on behalf of everyone at "ac360" and cnn, we wish you all of the best and none of the worst in 2014. \s to some it might mean someone who is fantastically athletic or uber talented. what about simple folks who have to be courageous or self-less or inspirational? looking back on this year 2013, who do you feel was truly extraordinary? >> that's what we're going to look at in the next hour. you'll meet every day people who did extraordinary things, people like antoinette tuff. this bookkeeper at a suburban atlanta school changed the

story. she had her own weapons which were unshakable faith and the power of love. it all played out for the world to hear on a 911 call. >> what's your emergency? >> yes, ma'am. i'm on second avenue in the school and a gentleman said tell them to hold down, the police officers are coming. he said he's going to start shooting. tell them to back off. >> do not let anybody in the building. including no police. do not let anybody in the building, including the police. >> can you get somewhere safe? >> he's going to see me running

and he coming back. >> something she never could have expected when her alarm clock went off that morning. >> when i woke up that morning it was a normal day for me. >> a typical tuesday going to work as a bookkeeper at ronald e. mcnair discovery learning academy in suburban atlanta. except on this day, antoinette tuff was not working in her usual back office. >> we term this entire event the miracle on second avenue. it started with a decision that was made on monday. >> a decision made by principal brian bolding. he unknowingly put antoinette tuff on the front lines. >> i said i need you to operate in the front office. between the time of 12:00 and 1:00 that's our busiest time for checkouts for earliest dismissals for students. >> the gunman came into the door, fully armed and ready. >> what do you think when 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 but he reportedly made his way in by following a parent through the front door. >> did he say what he wanted? >> he just continued to say that it wasn't a game, that he had been off his medicine for several weeks. he made it known that he came in that building today to kill and destroy. >> he told you you were going to die. >> he told us all we were going to die that day, that was going to be the end. >> he showed he meant business when a cafeteria worker entered the office. >> he asked the cafeteria worker to go behind the counter with me and he didn't do that. for him to show authority he fired the first shot to let him know he was not 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 but i know if i kept him there with me, it was a likelihood that no other one would actually get hurt. >> i called miss tuff and i said, miss tuff, tell me what's going on. she said everything was fine, we're having a wonderful day. i knew the threat was in the building. >> as police started mobilizing inside the scho-- outside the s miss tuff -- >> stop all movement on the ground. >> are you talking to the shooter. >> that's what he's telling me to tell him on the radio. >> a call that would be her life line. he said he don't care if he die, he don't have nothing to live for. he said he's not mentally

stable. >> on the 911 call you do sound remarkably calm. >> i was calm on the call but i was terrified on the inside. i mean, i was literally screaming because i just seen him get agitated with the young man. i know if i got agitated, upset or anything he would actually start shooting me, too. >> antoinette was now a mediator between the police and the gunman. >> you believe you were meant to be in that room at that time? >> most definitely. i truly believe god prepared me for everything that i went through, just for that moment. >> the past year had been particularly hard for antoinette, experiences she used to connect with the gunman. >> don't feel bad, baby, my husband just left me after 33 years. >> i started feeling 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 multiple disabled, too. i can understand that pain of

wanting to be heard and having mental issues and stuff like that. >> do you think he heard you on that? >> i think he started listening and we started connecting with that time. >> after about 15 minutes, tuff managed to calm hill down. >> if i walk out there with him, they -- so they won't shoot him or anything like that? he wants to give himself up and they won't shoot him? >> yes, ma'am. >> he let her alert the school that 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, antoinette was on the inside trying to save herself. >> you're gonna 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 many believe turned the whole thing around. >> she had the ability to touch his heart. and once you touch a person's heart, touching their hand is easy. when she touched his hard she was able to touch his hands and put the gun down at that point that he was carrying. she made him feel like he was a human. >> she's always been someone who can connect to an individual. >> her pastor, says faith guided antoinette on that day. >> she studies, she prays and she's tried to do what is written in scripture. >> it's going to be all right, sweetie. i want you to know, i love you, though, i'm proud of you. that's a good thing that you've given up. don't worry about it. we all go through something in life. >> after a nearly 30-minute standoff, hill surrendered and was taken into custody. >> hello. >> yes. >> i'm gonna tell you something, baby, i ain't never been so

scared in all the days of my life. >> you did great. you did great. >> oh, jesus. >> when i went back to 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 opened up so many amazing doors. if i can go and show someone else how to be prepared for their purpose and their moment, it's well worth everything 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 when god uses you, just how calm you can be. >> you've been called a hero. >> yes. >> do you feel like a hero? >> um, i feel like god's vessel.

