each other. everybody live responsibly. and live freely. >> that sounds really good. but let me ask you about -- >> no, let me ask you about the real world. chris christie is the real world. >> chris christie is not the real world. chris christie is a fat nightmare. >> a fat nightmare, well, i look forward to watching that. "anderson cooper 360" stardz right now. i'm anderson cooper. welcome to special report, extraordinary people. >> and i'm robin meade. extraordinary may nbt eye of the beholder. to some it might mean someone athletic or talented. what about every day folks who simply have to be courageous in the circumstance they find themselves in? or selfless or inspirational?

looking back on this year 2013, who do you feel is truly extraordinary? >> that's what we're going to look at in the next hour. you're going to meet people who did extraordinary things. people like antioinette tough. in a year that mass gun shootings took place this schoolteacher changed the story. she had power of love. it played out for the world to hear on a 911 call. what is your emergency? >> yes, ma'am. i'm on second avenue in the school and a gentleman says the police officers are coming and he's going to start shooting. tell them to back off. >> do not let anybody in the building. including the police. do not let anybody in the

building including the police. >> get somewhere safe. >> he's going to see me. call me back. >> antioinette tuff was caught between a gunman and what could have been a violent tragedy, something she never could have expected when her alarm clock went off that morning. >> i woke up that morning was a normal day for me. >> a typical tuesday, going to work as a bookkeeper at discovery learning academy in suburban atlanta. except on this day, antioinette tuff was not working in her usual back office. >> we turned this entire event the miracle on second avenue. it started with a decision made on monday. >> a decision made by principal brian bolden. the unknowingly put antioinette tuff on the front lines that day. >> i said miss tuff i need you

to operate the front office. between the time of 12:00 and 1:00, that's our busiest time for checkouts for early dismissals for students. in her usual fashion, no problem, i'll be there. >> we were sitting there just going as a northerlial day. and the gunman came into the door fully armed and ready. >> what did you think whether you first saw him? >> that it was a joke. >> but it was no joke. she would soon learn that michael brandon hill had a history of mental problems. a locked security door should have kept him out. he reportedly made his way in by following a parent through the front door. >> did he say what he wanted? >> he just come to me to say it wasn't a game. he was off his medicine for several weeks. so he made it known that he came in that building to day to steal, kill, and destroy. >> he told you were going to die that day? >> that's that was going to be the end. >> and he showed he meant business when a cafeteria worker unexpectedly entered the office. >> he asked the cafeteria person

to go behind the count we are me. he didn't do. that he moved kind of slowly. it agitated him. and so for him to show authority, he fired the first shot to let him know he wasn't playing. >> hill wanted everyone to know he was ready to shoot anyone who got in his way. so he let the cafeteria worker go to alert the rest of the school. >> and so then it became just me and michael in the office again. i was terrified on the inside. i know that if i kept him there with me, it was a likelihood that no other one would get hurt. >> i called miss tuff. she said everything is fine. we are having a great day here. have a great day and hung up. i knew he was inside the building. >> police started hoeblizing, inside, hill forced antoiioinet

tuff to call 911. >> stop all movement on the ground. >> you are talking to the shooter? >> he's telling me to tell them on the radio. >> a call that would be her life line. he don't care if he die. he don't have nothing to live for. and he said he's not mentally stable. >> on the 911 call, do you sound remarkably calm. >> i was calm on the call, you i was terrified on the inside. i was literally screaming. i just seen him get agitated with the young man. i know if i got agitated, upset or anything, he was going to actually start shooting me, too. >> antioinette was a mediator between the police and gunman. >> you believe you were meant to be in that room at that time. >> most definitely. i truly believe that god prepared me for everything i went through just for that moment. >> the past year had been particularly hard for antioinette. experiences she used to connect with the gunman.

