Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Episode 6.24 Cerda Family

Terri and Chuck Cerda's two daughters, Molly and Maggie, were diagnosed with Combined Immune Deficiency Disease (CIDD) at the age of three and are now living in a home that is threatening their lives. CIDD -- a disorder of the immune system similar to that suffered by David Vetter, the "boy in the bubble" -- means that a simple cold is a life threatening lung infection. Chuck Cerda works as a Homeland Security police officer, and his wife, Terri, has worked all her life in global relief, organizing search & rescue dog services during disasters such as the Mexico City earthquakes and the Colombia mudslides. She's also worked as a volunteer for a number of community organizations, including the fire department and ambulance service. Terri has used her experience as an advocate and mother of two ill children to found Artful Hearts, which gives painting murals to organizations, clinics and foundations that operate to support other children fighting life threatening medical conditions. She also works as a patient advocate for the Immune Deficiency Foundation, a position which has taken her to Washington, DC to meet with senators to influence laws governing medications that could save thousands of lives.

In 2004 the Cerdas were fraudulently sold a home that was in poor condition while their oldest daughter lay in intensive care. After six floods, they were forced to make repairs themselves, but after a recent inspection, structural engineers advised them to gut the house or tear it down and rebuild. The water damage is extensive and sewage continues to back up into the home. A load bearing beam is also threatening the structural integrity of the house.