but he has big dreams. he wants to change the world. >> and we can change it. never forget that. we can do that. [ singing ] [ applause ] every day all around us people are breaking barriers. they're building new connections, and they're expanding what is possible. 12 of us journalists here at cnn

repeatry recently met up with folks who are making big differences in the world in ways that have personally touched our own hearts. these are their stories. this is "champions for change." ♪ >> welcome to "champions for change," i'm dr. sanjay gupta. you know, tonight we're going to introduce you to 12 amazing people you've probably never heard of. but they're all making big, positive impacts on the world. and later in the show, you're going to meet my champion, as well. first, we're going to hit the waves with my colleague and friend, coy wire. if you know anything about coy, he's always up for a challenge. and so is his champion. a world-class surfer who also happens to be a paraplegic. >> the feeling that i get when i'm not on the water, that's when i feel the most free. when i was a kid i fell in love with surfing. by the time i was a teenager i

was on the right path to becoming a professional surfer, and "surfer" magazine named me as one of the top 100 surfers in the country. people don't understand how lucky they are until it's taken away. >> take us back to that day, march, 1996. >> the day was beautiful. the waves were really good. i took off on a wave and pulled inside the barrel. when i came out, the wave hit me in my back. and i didn't have too much time to put my hands up. it was shallower than i thought. i hit my head on the bottom. my body went limp and numb. i couldn't move. after that i woke up in the hospital on this rotating bed. when the doctor told me that i broke the sixth vertebrae in my neck and that i was paralyzed, i was devastated. i'm 17 years old, in high school, about to be a professional surfer, now i'm paralyzed? all i wanted was to be a kid and be with my friends.

it was a difficult time because didn't know what my life was going to look like. >> growing up for me, sports were my life. just like jesse billauer. my dream was to make it to the nfl. i made it, but in my sixth season i had this scary moment. i hit this guy, and his head came down and slammed right on top of mine. and i got this burning sensation down my neck. there was this tingling sensation like pins and needles down my right arm. and i didn't really have any strength in it. so i needed surgery. they put a plate and four screws, keeping my fifth and sixth vertebrae together. fortunately for me i was able to come back, but not everyone who gets a spinal cord injury can make it out on the other side the same as they were before. what happened to jesse, it probably would have completely ruined most of us, but jesse found out a way to shine. >> it took a few years to get back into the water to surf because nobody was really doing this before me. started doing it more often and

figuring it out. >> jesse billauer is a trail blazer, one of the pioneers of adaptive surfing. the international surfing association created the world paris surfing championships in 2015. jesse's won it three times. the thing is, jesse not only got himself back up, he's now helping people around the world. he started his foundation, life rolls on. >> we take people with various disabilities surfing, skateboarding, and now fishing. we offer these things free to the public. >> for us having her not in pain all the time and happy, as you can see, gets us through all the hard times. >> i never thought i could surf. and when i met you, it made a big difference in my life. >> it's amazing to be able to get back and see the smiles on their face and the parents' face. to me that's priceless. at the end of the day when the

lights and cameras and people are all back at their house, to be paralyzed, lose that independence, that freedom, that's the real stuff that people need to like see. surfing and all that's easy. being paralyzed is hard. i don't think our circumstances truly define us because to me i'm in a wheelchair, i shouldn't be able to surf. but i look at it like i just do it in a different way. figure out the strength with inside you and help other people. i'm jesse billauer, and i'm a surfer. >> it's so important to keep moving. no matter how hard you wipe out. our next champion knows that lesson well. cnn's kaitlan collins met a mentor who went from super bowl running back to prison inmate to a pillar of the community with a lot of hard-learned wisdom along

the way. >> what was it like growing up here? >> tough, rough. but it built character. just wanted to try to just make it, survive, and get out. i won state championship right here in this stadium. >> you had a ton of records that you broke. >> yes. >> 3,000 yards? >> in a single season. >> football is everything in the south, especially in alabama and especially in small towns like the one where i grew up and the one where sherman grew up in pritchard. it's something the entire community bases itself around. ♪ when he signed that scholarship to come to the university of alabama, he became a football legend. must bring back a lot of memories to be here. >> oh, yeah. championships and tradition and everything that comes along with alabama football. >> williams in the middle -- touchdown. >> when but that damage, you also had a dance that you did. >> the sherman shake was my signature.