>> don't feel bad. my husband just left me after 33 years. >> i started feeling kind of sorry for him. >> you felt sorry for him. how? >> because i knew the pain. i had just had that same pain myself. my son was disabled, too. i can understand that pain of wanting to be heard and having mental issues and things like that. >> do you think he heard you on that? >> i think he started listening. and we startd connecting within that time. >> after about 15 minutes, tuff managed to calm hill down. >> if i whack out there with him, they won't shoot him or anything like that? he wants to give himself up? that's okay? they won't shoot him? >> yes, ma'am. >> he let her alert the school they could evacuate. all the students were able to escape. >> no injuries. all the kids are safe. all the employees are safe.

>> as helicopters and news crews captured the joy outside, antioinette was on the inside trying to save herself. >> you will be okay. i thought the same thing. you know, i tried to commit suicide last year after my husband left me. but look at me now. i'm still working and everything is okay. >> a remarkable moment that turned the whole thing around. >> she had the ability to touch his heart. once you touch a person's heart, touching the hand is easy. when she touched his heart, she was able to touch his hands and put the gun down at that point. she made him feel like he was a human. >> she has always been someone who can connect to an individual. >> her pastor and uncle says faith guided antioinette on that day. >> she studies, she praise, and she's trying to do what is written in scripture. >> it's going to be all right, sweetie. i just want you to know that i love you, okay?

i'm proud of you. that's a good thing you didn't give up. don't worry about it. we all go through something in life. >> after nearly 30 minutes, hill surrendered and was taken into custody. >> hello? >> this was the scariest day of my life. >> you did great. oh, jesus. >> you did great. >> whether i went fwook see all of the children were safe and everybody got out safe, i know it could have went a different way. >> feels good? >> very good. very good. no tragedy. so that was wonderful. >> how has your life changed? >> oh, wow. it's just open up so many amazing doors. and if i can go and share someone else and show someone else how to be prepared for that purpose in that moment, it is well worth everything that i went through. >> she'll share that experience in a book she's now writing. and at some point she expects to go back to work at the school. she listens to that now famous

911 call often. >> i listened to it this morning to realize whether god uses you, just how calm you can be. >> you've been called a hero. do you feel like a hero? >> i feel like god's vessel. i won't say that i am a hero or not a hero. i feel like i was just there ready and open arms to be able to be used. >> you will be okay. >> that 911 call that the world had an opportunity to witness, we get to witness that every day here in the building. it's that same compassion, the same concern for everyone in here. she loves to say sweetie. she loves to say babey. i mean that's how she is. and that's what she does. she makes people feel like they can do just about anything. >> you say it to me one more time. >> sweetie, it's going to be all right. >> thank you. >> i am like this.

my arms are around as many kids as i can reach. >> when we come back, you're going to learn about a teacher's split second decision that ended up protecting schoolchildren against this. ♪ ♪ so you can get out of your element. so you can explore a new frontier and a different discipline. get two times the points on travel and dining at restaurants from chase sapphire preferred.

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what split second decisions would you make if a twister was headed your way? madonna cobb was caught in a tornado outbreak that hit near oklahoma city late may. you're talking tornado alley where storms had already injured or killed 855 people in the previous 40 years. even though 25 people died in the moore, oklahoma storm, this

teacher's assistant may have saved lives with a risky decision. okay. tell me what i'm looking at right here. >> this is the beginning of the new briarwood. >> this is where you used to teach? >> correct. there is where the old briarwood was. >> this is where you were the day of the storm? >> this is where we were on may 20th. >> on may 20th, an assistant many briarwood's elementary's prek risked her own life to save her students. it was all as a tornado was pull variousizing their building. >> we were all saying, lord, please, please protect us. protects us. let us be okay. >> tornado warning until 4:30. >> most tornadoes hit this area in the evening. but this time the forecasters of the national weather service predicted that the storm will blow through earlier in the day,

in other words, when the classes were still in significance. what was different about this one? >> whenever we turned on the radio and we were listening, you do hear it in their voice. they were saying, you know, this one has a potential to be deadly. >> she and her husband steve had taken off work that afternoon to close on a new home. but that would have to wait. >> whether the alert came on, we said we're going to go to the school and get our girls. because we want them to be safe. >> out of the 32 schools and the town of moore, only two had fema approved safe areas. their three daughters were not in those buildings. they were at briarwood where their mom works. >> we got to the school and i saw my students. and the pre-k teacher and my substitute were there rubbing their back and singing songs to them. i don't know what came over me.

