tv Anderson Cooper 360 CNN February 5, 2015 8:00pm-9:01pm PST
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that's it for us tonight. i'm don lemon. "ac360" starts right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com thank you for joining us tonight. new developments in the transasia disaster. we are learning how one man's luck and one man's bravery and a lot of luck ended up to the rescue of some on that doomed flight flight. >> and how some public health experts are concerned. we will go there in colorado at a child care center. and how a man survived trapped in his own body for some 12 years. his story tonight.
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and also the pentagon study of how valadimir putin may have s a berg --s a s as aberger's. >> and whether it is good luck or fate when a plane fell out of the sky and crashed into the river, and river, and we will talk about that more. but first a report. >> reporter: from inside of the cockpit. >> mayday, mayday. >> reporter: amid a tragedy, there were miraculous stories of survival and heroism.
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perhaps none more dramatic than this young boy seen here in the arms of his father ling min wei. short shortly before takeoff he heard a noise that made him uneasy so he asked to move seats to the right side of the plane, and that move most likely saved their lives since the crash was on the left side. but then there was more danger, as he searched for his son for three agonizing minutes until he spotted him. he saw my nephew's feet in the water and pulled him out. his lips with were blue and no sign of life. my brother performed cpr and able to revive him, and then they got out on the wing waiting for rescue people. this 70-year-old man also saved lives pulling people out of the wreckage before getting himself to safety. when i saw them thaey were
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almost fully submerged in the water, and if we weren't rescued immediately, he would have drowned. he would have died. wong describes the moment on the flight when he realized that something was terrible wrong. not long after takeoff, the engine was not right. there was a woman next to me and i said to her hurry up and take the seat belt off and grab hold of the seat and hold a bag of clothes over our heads and not long after that, the plane went down. the driver of the taxi clipped by the crashing airplane also survived in in part by luck but also by keeping a cool head and his car under control. he called the dispatch operator to try to explain what had happened. [ speaking foreign language ]
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whose quick ma u nooufrs may have saved many lives while sacrificing his own. we are sad his family says but his mom is proud of him. >> incredible. you are inside of the hospital where the survivors are, and what have you learned? >> yes, anderson. we have spoken to the dean of the hospital and it is a miracle that anyone is alive. that toddler that we featured in the piece, he is now out of icu and he is recovering. there are other patients in there in critical condition, but they are confident that everyone will survive. the investigators are waiting to speak to the passengers in particular the crew member the 26-year-old woman, the only crew member who survived. the pilot and the co-pilot were killed in the crash.
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and obviously, wanting to know more about the engine problems that the plane appeared to with be experiencing, and certainly, that was communicated during that mayday call, but certainly that crew member of particular focus. the survivors, the 15 survivors, and many of them speaking about h this pilot, and that his heroics and bravery, because he really did stop that plane was frying into the densely populated suburb and really causing a much greater disaster, anderson. >> we will learn more once the black boxes are examined. thank you, anna korcoren. the fact that a number of them found themselves hanging upside down in the seat belts is a reminer of fastening those seat belts. and now, when to fasten them and when not to is a reminder from randi kaye. >> reporter: this is what can happen 30,000 feet above the ground. chaos inside of flight 380 when
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the boeing 777 dropped suddenly over japan, passengers panicked and pulled out the cell phones to record the drama. >> all of the sudden there was a big drop in food and plates and service and materials, and my iphone and everything was flying all over the place. >> reporter: some screamed. others prayed as the plane rocked. wine splashed on the overhead bins and food and trash spilled on the aisles and the plane made an emergency landing in tokyo, and five people were take oen the hospital. if the passengers and the crew had not been wearing the seat belts, it could have been much worse. the faa says that each year approximately 58 people in the ud are injured by turbulence, because they rare not wearing the seat belts. in 1980, and 2008, the faa recorded three fatalities and found that two of the three were not wearing seat belts, even though the seat belt light was illuminated.
