comparisons. virgin islands, martinique and costa rica have life expectancies longer than people in this country. people in certain parts of the united states live shorter lives than in other parts of the united states. let's focus in on some counties in mississippi. in these counties in mississippi, people have shorter life expectancies than in honduras, peru, philippines, or brazil. when you look at the other countries, you probably think to yourself wow, i thought we had better healthcare in the united states than in some of those places, and while that might be true, here is the issue. take a look at this map. this is where obesity is highest in the united states. it is also where people have the shortest life span. so obesity and also access to healthcare are two big reasons why life expectancies are shorter in those areas. >> i will be back at the top of the hour with more live news. right now, time for the good

doctor. because she's cute, because she's smart, because she's strong, because she's so much fun. >> what you're listening to is a father's birthday message for his little girl. >> happy birthday to you. nice to sing that song to you. giovanna. >> a message for her that he doesn't think he will be able to deliver in person. >> always have to believe in yourself. >> can someone please give her a friend. >> officials expressing desire to talk. >> first metric charles ten years ago in the cnn newsroom, just like everyone described him, the nicest guy. >> and once, the biggest race in

america. >> that voice, that hair. >> thanks for joining us again, everybody, i am nick charles. >> along with fred hikman, he had been the face of cnn sports. baseball, football, covered them all. but his real love was boxing. >> the one given in the heavy weight ranks is the only path of the title runs through mike tyson. >> in the 70s i got to do road work with ali, and that was a memorable time. then started with the big one, it was a wonderful golden age in the 80s with sugar ray leonard, marvin hag letter and tommy hearns, and then the tyson days came along. >> these days it is about love taps from gee vanna. not his first time around. had two previous marriages, three grown kids. melissa, jason, katrina, and had plenty of regrets. for a long time, nick charles had been searching. >> i really wanted happiness and

just hadn't found it. and at 45 years old, meeting cory, i did immediately, and having a baby come into the world, a girl which i prayed to god for every day, make it be a girl, make it be a girl. >> it was. and nick revels in every moment with his girls. the one thing nick doesn't have is time. even gee vanna knows it. >> at least you don't get to go to heaven yet. >> not going to heaven yet. still playing around playing candy land and i am going to win. >> no, i am going to win. >> in early 2009 nick was the happiest he's ever been. but a shadow was creeping in. the robust nick charles had never been sick in his life. but something was changing in his body. >> i would ask people my age do you get up at night to urinate? i get up, i wouldn't ask how many times. i was getting up six and eight times. i said something is wrong.

>> it took six months to find the culprit. >> test in atlanta, she said here's the deal. you have metastatic stage four bladder cancer. very serious. the five year survival rate is 2%. the average life span is 20 months. >> but after a lifetime of covering fights, the fight was coming to him. >> you were going into win. >> oh, to win, absolutely. >> knock out cancer. >> absolutely. let's go at it. >> this is morphine, which is slow release. oxycodone. >> with nick's cancer, here is what it means. four combinations of seven different drugs, hair falling out. throwing up. seering pain through every muscle in your body. hives so bad, it makes you want to tear off your skin. >> first time the nurses came in, they put these blue jackets on that looked like they were going to get into a capsule and circumvent the moon.

i said what's going on here. they said well, one of these, we call it the red devil, but you put it in for 15 minutes, and if you get any on you, it could burn you pretty badly, pretty severely. i said gee if that's happening to the exterior surface of a healthy person, what the heck is this chemotherapy that's going to do my good, what are the bad effects going to be. >> hard on the body, harder on the soul. >> and of course, at the forefront was that my family life would be destroyed, you know, on this earth, i had a little girl i wanted to see grow up, a wife i was madly in love with. >> slowly and surely, the cancer and the chemo ground him down. by january of 2011, nick said no more. no more chemo. >> i said medically i am through. i would rather have the time remaining left to feel better.

>> a story like this makes you wonder what would i do? how would i look at my life, where would i find my strength? what would i tell my daughters? >> i keep telling her i'm going to be in your heart and soul. what's a soul, daddy. a soul is something jesus gave us. it is the only way i could explain it, christ in our heart all the time. my heart is something that i'm going to be in a better -- in a place waiting for you, and i'm going to see everything you do. >> nick doesn't want regrets. not this time. >> this is the sweet one. >> oh. >> can i have another one? >> what would you do? >> i want to construct conditions. >> nick has a plan. >> want to buy a piano for my daughter. my goal is to see that first lesson when we move into the new house. >> next, nick goes back to the ring. you're watching nick charles, lessons from the fight.