i won't say that i am a hero or not a hero. i felt luke i was there, ready and open arms to be able to be used. >> you're going to 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 baby. that's how she is and that's what she does and she makes people feel like they can do just about anything. >> can you say it to me one more time. >> sweetie, it's gonna 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'll learn about a teacher's split second decision that ended up protecting school children against this. ncial futures. to help communities

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ugh! how is my account overdrawn? announcer: when it comes to financial stability, don't get left behind. get tools and tips for saving at feedthepig.org. what split second decisions would you make if a twister was headed your way? ladonna cobb was caught in the twister that hit oklahoma in late may. you're talking about storms that had already injured or killed 855 people in the previous 40 years. now even though 25 people died in the moore, oklahoma storm, this teacher's assistant may have saved lives with a risky decision. okay, so 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, this is where the

old briarwood was. >> this is where you were during the storm? >> this is where we were may 20th. >> on may 20th, ladonna cobb, an assistant in briar wowood elementary's pre-k, risked her life to save students, all while the tornado was tearing up her building. >> all of us were saying lord, please, please protect us, let us be okay. >> tornado warning until 4:30. >> most tornadoes hit this area in the evening. >> moving toward moore. >> but this time the forecasters at the national weather service predicted that the storm will blow through earlier in the day. in other words, when the classes were still in session. >> 35 right now, in moore. >> what was different about this one? >> whenever we turned on the radio and we were listening, you can hear it in their voice. they were saying, you know, this

one has the potential to be deadly. >> ladonna and her husband, steve, had taken off work that afternoon to close on a new home. but that would have to wait. >> when 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 in 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. and 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 is fight or flight, whatever, you know how they talk about what your reaction was. and 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, you know, he would be out for a moment, and say come on, and i would go, no. >> she had more fight in her to feel that need to protect everybody. >> when he came in and said, get out here now, i knew, my stomach kind of dropped at that moment, just the look on his face, the tone of his voice, i knew something was really, really wrong. and when 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. >> could you really? >> yes. it was -- you know, 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. ladonna and steve bolted inside they came to classroom 202, which just happened to be the classroom of their daughter,

erin, in the first grade. >> the tornado precaution was to put your hands over your head, and get down on your hands and knees. >> so i'm a child, what are you doing for your daughter? >> i'm like this, over the back of all of them. 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. >> oh, my gosh. >> and farm equipment. and then you -- just a loud undescribable roar.

>> a teacher in another class reported this cell phone video. and you can tell how frightened everybody is. yet you can also hear the teachers trying to calm the youngsters. >> my knees hurt really bad. >> honey, it's okay. it's almost over. >> the darkness they were cowering was suddenly washed in light. because the roof was gone. >> oh, my god. oh, my god! >> when the roof came off, i felt myself being pulled. and it was not very long before the wall fell on top of me. >> oh, my gosh, the wall fell on you? >> yes. >> this is the wall that we're talking about. it is made of cinder blocks and has 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. >> did someone remove the wall?