>> down, set, hut. >> you got the shake. and then you got the -- the quake to go with it. >> when were you drafted? >> 1995, nfl draft drafted 46 overall picks for the dallas cowboys in the second round. and went on my rookie year to will be a super bowl. >> he was at the top of the world and got cut from the team. that's when he got into trouble. why were you arrested? >> distribution of conspiracy of marijuana. >> what was your sentence? >> my overall sentence was 15 years and eight months. >> while you were incarcerated, your mom passed away. >> that was probably the most damaging thing about being incarcerated. it was also part of the

motivation to move forward and be a part of the change. >> sherman williams was still serving his presence sentence when he had this idea for what eventually became the palmer williams group. and together with david palmer, who he played football with, they wanted to start something that could reach disadvantaged youth. >> when i was released from prison, it wasn't about wins and losses, that wasn't the measuring stick anymore. it was about how many people can you help. you all ready for some football? >> yeah! >> set -- let's go. go get 'em, go get 'em, go get 'em. they mentor kids, they fund scholarships. so much more than the sport that you're seeing today. one, two, three, cowboys! see you all monday. >> i do have little siblings. i want to be a good role model to them. and i know how to do that. >> football was our initial sport, but now we have basketball, baseball, soccer, had a cheer program. >> it's blossomed even beyond sports. it's also about financial literacy, about scholarship,

about entrepreneurship. after you were released from prison, you came back here to finish your degree. >> sherman c. williams sr. -- >> we try to motivate children to go to college, and what better example was it for me to have a college degree. i think that the palmer williams group is more dear to me now than winning the super bowl. that is going to be the most significant purpose in my existence. >> legacy of action on the playing field and on the field of life. ahead, amara walker shares her family's music legacy. ♪ >> she's going to introduce us to a choir master helping singers with dementia tune in through the power of song.

welcome back to "champions for change." rap music is known for laying the rhythm down, but it can also help build young people up. >> you see the way you're rapping? embracing the freestyle. see how it happens -- >> victor blackwell's champion is doing just that. his name is alex acosta, and he's a businessman in atlanta who holds gatherings he calls soul food cyphers. >> a lot of times rap music especially popular mainstream, et cetera, et cetera, the music and the message that you hear justifies a historical negative that black men are violent, misogynistic, black women are overly sexualized, xyz. so why is the lyrical content important? it's important that we change that narrative and we look to showcase the positive elements of hip-hop culture through our

cypher events and workshops and performances, as well. >> you get obviously a lot out of it, as much as you give to these students. speak to the question of why it's important to pass the art form to the next generation. >> sometimes our voice is the only thing we do have, but then you're reminded that you have a power and that your voice matters. >> we're building community and building rapport between people. and it's a very, very powerful thing. to have like hip-hop church, you're going to see love, and you're going to see respect, knowledge, joy. you're going to see smiles. >> there's no question music has the power to energize, to soothe, and to evoke memories. it can also help cut through the fog of dementia. amara walker's champion leads the amazing grace chorus, a remarkable group of singers dealing with memory loss who raise their voices and their spirits in song. >> i love this photo of our family together, but this was at my brother's wedding in brazil. and i would say this is probably the last time that we had a true

family trip where my mom was somewhat put together. my mother has alzheimer's. she was diagnosed about two years ago officially. my mother's name is young sown, she's 76 years old. my mother was my best friend. mom had three pillars in her life -- first was family, second was god, she was an ordained minister, and third was music. she was a self-taught pianist. she took guitar lessons. she had a beautiful voice. music has been medicine for my mother. it's been therapeutic. ♪ [ applause ] >> yes, there's power in music. >> the amazing grace chorus is a gathering, a choir filled with love, joy, peace, specifically wanted to make navigating memory

loss and isolation a better journey as our elders age. >> i think shawna moses is a champion for change because she is finding unconventional, more holistic ways to treat dementia patients. and i so appreciate that she's telling us don't solely rely on medications, let's use music, as well, to lift up alzheimer's patients, but to also lift up those caregivers who have been sacrificing day in and day out. my father is the one who's been taking care of his wife of nearly 50 years. ♪ yes, god is real for i can feel him in my soul ♪ >> that was one of george's favorite songs.

