don't make this hard on yourself. you're like the criminal who gets away with murder and then starts sending the cops puzzles to start figuring it out. >> that is good stuff. "cnn sunday morning" will continue at the top of morning, but first sanjay gupta, m.d., begins now. hi, there. thanks for being with us. i'm speaking from los angeles. there's a new study out there. also, my triathlon. after a year of training, you'll finally see this big race. but first we're going to put something very important, cancer cures, under the microscope. this week m.d. anderson, it's the largest cancer center in the world made this startling

announceme announcement. they said we're finally in a position to eradicate several cancers. not some day, far off in the future but soon. that includes cancers like melanoma, prostate cancer, childhood leukemias, even the biggest killer, lung cancer. no question it's challenge. for one thing there are some who say we simile can't afford the staringing cost of new treatments and we've also heard big promises before to be sure, but this time they're telling us it's different. >> translate. >> roslyn is 23 years old. she was halfway through college last december when she noticed something strange in her left breast. >> smnlt wasn't right. i just felt like it was something not good. >> two doctors told her not to worry. but a biopsy revealed the truth. it was cancer. roslyn lives outside dallas, bu her father, an x-ray technician

insisted they drive six hours to houston add m.d. anderson. the first thing you notice when you get here, this place is big. instead, a whole city devoted to fighting cancer. hallways like highways here, and if you're walking, stick to the side. that's the part with the blue stripes. more than a hundred thousand patients every year, nearly 20,000 employees, more than a thousand clinical trials, all of it going on at once. and now m.d. anderson's president says we're at a turning point. >> we're in a position to make dramatic impact on cancer mortality in this decade. >> you're saying if we do everything right, five years from now there will be far fewer people dieing from cancer, right? >> correct. i think that with the existing knowledge and the application of what we now know, we can begin to see dramatic declines in mortality that would excacceler in years five through ten and beyond, set the stage for

ultimate control of the disease. >> he calls it the moon shots program. they're pouring in $3 billion over ten years at a time when national funding for cancer research is flat. he says that $3 billion will come in equal parts from private donors, research grants and hospital profits. ho do they save lives. you might think it's all about wonder drugs. what strikes me is the bigger promises involve things that are much more basic. >> when people talk about curing cancer and wrestling this disease to its knees, they really think in terms of having that magical cocktail for a patient with advanced disease. it's much more than that. >> take lung cancer. biggest ki and women and it's the first cancer on the list. >> if you catch stage i lung cancer, you're dealing with about a 20% more catality.

so just by shifting the stage, you have an opportunity to impact on 170,000 deaths per year. >> he's talking about screening. but screening does have a downside. false/positive test results leading to invasive procedures, even surgery for patients who turn out not to have cancer. recent study focuses though, that if you focus on current or heavy smokers, the findings are easier. >> you can make a huge impact. >> huge impact. >> or look at melanoma. >> when you sort of forecast now a if you'res into the future and this is a big moment as you're describing for m.d. anderson, is there a particular cancer where you think there's going be the greatest impact. >> the one i'm most excited about is melanoma. >> i got an exclusive look at some experimental therapies that in a handful of cases are

actually reversing a disease that even now is usually fatal once it sprenlds. it's vitally important science, but m.d. anderson says it will save even more lives through systematic screening and basic prevention like keeping kids out of the sun. >> we know from a pilot study in germany that a seven-year intensive screening for skin lesions led to a 50% mortality in melanoma. there's no drug that was that. >> also on the moon shot list, prostate cancer and two types of leukemia. there are growing medicines and the geens involved. also involved triple negative ovarian cancer and triple negative breftd cancer like roslyn's. they're aggressive but they're understanding of the genetics where they're at a standpoint where i that can make progress using the right treatments. >> i came back posite for one.