but just protection for them. and i told my husband, i said i can't leave. >> i guess it's fight or flight or whatever, you know how they talk about what your reaction is. i think mine was more flight than maybe fight. >> he kept coming and just going, you know, come on. and i just kept going, no. and he would go back out for a little while. he would be like, come on. i was like, no. >> she had more fight in her, you know, to feel that need to protect everybody. >> whether he came in and he said, get out here now, i knew -- my stomach dropped at that moment. just the look on his face and tone of his voice, i knew something was really, really wrong. and whether i came around that building and saw it, my heart just dropped. >> you actually saw the twister? >> oh, yes. >> what did you see? >> it was enormous. i could see big, huge pieces of debris flying in the air.

>> you could really? >> yes. it was -- i would say half a mile to a mile at the most away from us at that point. >> by then, they felt there was no time to get away. they bolted inside, they came to dallas ro classroom 202 which happened to be the classroom of their daughter erin. >> the tornado precaution is put your hands over your head and get down on hands and knees. >> so i'm a child. what are you doing? >> i am like this over the back of all of them. like i'm over her. and my arms are around as many kids that i can reach. >> so you're not safe at all? >> no. but that doesn't really cross my mind. at that point, i just wanted to put whatever i could between whatever was going to happen and those babies. >> so what did happen? >> at this point it's pitch black. there's no electricity.

and big, huge bangs. just bam. bam. which later we found out was cars and farm equipment. and then just a loud roar. >> a teacher in another class recorded this cell phone video. you can tell how frightened everybody is. yet, can you also hear the teachers trying to calm the youngsters. >> honey, it's okay. it's almost over. >> the darkness they were cowering in was suddenly washed in light. >> oh, my god. >> because the roof was gone. >> oh, my god. oh, my god. >> whether twhen the roof came off, i felt myself being pulled. and it wasn't long before the wall fell on me. >> the wall fell on you? >> yes. >> this is the wall that we're

talking about. it's made of cinder blocks, steel rebar and it is heavy. >> the wall that fell on me would have been too much for those kids. i can't even imagine what it would have done to their little bodies. >> does someone remove the wall? what happened? >> my husband who was right next to me, he looked over and all he could see was the back of my legs. and he could hear me screaming. it's crushing me. it's crushing me. >> it was like i got to get the wall off my wife. i just remember grabbing it. i just lifted as hard as i could. i thought she is going to die if i don't get that off her. >> my daughter was under me. my youngest. she was just screaming, mom, mom, mom, wake up. wake up. and i could see her. she seemed kind of translucent to me. i kind of thought i was dead. >> where is she? >> can you imagine afterward

outside how parents and teachers and the students were able to pick their way out of the rubble we were traumatized. >> she's out. >> okay. >> a local photographer took this picture of steve and la donna and two of hir daughters in shock right after the funnel cloud hit. ladonna was just starting to realize the extent of her injuries. >> i broke my cheekbone. so this side of my face is still numb. i had a gash in the back of my head to my skull. i had 16 staples. >> that probably scared the kids. >> my middle daughter was screaming. somebody help my mom. my mom is going to die. and i just kept telling her, i said i'm hurt but i'm okay. i'm alive. i'm here. >> amazingly, nobody died at briarwood elementary. but just one mile away at plaza towers elementary, seven children did die. >> i can't even imagine the amount that plaza towers lost.

and how hard that is for them. >> today both schools are being built with fema approved safe areas. >> now it's hope, i think, hope of what's to come. >> a good sign for the future. >> would you do anything different that day? >> you know, i wouldn't. i don't feel like i'm extraordinary. i feel like i did what anybody else would have done in my situation. >> wheth >> whether we come back, whether the second bomb went off, i went like this. i looked across. i said god protect me.