and he was 90 years old, and he passed away. and when i come to the choir, i feel i'm going to be with george. ♪ >> i see transformation of folks. literally when it looks as if their body comes back responsive. one example i think of is one of our members who almost may seem quiet and docile prior to music starting. when the beat drops, when the music starts, something happens, and it's witnessed by everyone. ♪ >> what would you say to loved ones who are on the verge of giving up -- >> they're still there, they're still there. sing to them. >> music can really affect the brain in ways that are

medicinal. it may be that association with those positive memories, or it may be that it's actually sparking the parts of the brain that release these chemicals that are counter to the symptoms of agitation and aggression go. it works, we should use it. ♪ >> that has been the most healing parts -- healing part of this journey is sitting my mom down on the piano. to be able to see my mother even if it's just 60 seconds lately, it's been so soothing for me because at least i can see that she's still there. >> the enduring love between a mother and daughter. you know, similar bonds spurred my champion into action. after the break, you're going to meet her, and you're going to see how a mother's love sparked a new lifesaving approach to medicine shortages. she had a lot of questions when she came in. i watched my mother go through being a single mom. at the end of the day, my mom raised three children, including myself. and so once the client knew that she was heard.

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it's time now for my champion for change. you know, as a practicing neurosurgeon, i can tell you this firsthand -- the pharmaceutical business is extremely complicated. and i've seen how that complexity can make it hard for some patients to get the

medications they need. a group of caregivers is fighting to remedy that situation with a fresh idea and one determined mother. >> four years ago, my husband mike and i were sitting in a hospital room when our child abby was diagnosed with leukemia. i think anybody who's been in a life-threatening diagnosis, you know, will remember those moments. we go in, she's going to be able to have her chemo but not today. how come, it's on shortage. abby is clever, nothing gets past her. and she just said, what does this mean? does this mean i die? >> she asked you that question. >> yeah. it's hard enough that my 9-year-old had to contemplate her mortality when she's diagnosed with cancer and also then wonder if she's going to survive because not enough drug

was made. >> what she did next makes her a true champion for change. she put together a consortium of friends and family, and they essentially created a phone bank calling more than 220 children's hospitals around the country and asking all of them did they have the medication that could save abby. finally, someone said yes. >> it was a relief and a release of all the stress. and then i felt tremendous guilt. i was haunted by the knowledge that somewhere in the country some other mom and child was going to be going through the same hopeless conversation. >> this is laura -- >> we launched angels for change and almost immediately people began to call.

right now we're on a ten-year high for drug shortages. there's more than 300 essential medicine shortages. there's four key reasons why there's shortage. the lower the price medicine the more likely it is to be in shortage. the more complicated the medicine, if there's a history of a qa event, if all of it is made by one supplier or one area of the world, it's more likely to be in shortage. >> i think we've gotten so used to thinking about things like amazon, they can anticipate when you're running out of toilet paper, when you're running out of dog food. you'd think the same thing would happen with lifesaving medications, but that's not the case. >> the entire supply chain has to be engaged -- >> i thought what would it look like to partner with the manufacturer and use prediction. >> she calls it project protect, anticipating which drugs could go into shortage and producing them with other companies before it's too late. their first effort, a $100,000 grant for the for profit stack pharmaceutical to manufacture two specific drugs.

>> potassium chloride and sodium chloride which newborns, nicu patients, picu patients need to survive. >> it's like salt and pepper. you never think you're going to run out of those very simple things. >> jared milton oversees all pharmacy and clinical services at children's hospital colorado. what if project protect didn't exist? what would have happened in that situation? >> i shudder to think about what we would have had to do. >> potassium chloride, one of the first -- >> you're able to anticipate this shortage, basically at risk create medications, and they go into shortage. >> they did go into shortage. >> and -- >> more than 700,000 treatments were accessed. what we know -- >> 700,000 treatments? >> yeah. >> that's incredible. >> it is incredible. >> when you see this now, laura, you see this coming off the line, so to speak, what's that like for you? >> what i see here is each one of those that's being filled up seven to nine nicu babies are going to get fed today.

