Probably should have led with this: not every family on the show deserved to be there. The Cerda family case remains one of the most disturbing in Extreme Makeover history. What appeared to be a heartwarming story of helping sick children turned into a case of medical child abuse.
Six doctors examined daughters Maggie and Molly and determined they were not in any medical jeopardy. The girls had been trained to feign illness during examinations.
State Intervention
Oregon’s health system recognized the deception and the girls were taken into temporary state custody. The case was classified as Munchausen syndrome by proxy.
The family was unable to afford their new home and it went up for sale by fall 2009. ABC faced criticism for inadequate vetting of recipient families. As someone who has followed these cases for years, the Cerda situation stands out as a complete failure of the selection process.
Case documented: January 2026
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