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on april 15th, three people died in more than 260 others were injured when the enthusiastic cheers of boston marathon spectators were silenced by the explosion of two bombs. it takes a certain kind of person to run the 26.2 mile course and on that spring afternoon it took the efforts of equally xrar people to come to the rescue. among them, a man named carlos

aradonda. >> when that bomb went off, you see the ball of fire, whatever it was was very bad. was very bad. >> on april 15th, carlos aradondo from costa rica became the picture of courage and compassion. he is one of the extraordinary people from all walks of life rushed in to save lives when they could have run for safety. >> no. people need my help. and i was hoping not to get in anybody's way and help in any way i could. >> in boston, it's patriot's day. but carlos was not just there to celebrate. >> i give away 400 american flags to the spectators. i was holding the last one in my hands when the bombs went off. >> for several years he's been publicizing the needs of military vets and suicide prevention. >> this is my beautiful son.

>> it is a deeply personal mission. >> we lost him in iraq. >> his son alex, a young marine, was deployed to iraq in 2004. seered into his memory is the moment he learned alex had been killed by a sniper. >> i feel my heart went down to the floor and rushed 100 miles an hour to my chest and it was a very, very hard time. and for his brother, especially. >> brian, the younger son, kneel a deep depression and drug addiction. he took his own life seven years later. >> brian never recoup rated from all the feemgs himself, losing his brother was the worst thing that could happen to him. >> this year's marathon included runners honoring veterans and

carlos wanted to support them. but suddenly, his mission changed. when the first bomb went off, we wasn't too sure about it. when the second bomb went off -- >> something just blew up. >> we pretty much figured out this was some kind of attack. i went like this. i did across and i just went where i just said got protect me and i went on there. >> with that innovation, he began removing the barriers on the sidewalk and moving across the street toward the victims. it was pure instinct. years earlier in costa rica he had been a volunteer firefighter. >> so i learn to be real quick. it helped me that day for me to realize that people was in trouble and i was there to help. >> the cornage reminded him of what his son alex faced in iraq. >> i know about the ieds.

and that was like happening right there. and the site was like a war zone. >> including the threat of a third bomb. >> that's his nature. >> carlos' wife saw him disappear into the crowd. she was worried but not surprised. >> it's his mom's fault. his mom instilled with him really good values. >> in all the carnage, one victim stood out to carlos. a young man about the age of the two sons he had lost. >> his leg was missing. completely ripped off from his side, you know? if we didn't get him to the hospital, his life was in danger by losing sooch blood. >> carlos asked a woman who had grabbed a wheelchair for help. and with another man, he applied a make shift turn i cut.

then they raced toward an ambulance. >> the piece of turnicut we used got stock in the wheel. that's when we stopped and ripped it apart and redo it again. i had my hands on the turnicut tight. in the ambulance, i asked him for his name. and he responded to me jeff bowman. >> carlos shaken met up with his wife waiting down the block. >> while he had blood all over him. he took one look at me and i looked at him and we both started crying and grabbed each other and hugging and kissing each other and he explained to me what had just happened. >> four days later, bloomberg news reported that jeff bowman described to the fbi a man who later became one of the two suspects. bowman saw minutes before the blast. >> he's the person who pretty much break the case on these two

criminals. >> six weeks after the bombing, carlos, once again, pushed jeff bowman's wheelchair. this time across fenway park to throw ceremonial first pitches for the red sox. >> this is a moment that we was healing together. but this is playing with the whole community. thousands of people right there, you no he, it was very beautiful. and very healing. >> since then, they appeared in other sporting events and fundraisers to hept victims with medical bills. >> say hello. >> along the way, carlos has become well known. >> you are a hero to all of us. >> thank you very much. >> they call him -- >> cowboy. great picture. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> god bless you. >> but cowboy shrugs it off.

he says the real heroes are the survivors. people with the courage of jeff bowman. >> very beautiful young man, you know? and he was already been an inspiration for myself and many other people, you know, willing to live. god works in strange ways, you know? and this kid is a survivor. >> jeff bowman and carlos are now good friends. and each in his own way boston strong. >> coming up, a terrifying chase and a beating. >> when they took a pulse, they wept like this. >> and the brave new yorker who couldn't turn away. what made you decide not to keep on walking? it's not the "juggle a bunch of rotating categories" card. it's not the "sign up for rewards each quarter" card.