>> how is abby doing? >> she is officially a survivor. she's doing great. she's a very normal, typical, bright, clever, fierce 13-year-old. >> you know, i think the real lesson here -- never underestimate a mother's resolve. whether it's finding life-sustaining drugs or just helping kids navigate today's unusual times. erin burn set a cnn primetime anchor and mom. she guided her children through the pandemic's quarantines and shutdowns, and she did it with the help of this man, her son's karate teacher. mel ramsey. the unassuming every man. like teachers everywhere he adapted and got creative with a crucial sense of normality for his students. >> did you realize that you were sort of holding a community together?

>> kind of felt the opposite like they were holding me together. we were here five, six days a week. we have to find a way to keep -- continue going there way. how can we do that? and i felt like i had an obligation to do this. i'm not going to quit. i just don't believe in that. i believe in let's just keep going and see if we can become better than we were today. let's see what tomorrow has in store. >> from a great teacher looking out for his students to a former college football player looking out for his teammates. next on "champions for change," we're going to show you why he hung up his cleats at the top of his game but still gets the cheers. when other guys were charging four to five-hundred bucks. he just didn't wanna do that. he was proud of the price he was charging. ♪ my dad instilled in me, always put the people before the money. be proud of offering a good product at a fair price. i think he'd be extremely proud of me, yeah.

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♪

welcome back to "champions for change." i'm dr. sanjay gupta. tonight, we're shining a spotlight on 12 everyday people who are changing the world in inspiring ways. now long before phil mattingly pitched hardball questions on "cnn this morning," heat he played catcher.

his champion was also a football star who abruptly ended his athletic pursuits to publicly face a private opponent. >> it seemed obvious, like a prophecy almost to be a football player. the expectation was you play good football, you become an all american, and you get drafted and make lots of money. that's what i thought i was going to do. >> i'm familiar with the scale and intensity of division-one athletics. but 20 years ago i was playing division-one athletics on this very field, in this very stadium. but the level of the intensity, someone like harry, one of the biggest football programs in the country is dealing with, is unfathomable. >> it was two years ago that harry came into your office and

said, i'm thinking about killing myself. what happens in that moment as a coach and as a parent? >> the first thing is it takes you to your knees to hear someone actually physically say that. and i give him so much credit for being able to verbalize that. >> i felt like if the truth had to be told i might as well tell it. i think it was received well because it's an experience a lot of people have. i'm a high achieving depressed person. i have a 4.0, i'm applying for scholarships. i was successful, but i was not healthy. i think about all the student athletes who have committed suicide, and i remember the thoughts that i had before the moments where i thought i would kill myself, and i realized that they were thinking the same thing. those were the last thoughts. that was it. and it breaks my heart. >> harry no longer plays the physical game, but he's still a respected part of the team. walking among the players, helping them manage the

pressures, and when needed encouraging them to open up and get help. >> i think he in addition to setting the blueprint for how to utilize services when you need them, and his courageousness and sharing his story, his journey inspired a lot of student athletes around the nation. >> he's done such a great job making sure that us players are okay with talking about our mental health. so he's with us around the team and especially helps the young guys and knows what kind of problems that they could be facing. >> he is changing lives and changing the culture of our entire program. >> the whole point of me talking about anything is to not make it weird, is to destigmatize, to make it okay to talk about. >> i chose harry to be my champion, first and foremost i'm a dad of four kids who's watched a mental health crisis reach epidemic proportions. that's why the story is important, an ability with one person to shift the status quo of an entire culture around the sport of football at the highest level. >> he's been at the state of the union address, flown to d.c. to have interactions with folks on capitol hill about federal legislation for mental health. at such a young age he's had such a big impact.

