DIY SOS Catch up, Series 29: 3. The Big Build

DIY SOS

Series 29: 3. The Big Build - West Bromwich

In West Bromwich, Crystal Chambers, a mother of two young children, visited her local GP and hospital on numerous occasions over two years and was left undiagnosed before finally being admitted in 2015. Upon admission to hospital, Crystal was suddenly given the devastating news that she had advanced stomach cancer, which had spread to her spine. Tragically, Crystal passed away a few weeks later, aged 32. Her children, eight-year-old Deago and four-year-old Ameira, were left potentially without a home as well as a mother.\n\nIt was therefore left to Crystal's mother Sandra, who has dedicated her entire life to working with families in crisis, and Crystal's 19-year-old brother Ziggy, who is in full-time education, to take the children into their tiny two-bedroom home.\n\nAs a result, Sandra, Deago and Ameira share one small bedroom, with a double bed, a camp bed and a toddler bed squeezed in. They don't have room for proper beds, let alone clothes, toys and space to call their own. They desperately need help to create a home for the children, so that they can start a new chapter in life - and give them each space to grieve and also to live long-term.\n\nSandra struggles with her grief and the challenges of being a surrogate mother to her grandchildren. She has needed to work longer hours to keep the family afloat, so retirement is no longer an option. Ziggy is also grieving and is now a surrogate father to his niece and nephews. \n\nThis may be one of the smallest houses DIY SOS has taken on, but this small house offers up big challenges to the team. With a family stuck in a tiny home, unable to deal with their grief, the team and generous West Bromwich volunteers step in to drastically improve this family's home and guarantee that Sandra can keep the family together.

Source: BBC 1

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