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welcome back to "extraordinary people." in any city can you see so much chaos and people might pause to watch and then walk on because they don't want to be involved or are afraid. >> just keep on moving. but one new york city resident couldn't look away. this past september a man bravely stepped between a badly beaten suv driver and angry

motor cyclists attacking him. he is a regular neighborhood dwi, father of ten. he managed to diffuse the violence risking his own life to save others. >> i just come here to the bicycle shop and say hello to the owner. >> it was an ordinary sunday. >> i was on my way to church. >> it turned into one of the most dangerous days of his life. >> there were a lot of motorcycles coming. they were all over the place. people screaming. people rushing. and then pulling out the man, hitting the man, seeing the blow and the blood from his face. >> a terrible chase that landed right in front of sergio. and a split second decision that may have changed the fate of the driver. >> he saved his life. >> he has known sergio for nearly 30 years. >> he's that type of guy. he can see somebody, you know,

being hurt and just stand there and not do anything about it. >> what made you decide not to keep on walking? >> i saw a family there. >> i saw a family that needed help. >> do you think about that day a lot still? >> yes, every day. >> it was a picture perfect day if washington heights, working class neighborhood in upper manhattan. sergio strolled to church, a group of motor cyclists was a few miles away on the highway and broke off from hundreds of other bikers during a mass ride aren't city. as the biker headed north, his wife and their 2-year-old daughter were ahead of them in their black range rover. sunday drive turned into mayhem when one of the motor cyclists slowed down in front of the suv. bikers helmet camera recorded what happened. it's not clear what took place

before the camera started to roll. we see a biker slowing down right in front of the range rover. he clipped the biker who was slightly injured. other bikers swarmed the suv pounding the car and slashing the tires. then lean who said he feared for his life sped off, plowing into a biker, critically injuring him. the bikers chased the suv in hot pursuit. one tried to open the car door. lean peeled off again but then exited off the high wachlt his car came to a halt on sergio's block. >> that's when everything happened right here. the person that i saw was a jeep and the motorcycle following, they kept coming and coming. and, wow. what the hell is going on here? >> things only got worse when lien came to a final stop.

>> the jeep couldn't go on. there were too many traffic waiting for the red light. >> the bikers used helmets to bash his suv and ripped him out of his vehicle, dragged him to the ground and as his terrified wife and daughter watched, began to beat him. >> i looked to my left side and i saw the man down on the floor bleeding. getting hit, you know, many times. >> while he was down on the floor still getting hit? >> yes. >> he may have got killed that day. he might have got killed. >> i just tried to do it peacefully. i kept my cool. >> you know in, new york city, often people pause for a little bit to watch something and then just keep on walking. >> i felt that it was my part in life to help this family. i say to myself, oh, god, stay with me and this man. i got to step in.

i cannot let this happen. >> sergio says he made his move when he saw the driver's wife could be next. >> you felt they were going to drag her out as well? >> yeah, he was doing that. he was dragging the lady out of the car. and that's when we saw the baby in her arms. >> when they took her, you know, they went like this. that's when i step in. i said that's it, guys. let her go. i just kept saying the same thing. i said let her go! >> sergio says he tried to shield the driver and his wife staring down the bikers face-to-face. >> i just want to let them know that i was there to protect the lady and the guy on the floor. and that i wasn't going to let go. you know? i was going to be there until they leave. i looked at them in their faces and they decided to let her go.

