Local resident finds peace after story featured on `Hoarders'

By Stacey Wang

When her husband died, her house became a reflection of herself and her family life.

There was so much stuff piled up that there was no room to walk, nowhere to put anything.

The devastation of Tom's death caused Janet to turn to compulsive hoarding, which is when an individual obsessively accumulates so much excessive clutter that it creates a debilitating and cramped environment.

Even a photo of Tom, a Whittier Police Department sergeant, sat on top of clutter.

But in a fateful moment that changed her life, cable channel A&E chose her story for the show "Hoarders." Things would change for the better.

"They saved my family. That's what they did," said Janet, 52, who lives in the East San Gabriel Valley. Her full name is being withheld to protect her privacy. "It's like a rebirth for all of us - like a new beginning. We've emerged again without the pain."

Janet was hit hard when her husband, who had a rare heart tumor, passed away on March 11, 2007, two months shy of their 31st anniversary.

"Realizing that you're a widow is hard enough. I never connected being a widow and a single parent," Janet said.

Without Tom, Janet turned to hoarding. Life with her daughters Amy, Becky, Kaitlyn and Savannah fell apart because of it.

"The girls and I, the condition of the house strained our relationship," Janet said.

"It felt like she was just kind of stuck," oldest daughter Amy said..." More

Organizing a Hoarder’s Home for Television

by Geralin Thomas

A Look from the Inside the Eye of the Hoardnado

The television series “Hoarders” (A & E) has not only provided the public with invaluable insight into compulsive hoarding, it has also offered a rare inside view into how different professional organizers and mental health professionals approach hoarders and their belongings.

In addition, Twitter, message boards and chat threads are bursting with commentary, advice and thoughts about hoarders and their homes.

Most of the discussions (but not all) are supportive and applaud the bravery of the participants who have been willing to “air their dirty laundry” to the viewing public.

Personally, I like seeing the variety of help available and the different approaches being used. The production company allows each “expert” the freedom to be his or her own boss and do what we normally do -- with cameras, lights and microphones everywhere, of course..." More

Unclutterer: Hoarders: Geralin Thomas discusses her experience on the show

A & E 's new show: Hoarders

About: Each 60-minute episode of Hoarders is a fascinating look inside the lives of two different people whose inability to party with their belongings is so out of control that they are on the verge of a personal crisis. Whether they're facing eviction, the loss of their chilren, jail time, or divorce, they are all desperately in need of help. In a fly-on-the-wall style, we'll capture the drama as experts work to put each on the road to recovery. But cleaning is just the first step, like taking drugs away from an addict. The healing won't be easy. For some, throwing away even the tiniest thing -- a sponge, a button, and empty box -- is so painful that they will not be able to allow the cleaning to be completed, no matter the consequences. for others, professional help and an organizer's guidance give them the strength to recover. At the end of each episode we'll find out who has been able to keep their hoarding behavior at bay and who, despite help, is still lost inside this painful disease..." Link

Series debut: Aug 17, 2009

The "Dog Whisperer" Exposes Puppy Mill Horrors

This special show premiers tonight, May 8 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on the National Geographic Channel,

A special episode of the “Dog Whisperer” uncovers the truth behind puppy mills

Every year more then one million purebred and “designer” dogs are born and bred into puppy mills-often packed in tiny wire cages, neglected, dehydrated, dirty and chronically sick with little or no human interaction or affection-and then sold legally to pet stores throughout the country.

In a powerful new “Dog Whisperer” episode airing tonight, Cesar Millan goes undercover with Last Chance for Animals’ Special Investigation Unit to witness the horrors of puppy mills firsthand and works to rehabilitate these dogs who have never known a world outside their overcrowded cages or learned how to interact with humans. Watch Cesar teach the LCA team how to rehabilitate the traumatized dogs from the moment they are rescued out of their cages.

“We are from two different points of rescuing,” Cesar says of LCA. “They do the physical rescue, I do the psychological rescue. So together it’s a team, it’s a good pack. When you bring a dog into your life, please do your homework and don’t buy a dog from a puppy mill. Visit a local shelter or rescue group instead.

”LCA desperately needs people to man the phones in the West Hollywood area from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on May 8th. Scripts will be provided. Even if you can only make it for a few hours, any help would be greatly appreciated. Contact Amber Renee, Campaigns Director (310) 271-6096 Ext: 27 or Campaigns@LCAnimal.org. This special show premiers tonight, May 8 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on the National Geographic Channel, and also airs Sunday, May 10 at 6 a.m. and Friday, May 15 at 2 p.m. For more information on the show, visit National Geographic Channel website.

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