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nick charles, former cnn sports anchor has never stopped fighting stage four bladder cancer. even after deciding to stop chemotherapy. for he and his wife of almost 14 years, cory, it means setting goals. one at a time. >> okay, nick, you must make it to your 65th birthday in june, you must make it to her kindergarten first day and beyond, and it might happen, may not. >> it is almost day to day, moment to moment, and it is really quite sustaining for me and invigorating. >> boxing used to be his bread and butter. >> does any of this get old? >> cancer kept him away from the ring for months at a time. in late march, hbo called. and nick was ready. all about heart.

>> to call another fight. what was that like, why was it so important. >> i think the feeling i have for fighters, that whole sub culture i love. >> great pleasure we welcome -- >> the feedback i got was tremendous. you were right, nick charles, i learned so much. you were at the top of your game. and i don't think they were being patronizing. i felt in my heart i was. >> we admire your courage and look forward to hearing from you again. >> likewise, bob. >> definitely, yes, in fighting you have to take pain to give it, and you have to fight back, and no matter what round it is, in boxing, unlike baseball, in the seventh inning if its 8-1, stadium empty, but in boxing you could hit a nine run homerun. i hope that will happen. >> still hoping. >> the eternal hope they say. >> why not. >> and nick does something more. something i learned from him.

he writes his hopes and dreams in a journal. he's done it since his daughter was born. >> i know it will take all of god's grace which is never in short supply to make me live longer. i want to for you and mommy so we can be a family in santa fe. if god takes me home, it will be forever. meanwhile, i'm not going anywhere today. >> so tough for nick to write, and tough to hear, but nick knows he at least had the chance to leave something behind. >> how do you feel when you read this? >> oh, they are so reinforcing to me. i know she's going to read them. i talked to people, they would long to hear their parent's voice or read something from them. i wish i could have gone to a school like this. want some help? >> no. >> you're so big now. i forgot.

you're 42 pounds. i see her run into school every day, so i know we're in the right place. i look around at this environment, keep in touch. i look at the teachers she's going to see in a year or two, i probably won't be there to walk her in. i just feel she's in good hands. >> ten months after being diagnosed with cancer. >> going to see my dar's room here. >> he and cory started doing something i found surprising. construction on their dream house. nick's goal, to live long enough to move his family and create some lasting memories. >> my daughter's room here is very vital to me. i thought about every little element, exactly where her bed is going to go, and the lights, her little desk and such and whatever here, created a window seat which will be covered so she can watch the world, read books, think about life. and you know, here is that soft spot going in here in the closet, there's nothing in here,

but there's that prom dress. >> hanging right there. >> yep. and it will be a great night, you know, and all. i think i'll be there in spirit. >> i couldn't help but think there is no play book on how to prepare your loved ones for life without you. nick charles has been seeing a therapist. they invited us to see what it is like for each of them. >> i feel like i'm grieving, but there's nothing physically to grieve about right now. >> that's what i'm hearing, too, is that you're really anticipating, but it's not only anticipating a future, but you already have a sense of a more glorious past that you just loved and a time when nick could be more the fullness of who he really is. >> i just refuse to grieve.

looking in these daily increments again, not beyond that. >> right. >> saying we're going to find some real goodness here and laughter and going to make our lives a little better for each other. you know, that extra hug is coming because i really love you. extra kiss. giovanna is going to sleep in bed with us because she wants to. i wake up, see her a little more, touch her skin, know her daddy is there. >> you are so treasuring every moment that you can, aren't you? >> absolutely. >> love you, mike. >> coming up, a visit from an old friend, mike tyson. ♪ hello sunshine, sweet as you can be ♪

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nick charles, former cnn sports anchor, he's in the fight of his life against cancer, stage four bladder cancer. >> owe, i might catch you. >> yeah. >> he is homing for the best, bracing his family for the worst. >> makes me wonder what do you tell your friends. >> oh, yes, mike tyson. in the late '80s. i think he was 20 years old at the time. he connected with me at the time, we still have a wonderful relationship, he's coming to visit. he just -- he remembers every story i ever told him. [ doorbell rings ] >> oh, love you, mike. look at that man. he is trying to get up here, he

will be okay. we have to grab up. smartest dog i ever had. >> i raulz that in a certain stage of life, life is a contradiction. things i did at 20 i would never do at 25. i want to do the rightdo. >> you're growing, i know you're trying to change and i know this disease has really changed things, it really has. it's made me gentler and made me know who my genuine friends are like mike tyson. >> let's look at things from a different perspective, and this is where it gets creepy or tricky with me, because i know, but i'm trying to reach in and i want to know the feeling, wow, when nothing really matters, where you don't have to be fake, you don't have to be nothing and doing this right here, but this is just done from a friendship perspective to show the world friendship and our relationship. something that they never would know that your close friends, do you know what i mean?