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in 2013 the singapore airlines flight from singapore to longdon hitter ribble turbulence as the flight attendants were serving breakfast, and then the seat belt sign was turn ded on, and then they dropped 6,100 feet. and food flew and coffee hit thele ceiling. one passenger told reporters that anything that was not tied down hit the ceiling as the plane dropped. >> suddenly it felt like we were in an elevator, and somebody had cut the cable. >> oh my god. >> reporter: and when the ash yaw na flight 214 crashed in san francisco in july 2014 two pas is en jers with were eject predators the plane, and it was late later found that they were not wearing their seat belts. both died but one of them 16-year-old boy survived the crash only to be runover by an emergency vehicle respond ing toing
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to the scene. the ntsb found that if those two pats sen -- passengers had been wearing their seat belts they would have remained inside of the plane and survived. the seat belts may help the passengers survive, but in some cases they can trap them in their seats. on wednesday, this transasia plane crashed into the river shortly after takeoff in taipei with the cabin chest-deep in water, the rescue crews found passengers tangled in the seat belts hanging upside down. one 72-year-old man said he helped to save four people by undoing the seat belts, and he said that he said they would have died if he had not moved quickly. randi kaye. and now more on the latest of the crash, cnn analyst and crash specialist david soucie and author of "malaysia flight
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370." and cnn analyst richard quest. i have always been skeptical to buckle up, i have to say. >> and there therefore the passengers get away because they didn't have the seat belt fastened manyin the case of the transasia or in where not wearing the seat belt was the key to your survival, they are fewer and farther apart than those with where buckling up, because if the plane does take a dive, and if it does have an emergency landing, your seat is design to withstand certain g-forces when you are wearing the belt and buckled if in. >> that is why it is important the stay with the seat? >> yes, absolutely and to have it in the upright and stow position, because, again, that is where the seat is design and
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certified for the g-forces. >> and david, the kind of turbulence in the randi's piece, and i fly all of the time and i have never been on the flight where it has been really bad, and i have been lucky. >> like me, i have flown many times, and maybe had that kind of turbulence two or three time, and it is very very rare but when it does happen, it is severe. and what is infuriating me about the people who don't wear the seat belts is the reason is to protect yourself obviously, but if you don't have that seat belt on, p in an accident in turbulence, you are a projectile going through the cabin. the seat backs are not made to withstand the pressure are from the back and without a seat belt you can literally crush the person in front of you shgs, and when you take them off, there is a severe hazard, and i hate to say it but it could have caused other injurys and death to other people by not having the seat belt on. >> and richard, we have heard now about the airlines having the standing seats. >> right. ryan air.
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>> any way for that to be safe? sgle well, they say that they have looked at the rules, and strapped in and more like a bench to be strapped into. it ain't going to be happening. the regulator made it swiftly clear that is not going to be happening, and highly unlikely and one other things and talking about the seat belts ash and the speed with which the passengers want to take the shoes off before takeoff. >> don't get me started on that. >> and that is the -- >> that s ais a safety issue? >> do you want to have to evacuate the aircraft running over the jagged pieces of metal and the oil and the like, a because you have taken off the shoes before you got into the ar air? >> good note. i h never thought of it. and the family on board of the flight they switch eded the seats and moved to the rear of the plane, and felt that something was wrong, and after something they heard made them uncomfortable uncomfortable, and could that move have helped them survive,
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because i have heard that the rear of the plane is safer? >>el with the aircraft that crashes nose first, it is safer in the back of the aircraft an unfortunately, you don't know when the aircraft is nose first to the side or the left or the roll over and you don't know and statistically, it is safer in the back of the aircraft, because it absorbs most of the impact in the front of the aircraft in the first class section. >> and richard, we have seen a number of air crashes this year, and just a coincidence or statistically, things are safer in terms of the air travel? >> well, just over 900 people in 2014 died in air trashescrashes, and most of the numbers can be taken up by two incidents, and mh-371 and mh17 and take away those, and remember that there were 3 billion air passenger journeys
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last year, and statistically the numbers are infinitesimally small. >> and coming up next, isis is hitting it hard and only the beginning, and where might it end, and later why the mother of three who got stuck in the rail road crossing with room and time enough to get off of the track did not get off of the way of the oncoming train. details ahead. thinking about what you want to do with your money? daughter: looking at options. what do you guys pay in fees? dad: i don't know exactly. daughter: if you're not happy do they have to pay you back? dad: it doesn't really work that way. daughter: you sure? vo: are you asking enough questions about the way your wealth is managed? wealth management at charles schwab. meet the world's newest energy superpower. surprised? in fact, america is now the world's number one natural gas producer... and we could soon become number one in oil.