>> she's ford gnat the caught it early. after surgery and chemotherapy, the doctors say her cancer is gone. her goal is to become a pead ya trish yab. for now her future is helping patients i tell people i see a bright future ahead of me. i'm going back to school and act like this pretty enough never happened. >> this is big. it's as big as m.d. anderson itself. >> it's not just about studying. it's about doing. >> when i asked him isn't it too audacious to say we're going to find a cure for cancer, he reminded me, we put a man on the moon. >> we didn't know anything but it took mercury and apollo to get it done. next week we're going to take a closer look at cancer medicines which cost more than $30,000 for a single round of treatment. now, in some cases they prolong

life, but just by a few months. some patient, though, they mean real hope. the question a lot of people ask, who pays. but up next, heart health and omega-3 supplements. there's a controversial new study. i'm going to tell you what you need know to know. [ woman ] it's 32 minutes to go time,

and the candidate's speech is in pieces all over the district. the writer's desktop and the coordinator's phone are working on joke with local color. the secure cloud just received a revised intro from the strategist's tablet. and while i make my way into the venue, the candidate will be rehearsing off of his phone. [ candidate ] and thanks to every young face i see out there. [ woman ] his phone is one of his biggest supporters. [ female announcer ] with cisco at the center... working together has never worked so well. like a squirrel stashes nuts,

you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® liquid gels. nothing starts working faster than zyrtec® at relieving your allergy symptoms for 24 hours. zyrtec®. love the air. you know, a lot of people make a point of eating fish and other foods that are rush in omega-3 benefits. i take these supplements myself but there's a new study that says the heart benefits for most people just don't exists. this doctor is a board certified nutritionist specialist. you've been on our program a lot. this has got you up in arms. >> this really does. >> it says the supplements didn't pan out in terms of benefits. your immediate reaction. >> that is what the study said. this has really profound

implications for my practice and also in my opinion for the health of americans across the country, so i looked over this study with a fine-toothed comb and also looked at the 20 studies that this study looked at. there are interpretations that have been done that are incorrect. first of all, they were done on sick people. secondary prevention. so they had already already had a heart attack. many in the last dekid were on multiple cutting edge treatments or they had live-threatening dream. defibrillators to proo vent that from happening again. this is sick people. second of all, omega-3 is a supplement, they're not a drug. they're going to be less focused

but there are also fewer side effects. 've if there's a small risk in even the high-risk patients, or food. >> let's parse that out a little bit. first of all omega-3 fatty acids are supposed to do good. but to be clear, even if th're not sick, if they just make lot of bad lifestyle choices what can they reasonably expect out of taking omega-3s. >> that's a great point. again, they're a nutrient. they're part of the heart healthy equation. if you're eating fast food a drinking big bulk soda asnd pro-inflammatory foods, they're only going to do so much. they're not going to cure anything. neither are medications. drugs don't work in people with poor lifestyles. 97% of us are not doing the four

basic things, getting to a healthy weight, not smoking, exercising daily and eating fruits and vegetables. we're not even doing the basics. >> really quick, sup meants versus getting it in food. i looked at the studies. it's hard to get the good stuff out of food and put it into pill form as much as we'd like to think. is there a different here with the supments? how much benefit are you getting? >> i think for the most part in most cases, getting things from food are the best because they come with other complimentary knew trepts. again, we're looking at dietary patterns not individual nutrients. food is best but it's hard to get things from food all the time. some people don't like fish. i'm not crazy about salmon myself. it's a little bit more expensive. some are worried about con tam nents. supplements can fill the gap but food is always first. >> we have a list. not everyone likes these foods.

salmon, lake trout, a lot of the fish, sar deans, mackerel, tuna. and also flack seed, tofu 57b9d vitamins. >> up next, a woman who fell from the sky. she's helping other trauma survivors as well. stay with us. the power of aspirin plus more in a triple action formula to relieve your tough migraines. new bayer migraine formula. in a triple action formula to relieve your tough migraines. see lioutdoors, or in.ight. transitions® lenses automatically filter just the right amount of light. so you see everything the way it's meant to be seen. maybe even a little better. vsp members can save on all authentic transitions lenses, including our new transitions vantage and transitions xtractive lenses. experience life well lit. ask which transitions adaptive lens is best for you.

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four years ago laura sharp's life changed in an instant. she survived this horrific helicopter crash and now she works to rehabilitate other trauma survivors through art therapy. memorial day weekend, 2000le,

laura sharp and her stepdaughter are headed out of town on a 14-minute flight from long beach, california, to catalina island. >> there were four of us traveling with two other helicopter company's staff, and life changed. there was some mechanical failure, and we lost power. >> three of the six aboard died in the crash. an eyewitness appeared on cnn newsroom later that afternoon. >> it had all right crashed and burt into flames and i started running toward it because i could see people lying outside the helicopter. >> laura's stepdaughter badly injured herself, saw her unconscious mother and dragged her from the wreckage by her hair. >> i think this was one of those moments that the contrasting blond helped her to recognize and identify me. >> critical care specialist dr. andrea feinberg assumed