>> you were surprised. >> i was surprised. i said, wow. they looked at me and they kept their distance. >> the bikers backed off and help finally arrived. lien survived burt badly injured. police use videos to track down and arrest at least ten motor cyclists and later arrested an undercover police officer accusing him taking part in the suv smashup. >> was there a moment where you thought, wow, wait a minute, i'm in the middle of something here? this could go badly very easily? >> yes. but after a little while, that's it. i felt like something came over me. and i felt real strong and confident that i could manage the whole situation. >> sergio had a secret weapon just in case. years of experience boxing and doing karate. >> i don't like to tell people that i'm a black belt. >> you're a black belt? >> yeah. it's there. it's always there. the knowledge. >> he's a strong guy.

let's just say that. he gets things done. >> already a well known resident, sergio became a local hero. >> people started calling my family. the media. i say what i done? i thought i did something bad. >> you have ten kids, right? >> yes. >> did you tell your kids what you had done? >> yes. i explained to them and my wife. i explained it to her. and she said you were crazy. you're crazy. how you involved in that thing? you could have got killed. >> you could have. >> i said, i had to do it. i had to do it. >> today sergio says he feels like a different man, a bit humbled after all the attention but certain he would step in again to help someone else. >> do you regret it at all?

>> no. no. >> would you do it again? >> that similar situation, yes. >> you would advise somebody to do what you did? >> if they have the power. if they have the opportunity to, you know, to do it, to intervene or do something for a family in crisis, i think it's a good thing to do. >> up net, a minnesota teen was dying from cancer -- but his hit song inspired millions. >> i thought it was probably one of the most important songs that i ever heard. so you can see like right here i can just... you know, check my policy here, add a car, ah speak to customer service, check on a claim...you know, all with the ah, tap of my geico app. oh, that's so cool. well, i would disagree with you but, ah, that would make me a liar. no dude, you're on the jumbotron!

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by all accounts zach sobiac was dealt a horrible hand, diagnosed with kabser at the age of 1467. spent more time at the hospital than at school. he found peace and purpose in suffering in music. i shared that muse wick the world. as you will see, he made an extraordinary impact in a way that he probably never dreamed possible. music, sports, family, the things most important to zach sobiac. >> zach loved sports. from a very young age. he tried all different kinds of

sports. football, basketball. >> in august of 2009, 14-year-old zach sobiac went for a run that stopped him in his tracks. >> when came back, he said mom, my hip hurts. i took him to the doctor. we had an x-ray done. >> you would initially thing that is a mus cue ar lar thing much we went to physical therapy for two months. it got worst. >> two months? >> yeah. it got worse. it got to the point where he couldn't bend over and tie his shoes anymore. the physical therapist said this isn't working. you need an mri. >> that's when doctors discovered a tumor. his pain was caused by a rare form of bone cancer. >> only approximately 500 dhirn and young adults are diagnosed every year in the united states with aust yoe sarcoma. >> despite the shatteringing diagnosis and sickening rounds of chemotherapy, zach remained folk used and hopeful. >> he was determined that he was

still going to do the things he wanted to do despite his cancer. >> we had a lot of hope. there were a lot of treatments that could have worked. >> but tragically for zach, they didn't. >> whether we went on our trip to europe, i noticed that he was limping. we got home from europe and they did a scan and we found out that his pelvis was -- the whole left side of his pelvis was involved, cancer was everywhere. >> doctors delivered the news. he would have just months to live. >> so we had to talk through that. how do you do this? how do you live while you're dying? >> zach turned to his guitar for answers. last fall laura was tidying up the house when she stumbled upon a piece of paper that struck a chord. >> i came across this folded piece of paper and unfolded it

and it said clouds on top. he walked in the doorment i said did you -- did you write this? he said, yeah. i did. i said did you -- do you have music for it? is this his phone? >> this is his phone, yeah. he pulled his phone out of his pocket and he said i recorded it. here, you want to listen to it? i'm like, yeah, of course i do. ♪ >> i think it's a gret song. i'm his mom. so, of course, i'm going to think it's a great song. >> laura sent zach's song to the local radio station. >> this song that was so personal and so poignant and i felt like it was this amazing message that needed to be shared. >> within days, the station's general manager assembled a team of accomplished local musician