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welcome back to the program. jordan's king abdullah promise earth shaking retaliation. today, it began. jordanian war planes pounding isis targets in syria. the first of what could be many air strikes, king abdullah vowing until the country runs out of fuel and bullets. for more on how it's unfolding in the the region we are joined by joemana karadsheh. what is it about the air strikes? >> reporter: named in reference to the falling pilot, they say jordanian fighter jets carried out a round of air strikes on unspecified locations, isis locations, in syria. they say that the targets included training camps and weapons and ammunition storage facilities. we heard from the syrian observatory firm for human
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rights saying ten militants had been killed in the air strikes and isis posted pictures of the destruction. now, when this happened, anderson, when it was announced, we were in the hometown of the jordanian pilot and that is when we saw fighter jets flying at a low altitude and what seemed to be a tribute to a fallen colleague and jordanian state television said that these fighter jets returned from the mission carrying out the air strikes. >> it's interesting they're saying really only ten of isis members had actually been killed in these what they're saying are vastly big uptick in these flights, in these bombings. do we know if the jordanian government is considering anything beyond actual air strikes? actual talk of ground personnel? >> reporter: well, a short time ago, we heard the jordan's foreign minister, nasser judeh, speaking to wolf blitzer.
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he did not rule out ground force s forces forces, but he did not commit his country to any ground troops. he said that the the air strikes are effective, and, anderson, it does seem like you mentioned erl yer that jordan is saying that it is just the beginning of the retaliation, and its e response to the isis, and it is not clear where this is headed, and it is really appears that the all options are on the table right now. >> all right. jomana, thank you very much. reporting. the u.s. plays a leading role in the coalition against isis. the question is, what kind of role does american military equipment and personnel play? for that, go to barbara starr at the pentagon. what do we know about how the u.s. assisted jordan with the strikes? >> reporter: good evening, anderson. we know 20 u.s. aircraft and 20 airplanes flew. along the jordanians and f-16s to jam the communications on the ground, and advanced f-22 fight fighters flying over to watch, and get sophisticated targeting data to pass it along, and
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drones overhead and rerefueling airplanes so that everybody could get in and out of the zone. this is pretty much how the coalition has been operating i should say all of the way since the beginning. nobody flies alone, and no country flies alone, and everybody goes as a team. but in this operation, these 20 targets that the jordanians hit, the u.s. was with them all the way. this was something that was very emotional for the jordanian air force and they wanted to carry out as much of the bombing as they could. anderson? >> i understand the emotion about it. we talked before though how difficult it is targeting isis in terms of actually getting significant targets. how is the coalition actually finding these targets? were these 20 targets just appearing? >> reporter: that's exactly the point and that's the military reality of it. what we know is that in the last 72 hours, u.s. and jordan worked together to conduct the
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reconnaissance missions in the area looking for any indication of isis operations the weapons depots, the training areas, and very tough to find. in fact, you're raising the key point. there are not a lot of isis targets just sitting out there in the open that are very easy to target. they have to develop the intelligence where they are in the big problem right now, isis is kind of melding into the woodwork, if you will. the fighters are dispersing, they're taking off any uniforms that they might have and mixing with civilian populations, no longer driving around the country side in large convoys in military vehicles. reducing their profile as much as they can because they know the coalition's coming after them. they certainly knew the jordanians are coming after them. so what they're trying to do is basically not present any profile for those bombing runs and so it's a bit of a cat and mouse game right now. >> we'll see how long air strikes remain effective to the degree that they are now. thank you, barbara starr.
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tonight, parents and kids at a day care center are on edge after two cases of measles are confirmed. we will take you there next. [ female announcer ] we help make secure financial tomorrows a reality for over 19 million people. [ mom ] with life insurance, we're not just insuring our lives... we're helping protect his. [ female announcer ] everyone has a moment when tomorrow becomes real. transamerica. transform tomorrow.