what happened? >> my husband, who was right next to me, looked over, he could see the back of my legs, he could hear me screaming it is crushing me, it is crushing me. >> i was like i got to get the wall off my wife. i just remember grabbing it as hard as i could to get it off my wife. because i was like she is going to die if i don't get that off of her. >> my daughter was one of the kids underneath me, my youngest, she was just screaming, mom, mom, mom, wake up! i could see her. she seemed translucent to me. i kind of thought i was dead. >> you can imagine outside how parents and teachers and the students who were able to pick their way out of the rubble were traumatized. >> she's out? she's out? okay. >> a local photographer took this picture of steve and ladonna and two of their

daughters in shock after the funnel hit. ladonna was trying to learn the extent of the injuries. >> i broke my cheek bone, this side of my face is still numb. i had a gash in my head, i had 16 staples. >> oh, that probably scared the kids too, didn't it? >> my middle daughter was screaming, somebody help my mom, my mom's going to die. i just kept saying i'm hurt, baby, but i'm alive. i'll be okay. i'm here. >> amazingly, nobody died at briarwood elementary. but just a 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, says ladonna cobb. >> 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. when we come back -- >> when the second boom went off, i went like this. i did the cross and i just said, god protect me. and i went on there. >> the story behind the man they call cowboy.

on april 15th, three people died and more than 260 others were injured when the enthusiastic cheers of the 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 after nonoon took extraordinary people to come to the rescue. one man's name was carlos adondo. >> when the bomb went off, you see the ball of fire whatever it was, it was very bad, very bad. >> on april 15th, carlos arredondo, an immigrant from costa rico, became the picture of courage and compassion.

he was one of the extraordinary people from all walks of life who rushed in to save lives when they could have run for safety. >> no, there were people who need my help. i was hoping not to get in anybody's way and help in any way i could. >> 27,000 strong. >> in boston, it is patriot's day. but carlos was not there just 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 has been publ sidesing the need for military vets and suicide prevention. it is a deeply personal mission. >> this is my son, we lost him in iraq. >> his son, alex, was deployed to iraq in 2004. seared into carlos's memory is the moment he learned alex had been killed by a sniper.

>> i felt my heart went down to the floor and rushed 100 miles an hour to my chest. and it was a very, very hard time for his brian, especially. >> brian, the younger son, fell into a deep depression, and drug addiction. he took his own life several years later. >> brian never recuperated from all of these feelings himself. losing his brother was the worst thing that could happen to him. >> the stream keeps coming. >> this year's marathon included runners who were 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 that this was some kind of attack.

i went like this. i did the cross, and i just went with -- i just said, god, protect me and i went on there. >> with that invocation, carlos began to move the barriers across the sidewalk and went to help the victims. it was pure instinct. years earlier in costa rica, he had been a volunteer firefighter. >> so i learned 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 carnage reminded him of what his son, alex, had faced in iraq. >> i know about the ieds, and that was sort of happening right there on the sidewalk. it was like a war zone. >> including the threat of a third bomb. >> that's his nature. >> carlos's wife, melita, saw him disappear into the crowd. she was worried but not surprised.

>> that was his mom's fault. his mom instilled with him some really good values. >> get them back. get them back. >> in all the carnage, one victim stood out to carlos. a young man about the age of the two sons he had lost. >> part of his leg was missing. completely ripped off from his sides, you know. if we didn't get him to the hospital, his life was in danger by missing so much blood. >> carlos asked a woman who had grabbed a wheelchair for help. and with another man, he applied a makeshift tourniquet. then as quickly as possible they raced toward an ambulance. >> the piece of tourniquet that we use got stuck in the wheel and that's when we stopped and we ripped it apart and redo it again. i had my hands on the tourniquet, tightening up the

bleeding. in the ambulance i asked him for his name. he responded to me. jeff ballman. >> carlos, shaken, met up with his wife waiting down the block. >> well, he had blood all over him. he took one look at me and i looked at him and we both started to cry and grabbed each other, hugging and kissing each other and he explained to me what had just happened. >> four days later, bloomberg news reported that jeff described to the fbi the man he saw minutes before the blast. >> he is the person who pretty much broke the case on these two criminals. >> six weeks after the bombing, carlos once again pushed jeff baughman's wheelchair. this time, across fenway park,

to throw ceremonial first pitches for the red sox. >> this is a moment that we were healing together. participating with the whole community, thousands of people right there, you know. it was very beautiful and very healing. >> since then, they have appeared at other sporting events and fundraisers to help the victims with medical bills. along the way, carlos has become well known. >> you're a hero to all of us. >> thank you very much. >> they call him -- >> cowboy. >> great picture. >> thank you so much. >> god bless you. >> and god bless you. >> but cowboy shrugs it off, saying the real heroes are the survivors, people with the courage of jeff bauman. >> a very beautiful young man, you know, he was already an inspiration for myself and many other people, you know, willing to live.