>> you're a lifelong friend. >> you know, thank you, my friend. i always wanted to be a friend to somebody. that's why i was always -- always -- >> always been that way, buddy. always has, always will. >> just to think that if i'm lucky, to live that long, that i'm going to have to endure that as well, man, at one stage of my life. >> you never know. >> it's wonderful to come here, i mean, to go through this with him, because i know what it's like to be alone when no one care for you and that's what happened sometimes. you need to be here with your nu nucleus, your wife and your children at times. we need some other influence, too, we need the world to live. things that made us the people we are. and sometimes we need a little bit of all of that to make us whole, you know? i need this to make me whole. i would feel like a piece of dog trash if i didn't have come here and see him eye to eye before he departed from us. how could i walk around with my head up, you know?

how could i tell my kids this guy's a friend of mine, this guy's a friend of mine, but he died. why didn't you go visit your friend, you know? >> the whole connection, i know how you feel. i just, you know, i was crying with you, so i know. >> i know, brother, i'm happy to go through this journey with you. >> thank you, kitten. my pleasure. my pleasure. brother. brother forever. >> look at us. look where we came from. >> i know, man. look where we're going. >> this is where we came from. >> we're hanging out in heaven, right? >> yeah, big time. where we came from, man. this is awesome. >> i love uf, mike. i mean, i don't care whether we were in tokyo or atlantic city or vegas or anything else. >> thanks, man. thanks, brother. love you, brother. now and forever, man. i know your heart. i know your heart.

thanks. nothing to feel sad about, man. >> i will call you as soon as i land, okay? >> you better. you better. give tiki our love, huh? thank you, mike. thank you. god bless you. in every way. in every way. hug those kids. >> i will. >> lessons from the fight. coming up, a surprise gift for his daughter and a happy ending. [ male announcer ] breathe, socket. just breathe. we know it's intimidating. instant torque. top speed of 100 miles an hour. that's one serious machine. but you can do this. any socket can. the volt only needs about a buck fifty worth of charge a day, and for longer trips, it can use gas. so get psyched. this is a big step up from the leafblower. chevrolet volt. the 2011 north american car of the year. 8% every 10 years.age 40, we can start losing muscle --

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♪ today it's moving day in the charles household. this might surprise you.

but a year ago, nick and cory finally decided to build their dream home. >> there's the views. there's the peaks. >> it's another lesson nick taught me. live in the present, but keep dreaming, imagining, the future. >> i thank the lord for this day and all my friends who, you know, all the love that they're showing and that i'm achieving this milestone of getting in this new house. thrilling. that's all i can tell you. >> during a hectic day of packing boxes, nick sneaks away to the new house for a delivery of a special surprise gift for his daughter. >> well, welcome home. how about that? wow. right here. between the window and here. i get up in the middle of the night and research these things, you know, it just keeps you going. i always need a project, and i

love to research things, and i was able, you know, that took probably 15 hours researching this piano, you know, and wanted to buy the very best one, at the very best price i could for my daughter. and, gosh, i nailed it. i just feel fabulous about it. i wanted to get this soft close for giovanna for sure, because, man, yeah, that's great. this is awesome. what do you think? straighten it out. straighten it out. go ahead. just play. ♪ >> when i went to see nick, i was looking for a lesson. or lessons. it turns out, it was more complicated.

maybe not always the same lesson for everyone. no matter how much love and support you have, you step into that ring alone. >> you know -- >> from what i can tell, nick is relaxed, even happy. he's at peace with whatever happens now. to some, that's hard to understand. and maybe even harder on his family, his friends. >> i'm exhilarated, looking out here. when i woke up this morning, i saw a different scene and everything i was hoping for and more, just absolutely elevated things. >> 16 hours of packing and moving, and just a tremendous, you know, effort. i mean, we've moved three times in two years and this was for me the hardest. and it's probably subconscious reasons but -- >> like what?