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outbreak continues to grow and could grow further if a suspected case in new jersey is confirmed. a toddler who has since recovered did not have measles. in chicago, doctors and parents coming to grips with the virus in the worst possible place for it, a day care center. more on that now from medical correspondent, elizabeth cohen, who joins us now. the cases in chicago, what do we know about them? >> reporter: anderson, there's been two cases of measles. this is among infants under the age of 1 and three more suspected cases they wait for the lab work to come back. we don't know exactly how these children became infected. we know ten more children, ten more babies, are asked to stay at home in quarantine for 21 days. they're not sick but it's a pretty good chance they'll become sick because measles is so incredibly contagious. now, kinder care, that day care we just saw, now say all around the country, if you want to work
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for us and take care of infants, you have to show that you've been vaccinated against measles. >> now, obviously, they'd be investigating possible linkages for people. in any case linked to disneyland ones? >> reporter: they're trying to figure it out but further and further away from the beginning of this outbreak, it's going to be harder to trace it back because maybe someone sat on a plane who knew someone who had been at disneyland. it gets harder to trace that chain, so it's possible we may never know. >> it's important to point out, the babies weren't vaccinated because they weren't old enough. >> correct, you don't vaccinate the children 12 to 15 months of age, because it does not take younger than that. >> adults of a certain age, possible they don't have full immunity because they didn't receive the second booster. you got tested to see if you're immune, right? >> reporter: yes, if you were born before 1990, of course, i was, then you only got one shot. i know i got a shot as a child but i wasn't sure if i was fully immune.
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the one shot doesn't always take and i wonder, i'm doing these stories, i might be talking to people who have measles so i did getting your titres checked, and i think that take your antibodies and i am immune and so i can continue this work and i don't have to worry about becoming infected. it's a process to do this. it costs money. not everyone is going to want to do that. >> is it expensive to test? >> reporter: it costs about $110. and insurance is not always going to pay for it, but it's not a ton of money, but it's $110. doctors say it's a pain in the neck, get tested, you have to pay, but if you have any questions, always get another measles shot. it's not going to hurt you. >> elizabeth cohen, thank you very much. earlier this week, randi kaye reported on a pediatric practice in southern california voting on whether to continue treating unvaccinated kids. an update from dr. eric ball who
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randi interviewed in the report. he said that the 12 doctors and the four nurse practitioners unanimous ly unanimously decided to no longer treat underimmunized or nonimmunized patients. it was difficult but hope they protect the most vulnerable patients. treat kids who had measles in cars, trying to keep them out of the office and saying they're not going to treat anyone who hasn't been vaccinated or is undervaccinated. ahead, the fiery train crash that killed six people in new york a big mystery in many ways, including it killed driver of the suv on the tracks the train hit. she got out when the gate came down on her car. and then she got back in. and the big question tonight is why? why didn't she get off? we will tell you what we know about her next. but it can also lead to tooth decay and bad breath. that's why there's biotene available as an oral rinse toothpaste, spray or gel. biotene can provide soothing relief
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eight people hurt in that deadly train suv collision are still being treated for their injuries. as you know, six people died in the crash which happened about 30 miles north of new york in the peak of rush hour. hundreds were on board the packed commuter train. a big question in the investigation is why the suv was stopped on the tracks as the train approached, and why the driver, who was killed, got back into her vehicle moments before it was struck. now, tonight, we're learning
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more about her and the family that she leaves behind. poppy harlow reports. >> reporter: ellen brodie a beloved wife and mother of three girls. >> her girls really adore her and her husband and her. a beautiful family. it is a tragedy. >> reporter: friends and loved ones grappling with how her life could have been cut so short. >> this was a tragic accident. you wonder why it happened. certainly, it was not her, she was not a careless person. she would not do anything to put anybody at risk. >> reporter: just 49 years old, brody driving the suv struck on the tracks in the deadliest train crash in metro-north history. she is one of the six people who perished. rick hope was in the car directly behind brody and recounted the fatal moment to the journal news. >> as we're waiting to cross the tracks, the gate comes down in front of me and it comes down and hits the top of her car. i'm able to back up and waiting for her to back up, but instead, she gets out of the car, she
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gets out, walks around the back, looks at the arm that's on the back of the car, she me, i gesture to come back, i back up again further to indicate that there's plenty of room to back up and she turns, walks and gets back in the car, slight hesitation, she -- and then moves forward and that instant, the train came. >> reporter: why brody's suv was on the tracks is central to the investigation. eyewitnesss say a separate accident backed up traffic and many drivers took an alternate route to avoid it. the ntsb is investigating if the detour played any role and is trying to recover data from the memory modules in brody's suv. >> we found the crossing arm and the traffic signal, they both operated as designed. there were no problems found. >> reporter: brody worked alongside varda singer at this jewelry store for ten years.