god works in strange ways, you know. and this kid is really quite a survivor. >> jeff baughman and carlos arredondo 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 went like this. >> and the brave new yorker who couldn't turn away. what made you decide not to keep on walking? ♪ ♪

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welcome back to extraordinary people. you know, in any city you can see so much chaos, and people may 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 could not look away. this past september, a man named sergio consuego, who is a regular neighborhood guy, father of ten, managed to diffuse the violence, risking his life to save others. >> i usually come here to go

to the bicycle shop, 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 was 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 blood lifting 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. >> this man has known sergio for nearly 30 years. >> he is that type of guy. he can't see somebody 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 that this family needed help. >> do you think about that day a lot still? >> yes. every day.

>> every day? >> yes. >> it was a picture perfect day in washington heights, working class neighborhood in upper manhattan. while sergio strolled to church, a group of motorcyclists who were just a few miles away on new york's west side highway. they had broken off from hundreds of other bikers during a mass ride in the city. as the bikers headed north. alexi lien, his wife and daughter were ahead of them in their black range rover. the sunday drive turned into a problem when one of the drivers allegedly slowed down in front of the suv. the biker's 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 lein. we saw a biker, the biker was clipped, slightly injured. other bikers swarmed the suv, pounding the car and authorities say slashing the tires. then lien, 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. lien peeled off again but then exited off the highway. his car came to a halt on sergio's block. >> that's where everything happened, right here. the first thing i saw was the jeep. and the motorcycle following. they kept coming and coming, and wow. i didn't -- what the hell is going on here? >> things only got worse when lien came to a final stop. >> the jeep couldn't go on because there were too many traffic here waiting for the red light. >> the bikers used helmets to bash the suv, ripped lien out of the vehicle, dragged him to the ground, and as his terrified wife and

daughter watched, began to beat him. >> i looked to the left side and saw the man down on the floor bleeding. and getting hit, you know, many times. >> while he was down in the floor he was still getting hit? >> yes. he might 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. in this one -- 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 went like this, that's when i step in, when they took a pause. i said that's it, guys, let her go. i kept saying the same thing, that's it, guys, let her go. >> sergio says he tried to shield the driver and his wife, staring down the bikers face to face. >> i just wanted to let them know that i was there to protect the lady, and the guy in the floor. and that i wasn't gonna let go, you know? that i was going to be there until they leave. i looked at them, straight 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 but was badly injured. police used videos to track down and arrest at least ten

motorcyclist and later arrested an off-duty undercover police officer, accusing him of taking part in the suv smashup. was there a moment where you said, wait, i'm in the middle of something here, this could go bad very easily. >> yes, but after a little while 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? >> yes. 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, oh, the police, the media.

i said -- well, 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 ex-wife, i explained it to her. and she said, oh, wow, what you did? you was crazy. >> they said you were crazy? >> you were crazy, how the hell you got 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 certainly 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. >> would you advise somebody to do what you did? >> if they have the power. if they have the opportunity to do it.

to do something for a family in crisis, i think it's a good thing to do. up next, 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 had ever heard. ♪ ng. fedex one rate. really makes my life easier. maybe a promotion is in order. good news. i got a new title. and a raise? management couldn't make that happen. [ male announcer ] introducing fedex one rate. simple, flat rate shipping with the reliability of fedex. hi boys! i've made you campbell's chunky new england clam chowder.

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by all accounts, zach sobiak was dealt a horrible hand, diagnosed with cancer at the age of 14, spending more time at the hospital than he did at high school, but through his passion for music, zach found peace and purpose in his suffering. he shared that music with the world, and 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 sobiak. >> 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 sobiak went for a run that stopped him in his tracks. >> when he came back, he said mom, my hip hurts.