responsibility for laura's treatment. >> she had literally fallen out of the sky and every part of her body was either fractured or suffering in some way. i just wasn't really sure how she would survive everything. >> laura suffered burns over half her body, suffered severe brain tra marx severe damage to her eyes and face. collapsed lungs not to mention severe psychological trauma. >> it's really powerful, that four years it could still be that strong. >> for your the first time in years, laura is opening a time capsule she's kept sealed since the crash. inside the plastic container, her purse which she had with her when the helicopter went down. >> so i revisit this moment with the utmost respect to the lives that we lost. i am newly configured from head to toe. they did such a beautiful job putting me back together. i'm like humpty dumpty. it definitely took all the

king's horses and all the king's men, but there are still some, you know, remaining visuals, and i am delighted to still present myself as a woman and a fashion statement and to not hide my new beauty. this says faster than your guardian angel. >> today she is moving forward by expressing herself through art. >> this is called remembered, and the pieces that the art are from the helicopter crash in 2008. >> laura believes art therapy -- she found that artists through trauma, it's a nonprofit organization to help other trauma survivors heal. >> it's difficult for me to see

exactly when i made the clay, but can i feel it. >> laura feels she's found her life's purpose. >> to bring some joy to distract the survivor from their pain. bring them the love. >> if you want to learn more about the trauma or make a donation, progress on to artists for trauma.org. also, coming up, my adventure in malibu. the big race, the lucky seven, and i and we were all put to the test. hmm, it says here that cheerios helps lower cholesterol as part of a heart healthy diet. that's true. ...but you still have to go to the gym. ♪ the one and only, cheerios like a squirrel stashes nuts, you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® liquid gels. nothing starts working faster than zyrtec® at relieving your allergy symptoms for 24 hours. zyrtec®. love the air.

constipated? yeah. mm. some laxatives like dulcolax can cause cramps. but phillips' caplets don't. they have magnesium. for effective relief of occasional constipation. thanks. [ phillips' lady ] live the regular life. phillips'.

last december we put out a call to all viewers to join training for and racing for the nautical malibu triathlon. we called it the lucky seven,

and for all that work and anticipation it was finally time for the big race. ♪ ♪ >> sanjay. >> take your time. >> you got this, buddy.

you got this. >> feel like i'm a kid, man. >> what's up, girl? ♪ >> how was the bike? >> it was good. awesome. lost my chain about halfway, but other than that, no problem. >> my goal is to make it to the halfway point of the run. >> almost. almost. >> how you feeling, man? >> feeling good. >> awesome. it's awesome. it's great. >> right around the corner.

>> allison decker. >> whoa. >> i didn't stop. that was my goal. i didn't crash. >> one step at a time. that's all it takes. >> mobile the most difficult thing i've done since leaving the military. >> this is the new me, and i love you, brother. love you so much. god bless you guys. >> this is incredible. i would say -- i am just crazy enough to be looking forward to

the next one. >> we had one other member of the team that you dent see in the video. the astronaut sunny williams. she's currently on the international space station. she did that race right along with us. >> thanks very much, and congratulations on completion of the first triathlon in space. >> for her this is the swim. >> it simulates the muscle that is you would be using in the swimming portion of the triathlon. >> and then this, the bike. 18 miles. finally, the treadmill, four miles, same as we did, at the very same time we were running down on earth. >> it's probably just about 9:00 in malibu. i'm happy to be done. it wasn't easy, and i'm sure everybody is really excited to be done too. >> can you see she has race number 83 hanging there right next to her. that was actually my race number. what about her time? >> my watch says 1:48.43 for the three events and the transition. >> well, she was faster than i

was. i say no fair. down on the ground here we did have to deal with gravity. i have to say i'm just so proud of each and every one of our participants this year. stay tuned to learn how you can join me for next year's fit nation challenge. now time, though, for chasing life. carlos solis, one of our lucky seven triathletes reminds me that small changes are the key to changing life. type ii debeats, and when carlos started all this, he was significantly overweight. he was also taking several medications for diabetes. well, today carlos is 80 pounds lighter, and he is off nearly all of his medications. now, the pounds started melting off, but he did something pretty simple. carlos just slowed down while eating. you see, as a schoolteacher, he was used to eating food really questionabling and snacking all the time. well, now he just sits