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>> she had a million dollar smile. she, to me, was a saint because she is one of the most selfless person i've ever known. >> reporter: she was driving home from work when she was killed. >> one word. she just had a beautiful soul. she looked for the good in others. >> reporter: her husband, alan, posting message on facebook thanking all who shared their condolences. >> poppy harlow. joining me now from valhalla, new york. is there any indication she saw the train or tried to beat it? >> reporter: there's really not. governor andrew cuomo saying that there is no evidence that she was trying to race the train, and it is likely she was confused. he believed at this point in time, she was likely confused.
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obviously, there are still so many questions. the ntsb getting through the first day of a full investigation day today. they were able to interview the engineer. interestingly, anderson, saying the engineer did see the suv on the tracks and were going within the speed limit when they pulled the emergency brake. there were also 39 seconds we have learned between when those emergency warning signals and lights started going off, then when the train crossed the intersection and that fateful moment happened. so many questions, the people here cannot believe what has happened. i can tell you a that this is a loving mother and she was about to turn 50 in march, and her husband was planning her 50th birthday and she leaves behind three -- daughters aged 15 to 22, and it is an absolute tragedy. still so many questions remain. >> poppy, i appreciate getting up to date on it. next, an incredible story. i hope you stay for it. imagine being trapped inside your own body.
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it happened to martin pistorius when he was a teenager, started when he was 12 years old. he couldn't move or speak but said for most of the time, about 10 of the years, he was aware of everything around him. he just couldn't talk. he couldn't move his body. his mom at one point said to him she wished he would die. her grief was that much and didn't realize he heard it all. his incredible story in his own words next. or is it just me? every minute between you and red lobster's lobsterfest feels like an eternity. and who could blame you for craving our largest variety of succulent lobster dishes all year? dishes like dueling lobster tails. with one tail topped with creamy shrimp and a second tail stuffed with tender crab. i was hungry already and now you show me lobster lover's dream® let's make this dream a reality. a delicious, delicious reality. but one that won't last forever, so hurry in. kid: hey dad, who was that man? dad: he's our broker. he helps looks after all our money. kid: do you pay him? dad: of course. kid: how much? dad: i don't know exactly.
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well, the next story of what happened to these young men, it's a living nightmare difficult to imagine. the young man locked inside his own body for more than a decade after doctors said he was in a vegetative state. what doctor and his parents didn't know was that martin pistorius was aware of everything around him. he just couldn't move, couldn't communicate, couldn't communicate his thoughts. he wrote a book about his experience called "ghost boy." the miraculous case of a misdiagnosed boy trapped in his own body. he now communicates now through a computer, because he's improved. i spoke with him recently.
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for 12 years, doctors said he was in a vegetative state but most of the 12 long years, martin was fully conscious. >> you can hear, see, and understand everything around you. for me, the complete of utter powerlessness is the worst feeling i have ever experienced. >> reporter: growing in south africa, a happy and healthy child but in january of 1988, 12 years old, came home from school complaining of a sore throat. >> at first, the doctors thought i had flu and prescribed the usual treatment, however, my condition steadily got worse and i was hospitalized. >> doctors performed test after test the on martin and treated him for tuberculosis and something called streptococcis. doctors thought he was in a vegetative state where he
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couldn't see anything around him, didn't know how to cure it and gave him two years to live. >> doctors said to take me home and wait to die. >> everything morning, martin's father would bathe him, feed him and take him to care center never knowing his son was aware of everything that was happening to him. >> i want to read something that you wrote in the book. you wrote, have you ever seen one of the movies in which someone wakes up as a ghost but don't know they died? that's how i realized as people looked through and around me and i didn't understand why. how did you cope? feeling like you're invisible. how did you cope all those years? >> mostly through escaping into my mind. i would imagine all sorts of things like being very small and climbing into a spaceship and flying away or that my wheelchair would magically transform into a flying vehicle out of james bond with rockets and missiles. sometimes watch things move whether it was sunlight lu the day or watching insects or some
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sort of animals scurry about. >> he said he was abused at some of the care centers he was brought to over the years. but one of the things that upset him the most was being placed in front of a television for hours at a time with nothing else to watch but barney. ♪ i love you, you love me, we're a happy family ♪ >> i often spent my days positioned in front of the tv. to this day, i hate barney, not that i had anything against barney, but it triggers memories and emotions which are really difficult for me. >> you write about your mom as well. and a time when your mom in the midst of distress said that essentially she wished you would die and when i read that, i kept thinking about, for you being, hearing that, you did hear it. you did understand what she had said. how do you deal with that? >> it was like her son died when he was 12. so while i was very sad and upset by what she said, i understood where that was coming from.
