?
If he is angry about the house, help me with it.
Please, Wallace, try to be normal for a while.
He ain't man enough to come to me
and say, Joyce, I can't stand it anymore.
He just comes in here and eats, and leaves the counter dirty.
She'll say things like, you don't wipe the stove off.
I can get rid of this junk here, OK?
I can get rid of it.
But I just don't feel like it.
She has problems with reality.
Finally, I said to her, you know, hey, look, Joyce, get
rid of this stuff or move out.
Well, he's done it, OK?
I'm not going to give up my house after-- especially
if I've got all this junk up here.
[music playing]
When I buy stuff, I let it stack up.
And then pretty soon the junk gets to the ceiling.
Got to have new dresses, storage containers, luggage.
I have a lot of stuff that's good.
But it's covered up by junk.
I'm Celeste, and Doris is my grandmother.
My grandmother's daily life is affected very strongly
by her hoarding.
I cannot cook in my kitchen at this time because it's all
blocked off.
My bathroom is not working.
I don't go in there anymore.
I'm Cynthia, and Doris is my mother.
My mother has been saying that she's
going to make a path to the bathroom for about eight years.
When my bathroom got stopped up, I moved out to the patio.
When I need to bathe, I have a bucket out here.
I heat water, and I wash up.
I pee in a bucket, and I pour it out by the back gate.
What I have to do number two, I do it in a bucket
and put it in the trash can.
For years, I offered to help get all the stuff out
of the house so that I could move in and be with her.
But she gives me a million excuses
to keep me from helping her.
I've never, ever been in my grandmother's house
my whole entire life.
(CRYING) I always wanted to just be
able to go to my grandma's house,
and make her some dinner, and put on some music.
And we can dance in the living room.
I want her to experience a true beautiful life.
[music playing]
I am an impulse shopper.
I can't help it.
I love buying clothes.
I'm Bree.
I'm 22 years old.
I've been friends with Yama my entire life.
Most people buy stuff but get rid of things as they buy it.
I'll purchase something online,
waiting on it to come in, and I'll go shopping the next day.
And I'm just like, ooh, I like that even more.
I'll buy this, too.
If I don't want it, I'll bring it back.
I never bring stuff back.
Sometimes my bills come back to back to back to back.
And sometimes I don't have enough leftover.
I'm Sheree.
I'm Yama's cousin.
Yama is a hoarder because her mom was a hoarder.
But since the passing of her mother, Yama has gotten worse.
$37.09
I went through my inheritance in about six to seven weeks.
[music playing]
BREE: It smelled horrible.
I wore my snow boots the entire time I was in there.
If I had to go to the restroom, I'd wear them to the restroom.
If I had to go to the shower, I'd wear them to the shower.
I went in the kitchen.
And opening up the refrigerator and seeing the cemented gnats,
and the mold, and everything did it for me.
And I threw up.
I couldn't take it anymore.
If Yama doesn't get the house cleaned up,
and if she doesn't change, I'm scared that she's going to fall
into the same path as her mom.