who's donated their time and their expertise and helped zach record "clouds" and even produce his very own music video. ♪ go up, up, up, up ♪ i'll fly a little higher go up in the clouds because the view is a little nicer ♪ >> we launched it on youtube and then things went crazy. i think we were on our way to two million by christmas. it went crazy. ♪ maybe some day i'll see you again ♪ ♪ we'll meet up in the clouds and we'll never see the end ♪ >> i think what started out as a really personal message became a message that everyone can relate to because who doesn't want to live life to the fullest? >> but zach's cancer was spreading. his time was running out, yet, there was so much more that he wanted to do. >> it was very important to zach

that anyone affected with this disease wouldn't go through what he went through. that became more important to him when he found out he was terminal. he said all right, let's do something to help. >> so zach created a fund to find new treatments for osteosarcoma and hopefully a cure. >> 100% of the money raised will go to a research team at the university of minnesota where zach was treated. >> next on zach's list, a documentary about his final days. >> we wanted to build awareness. we wanted to direct people to the funds. so that is what dined of led us to do it. >> okay, everyone come down stairs. >> the producers enlisted the helps of zach's favorite stars like jason moraz and they created a surprise tribute video for zach. >> thank you, zach. you wrote a great song, dude. >> when i heard "clouds" for the first time, yeah, i thought it was probably one of the most

important songs that i had ever hurt. ♪ you will go up, up, up and i'll fly, fly, fly ♪ >> rarely do you come across a song that is written with such purpose or written for something so purposeful. >> zach's purpose was to leave a powerful message behind as he told cnn's reporters last year. >> you want to leave a melody behind? >> yeah. it's kind of me always being there for them. like, if they keep singing that song throughout their whole life, i'll be right next to them the whole way. >> zach sobiac died in may shortly after his 18th birthday. 1200 people gathered for his funeral and together they sang "clouds." >> i know he was there. he was grinning ear to ear. it was beautiful.

♪ go up in the clouds because the view ♪ >> days after his passing, "clouds" hit number one on itunes. the online documentary went viral as well. 11 million youtube hits and still counting. >> and that's when i could see this isn't just about a kid with cancer who has a nice song. this is something much bigger. >> zach lives now as an inspiration and a constant reminder to the power of music. >> the power to heal. and the power to help. >> i really think that with the substantial gift that zach gave us through his music we will be able to change the outcome for patients with osteosarcoma. >> whether you come in here, what does it do for you to be in his room? >> like a cluster. >> do you still feel him here?

>> yeah. >> today, seven months after zach's death, laura struggles with the loss of her son. what do you hope zach, his lasting legacy means to all of us? >> that joy and suffering can go hand in hand. he chose to be happy. he chose that. and he fought for it every day. ♪ maybe some day i'll see you again ♪ ♪ we'll float off in the clouds and we'll never see the end ♪ there's a saying around here, you stand behind what you say. around here you don't make excuses. you make commitments. and when you can't live up to them, you own up, and make it right. some people think the kind of accountability that thrives on so many streets in this country

has gone missing in the places where it's needed most. but i know you'll still find it when you know where to look.

welcome back. when you meet these people and you hear their stories, it's humbling and just in credibly inspiring. >> don't you always go i wonder what i would do in the same situation. i always doubt i could do what i've done. you know, a common thread that we heard though is that they feel they were in those situations for a reason. whether they thought god was testing them or put them there or some kind of a higher power. they believe they were meant to be there and meant to do these things. >> yeah. >> and, you know, the other thing they share is that they don't consider themselves heroes, just human beings, just

ordinary people. wanting to help others. it certainly makes you wonder how you would react if you were in their shoes. thanks for watching. i'm anderson cooper. sfw and i'm robin meade. thank you so much for joining us. it is 11:00 in the east. do you know where your news is? i'm don lemon. this is the 11th hour. what you'll be talking about tomorrow on a night when everybody is talking about the outrage over duck dynasty, we're reminded that words have power. it's not just words from reality tv stars, it's also words from teenagers. in person and online. this is not just kids being kids this is the kind of thing that one heart broken mother says caused her 12-year-old daughter to kill herself but was bullying actually to blame? and do you know what your kids are doing and what they're doing