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>> were there times you actually wanted to die? not being able to communicate, trapped in your body, trapped with your thoughts constantly like that. i mean, you wrote there was a time you wanted to die. >> yes. in some of the darkest moments, i not only wanted to die, but i longed for death to realize me. i also often felt everyone would be better off if i were dead. >> one of his nurses came to believe that martin understood what she was saying to him. his nurse, virna, urged parents to get tested again. >> she was the catalyst who changed everything. if not for her i would have been forgotten or in a care home somewhere. >> to doctor's astonishments, showed signs of he could understand and communicate once again. what was that like?
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>> i guess the best word would be relief and also excitement. mixed in with a bit of trepidation. i remember leaving the assessment and feeling happy and just like, wow. but also thinking to myself, what is next? >> martin's physical health improved with the ability to communicate and able to slowly type words into a computer that turn into speech which is why we gave him some of the questions in advance. martin went on to get a college degree and how owns his web site design business and even met and married a wonderful woman named jonah. what do you think the connection for you was? >> i think the initial connection was so attractive, but we -- >> he's blushing. >> from the start, we are really honest with one another and really listen without any judgment and therefore, we could share our innermost feelings. we just understand one another. >> we are now talking about starting a family. that's something we're really excited about. >> what happened to martin is still a mystery, and while doctors say he won't be able to walk or talk again, he continues to grow stronger mentally and
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physically every day. for people watching this, what do you want them to take away from your story? >> i think that there is always hope no matter how small. and also, to treat everyone with kindness, dignity, compassion and respect. whether you think they understand or not. to never underestimate the power of the mind, the importance of love and faith and to never stop dreaming. >> such an incredible tale. he's a remarkable guy. i want to dig deeper on this to understand what happened. martin pistorius allowed our chief medical correspondent, sanjay gupta, to review his medical records. he's a practicing neurosurgeon. he joins us now. i just find this incredible and terrifying at the same time. with implications for other people. for him to have regained consciousness after 12 years and be present after the first two years, even though doctors thought he was in some kind of a vegetative state, how often does something like that happen?
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>> to your point, it seems to be happening more than we realize and when you think about vegetative state, by definition, it means people have no awareness. they could be a sort of in a wakeful state, eye opening or even yawns, like that, but no awareness. that's the definition. so when someone like martin, for 12 years, they thought he was in a vegetative state but had awareness, it's frightening. there's numbers in the united states, about 25,000 people who have this diagnosis of vegetative state. what they are doing is by doing more and more scans of the brain and by simply look manage the eyes and things like that to see if they control the eye movements to commands and finding that these people may be more aware and responsive than realized but it is hard to put a number on it. >> one doesn't want to take hope away for anyone with family members who have somebody in that state, don't want to give false hope. what is a family supposed to do in this case, martin's family
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was told to send him home, probably die in two years and make him as comfortable as you can. what are you supposed to do? >> martin's case was even more unique in that they didn't know what was causing this. sometimes like a young person who has a brain injury, for example, because of trauma, you know, people are going to be more aggressive because young people tend to have a better likelihood of recovering from brain trauma or a very young child, for example, who, you know, drowns for example in a swimming pool. that happens. they may still have some likely hood of recovery. you have to sort of balance all that with what the diagnosis is. in this case, he didn't have a diagnosis. they treated him with antibiotics, they treated him with anti-fungal agents. not because they knew he had infections but they didn't know and were willing to try anything. for the family, they needed to try to push for an answer. >> to be trapped like he was though, especially as a teenager
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with all the thoughts you have in your head and not be able to express them or let anybody else know and to not have any control over your life and, you know, be plunked down watching barney all day long, it's just terrifying. >> it reminds me more of a locked in state. you may vhave heard of this state, because there was a famous book called the "diving bell and the butterfly." >> incredible movie. >> and the man was able to using eye movements to transcribe a book but they thought that because he could not move anything in the body and he had no other movement in the body other than the eye, they thought he was in a vegetative state, they thought that he was moving the eyes to the command, they realized he was in a locked in state. so they realized he could communicate in some way, but i cannot imagine what it is like for martin for 12 years. >> i'm happy he's found love and has a life. sanjay, thank you so much.