>> i took him to the doctor, we had tests done. >> you initially think oh, it is a muscular thing. >> exactly, we went to therapy for two months and it got worse. it got to the point where he couldn't bend over and tie his shoes anymore, it was that bad. finally, the physical therapist said, this isn't working. you need an mri. >> that's when doctors discovered a tumor in zach's left hip. his mysterious pain was caused by a rare form of bone cancer. >> only approximately 500 children and young adults are diagnosed every year in the united states with osteosarcoma. >> despite the shattering diagnosis and the sickening rounds of chemotherapy, zach remain focused and hopeful. >> he was determined he was 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. >> when we went on our trip to europe, i noticed that he was

limping. we got home from europe. they did a p.e.t. scan and we found out that his pelvis was involved, the whole left side of his pelvis was involved, cancer was everywhere. >> doctors delivered the news he had just months to live. >> 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 a cross of paper and unfolded it. it said clouds on top. he walked in the door and i said, did you write this? he said, yes, i did. i said, do you have music for it. >> is this his phone? >> yes. this is his phone. he pulled his phone out of his

pocket and recorded it. do you want to listen to it? i said, yes, of course i do. ♪ ♪ i fell down down down ♪ there's no one there anymore >> i think it's a great song. i'm his mom, of course i'm going to think it's a great song. >> laura sent the song to the local radio station. >> it's this song that was so personal and so poignant. 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 musicians who donated their time and expertise and helped zach record "clouds" and produce his very own music video. ♪ we'll go up up up up but i'll fly a little higher ♪ ♪ go up in the clouds because

the view's a little nicer ♪ >> we launched it on youtube. >> then things went crazy. we were on our way to 2 million by christmas and it went crazy. ♪ maybe someday i'll see you again ♪ ♪ we'll float up in the clouds ♪ and we'll never see the end >> i think what started out as a 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 by osteosarcoma wouldn't go through what he went there. >> that became more important to him when he found out he was terminal. it's like, all right, let's do something. something to help. >> zach created a fund to find 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 fund. so that is what kind of led us to do it. >> sobiech family, everyone come downstairs. >> the producers enlisted some of zach's favorite stars like grammy winning singer jason mraz. they created a tribute video for zach. >> thank you, zach. >> when i heard "clouds" for the first time, i felt it was probably one of the most important songs i heard. ♪ i'll go up up up up >> rarely do you come across

asong that is written with such purpose or written for something so purposeful. >> his purpose was to leave a powerful message behind. >> you want a leave a melody behind? >> yeah. it's kind of me always been 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 sobiech died in may shortly after his 18th birthday. 1,200 people gathered for his funeral and together, they sang "clouds." ♪ we'll go up up up up >> i know he was there and he was grinning ear to ear because it was beautiful. ♪ go up in the clouds because the view ♪ >> days after his passing, "clouds" hit number one on itunes and on billboard's rock chart. the online documentary went viral as well. over 11 million youtube hits and still counting.

>> and that's when i could see this isn't just about a kid with cancer who's got a nice song, this is something much bigger. >> zach lives now as an inspiration and a 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. >> when you come in here, what does it do for you, to be in his room? >> i feel close to him. >> yeah. 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 and his lasting legacy means to all of us? >> that joy and suffering can go hand in hand.

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welcome back. robin, when you meet these people and you hear their stories it's humbling and inspiring. >> don't you go i wonder what i would do in the same situation. i doubt what i could do what they did. but they feel they were in those situations for a reason whether god was testing them or put them there or a higher power, they believe they were meant to be there and to do these things. >> and the other thing that they share is they don't consider themselves heroes. just human beings and ordinary people wanting to help others. it makes you wonder how you

would react if you were in their shoes. i'm anderson cooper. thanks for watching. >> and i'm robin meade. thank you so much for joining us. happy new year! it's the first of the year which means new laws and big legal challenges to come. the nsa, same-sex marriage, obamacare. we'll break down the year ahead. the president's challenge, 2013 was a rough one for president obama. can he turn it around in 2014 or will the republicans gain ground? our experts weigh in. >> new year, "new day," new you. you've made the resolution but will you keep it? the secrets you need to know to follow through on those life-changing promises. >