Annette John-Hall | 'Makeover' in Pennsauken

I lead a thoroughly uneventful life. Not that I'm complaining. Being able to mark time in steady, measured intervals means bad times haven't found a way to blindside me - at least not yet.

No major blips on the life monitor. That's the most any of us can hope for.

Still, we dream. We fantasize about experiencing a life-altering event, like winning the Mega Millions jackpot. Or getting drafted in the NBA lottery. Or writing a book that Oprah loves. (OK, that's my wish.)

You try to imagine: How would life change?

Victor Marrero's life has taken a miraculous turn since August, when Extreme Makeover: Home Edition plucked the Camden single father and his five sons out of squalor and deposited them in a brand-new, fully-paid-for $350,000 home in Pennsauken.

It's not a McMansion. But for Marrero and his boys, just having working lights, heat and beds not overrun by roaches is a luxury nothing short of wondrous.

On Sunday, the Marreros got a chance to see a time-lapse version of their miracle when the family's episode of Extreme Makeover finally aired.

"It was kind of sad because it brought back memories that you don't want to think about," said Marrero, who watched the show with hundreds of volunteers from J. S. Hovnanian & Sons, the Mount Laurel home builder that led the project while the Marreros vacationed in Spain on Extreme Makeover's dime.

"But thinking about all of the different people who helped - rich people, poor people - there were a lot of tears," he said.

The family's struggles have been well-documented. A

20/20

documentary about the children of Camden first introduced us to Billy Joe, the oldest son, and the rest of the Marreros in January.

It was hard not to root for Victor: A pair of heart attacks in seven years had left him unable to resume work as an office manager and he was out of health insurance. He couldn't depend on his wife. She left with the couple's three daughters after his first heart attack in '94.

That left Victor, 54, permanently disabled, alone with five stairsteps - Jonas, 15; Steven, 16; Ethan, 17; Joshua, 18; to Billy Joe, 19 - to raise and no income to raise them.

Just like that, a situation that was already real bad became untenable.

"We were cold and hungry, but we never complained," Billy Joe tells me, relaying the story while crowded with his brothers on a leather loveseat in a family room decorated with Victor-mandated Eagles memorabilia.

"My father never let us go without food, ever. It was hard for him to put his pride aside, but there was never a low that was too low for my father."

In fact, Victor, who needed so much, was known as the guy who helped the needy around South Camden. He swept the block every day, and the boys ran errands for seniors in the neighborhood.

Victor even found the energy to start a support group, Single Fathers of Camden, as a way for men to bond with their children and to share parenting tips.

Marrero's heart, which almost gave out on him twice, can only be described as big.

Back at the house, we take a tour. A pair of caged cockatoos chirp happily in Victor's first-floor bedroom suite, which includes a laundry room and a full bathroom.

We go upstairs to the boys' domain. I count seven flatscreens and almost as many laptops. Josh and Ethan share a bedroom with breakdancing and architectural images painted on the walls, reflecting their respective passions. Steven and Jonas' room, dark and metallic, boasts a electronics/sports theme.

As for Billy Joe, the aspiring rapper and actor? He owns a mixing board that would be the envy of any recording studio.

Victor's proudest moment comes when he opens his kitchen pantry, floor-to-ceiling full of food - including enough boxes of cereal to put Seinfeld's cupboard to shame. Every bit of the house's contents has come as a result of the family's TV exposure.

"I love to show my food," Victor says, dead serious. "It's beautiful. I love it."

Because of the code of the street, which says people respect those who have respected themselves, Victor doesn't worry about would-be haters who may not celebrate his good fortune.

"Even the drunks say, 'Yo, Papi, congratulations,' " he says.

Family traditions continue. Victor and his sons pray every night. Their prayer is the same now as it was when they slept on the floor: not that they have enough food to eat or enough heat to warm them, but that they will always stay together as a family.

Come to think of it, isn't that an everyday miracle that we don't take enough time to give thanks for?