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>> thank you. >> his book called "ghost boy" by the way. his behavior raised eyebrows but pentagon report claimed a medical reason behind vladimir putin sometimes strange actions. go! go! go! he's challenging the very fabric of society. in a post cannonball world! was it grilled cheese? guilty! the aquatic delinquency is a larger issue to this ♪ you did it again, didn't you? yup. ♪ ♪ ♪ just look at those two. happy. in love.
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vladimir putin with curiosity and others are more than curious about him. that explains the genesis of a pentagon study from 2008 as for one of the e key theories in it. although he may have asperger's syndrome, the question is, what explains that? more from joe johns. >> reporter: new year's day 2000, the first television of newly appointed vladimir putin and the pentagon was watching. years later the department of defense net assessment of how to look for clues of how the deal with him issued a startling analysis of these and other putin images. the russian president carries a neurological abnormality, asperger's syndrome that affects all of his decisions. unclassified report in 2008, another in 2011, now only becoming part of the record. the white house press secretary
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dodging a question about it. >> i saw the report today. i don't have any comment on that report. >> reporter: many descriptions of putin in the report are stark. brenda connors and in in-house expert on behaviors author eded the report saying it is supported at the reptilian stage where the need for order proceeds all interaction. his primary coping strategy is to control. >> there's no guidance from d.o.d. >> reporter: among putin moments in support of her asperger's theory, when putin was inspecting the super bowl ring of new england patriots owner bob kraft. putin actually pocketed it. asperger's is characterized by normal range iq and language skills but social awkwardness. the 2011 report focused on putin
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and his protege dmitry medvedev focusing on him as a chess player and the latter as an action man in terms of their leadership styles. the pentagon said the research program cost about $300,000 a year and is used to help u.s. officials prepare for interactions with foreign leaders. >> the way that person makes decisions, what might infuriate them or cause them to be more calm in negotiations. >> reporter: the report did include a disclaimer pointing out that brain scanning through mri presumably cannot be conducted on putin. experts we spoke with were highly skeptical about the reliability of this asperger's claim. >> it's not reasonable. no confident would render a clinical diagnosis based on observations from a video. you need a lot more history to make this kind of diagnosis. >> reporter: the pentagon makes clear the views in the report just those of the author, not the official position of the defense department or that of the u.s. government. joe johns, cnn, washington.
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>> not sure that was worth $300,000 a year. let's get the latest on other stories we are following. amara walker with a "360" news bulletin. at the aaron hernandez murder trial, defense helped grill police officers on their handling of the crime scene accusing them of sloppiness. tomorrow, jurors visit the park where odin lloyd's body was found and tour hernandez's house. today, the judge ordered any items not inside the house at the time of the murder must be removed or covered for the visit. the judge in the capital murder trial of eddie routh denied a motion to delay until public interest subsides. and featured in the blockbuster movie, american sniper. jury selection began today.
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and sony pictures entertainment co-chairman amy pascal is stepping down week ss after a devastating cyber a attack exposed embarrassing ke him home. did he throw a rock at me? he hit the camera. this is the rock that he chucked at us. that would hurt if that got a hold of you. would you rather be hit with this or poo? that's the choice. something tells me they're not so happy to see us.
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