at the same time he's still fighting some of this stuff. he shared with me that he finds peace in helping people. and that's what he's doing now. he's got such a bright future ahead of him. >> finding peace by helping others. and that's what my friend's anderson cooper's champions are doing as well. like so many journalists, anderson and i have never gotten used to the anguish looming after every mass shooting we've covered. anderson's champions, they also know that feeling from their own personal loss. and now whenever an attack happens, they help other victims' families navigate the painful aftermath. sandy and lonnie fillins have been on a journey for more than a decade. it started the night they lost their daughter, jessie, in the aurora, colorado, theater shooting. >> we received a phone call from the young man that was with her. and when i picked up the phone, i could hear the screaming going

on in the background. and the chaos. and he said, there's been a shooting. i said, oh, please, god, tell me that she is not dead. and the line went silent. i let out a scream. >> and at that moment, i knew that my wife would never be the same, and i would no longer have a daughter. >> just five months later, another mass shooting that shocked the nation -- newtown. sandy and lonnie flew in to support other grieving parents. >> we saw the parents of those children walking into the community center, and they were like zombies. and i said to my husband, we can help them. we can do what wasn't done for us. how are you guys doing? >> so what they've done is create a nonprofit called survivors empowered. i first spoke to them about it for "60 minutes" in 2019. >> that's lonnie justice checking in on you. >> the goal, to help with everything from mental health

resources to preparing survivors for media attention. it's so interesting what you're doing. you're not trained therapists, you're not counselors, and yet you have up-ended your lives in reaching out in a very individual way to people. >> yeah. it's compassion. >> their efforts have taken them across the country to some of the worst mass shootings in american history. with all they've learned, they created the survivors toolkit along with gabby giffords' organization. >> what we're trying to do with the toolkit is give it to every mayor in america so they've got it on hand when, not if, but when this happens in their community. >> they now focus on building up the next generation of survivors. >> my dad got shot five times. we were shoulder to shoulder, and not one bullet touched me. i still don't understand. >> dion green's father was killed in a mass shooting in dayton, ohio. >> sandy gave me her heart, gave me her ear and shoulder to lean on. >> now he travels the country

offering support. >> i followed her lead and took the choice to help others as well. >> we really try to make our legacy which is really jessie's legacy all about the future because we have found joy again. and i want other survivors to find that joy again. >> it's turning pain into power and then using it to help others. after the break, we're going to meet a brave journalist who is using the power of her pen to challenge the taliban's restrictions on women in afghanistan.

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alert your doctor right away, as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, or muscle weakness can be signs of a life-threatening condition. side effects may include allergic reactions, neck and injection site pain, fatigue, and headache. don't receive botox® if there's a skin infection. tell your doctor your medical history, muscle or nerve conditions and medications, including botulinum toxins, as these may increase the risk of serious side effects. in a survey, 92% of current users said they wish they'd talked to their doctor and started botox® sooner. so, ask your doctor if botox® is right for you. learn how abbvie could help you save on botox®. tonight we're introducing you to 12 people making a difference in the world. my friend christiane amanpour's champion leads a particularly courageous team -- they're bold journalists empowering afghan

women who are living under the taliban's restrictive rule. >> she's been running absolutely everything. she's quiet and very modest and humble. but you can see the fire there. >> my colleagues and other independent journalists, they are taking a hard risk. >> zara joya is dedicated to telling the stories of afghan women. in fact, she started the very first website that was four women and by women. only the way her journalists work now is dramatically different since the taliban's return. >> afghanistan is not safe for a woman and for journalists. >> i've been covering afghanistan since before 9/11 when the taliban was first in charge. for five years the religious police issued a series of edicts against women, banning them from wearing make-up, from wearing

high heels, banning them from work, from education. but their restrictions and their draconian crackdowns on women now are just as bad, perhaps worse than they were two decades ago. afghan women are afraid that this is the beginning of your efforts to erase them from the work space. you have a long experience of defying the taliban. you were in afghanistan the first time they came. >> yes. >> how did you get around their bans on girls' education? >> so i wore boys clothes. >> boys clothes? >> yes, boys clothes. i went with my two uncles to school. i lived in a remote village, two hours going to school and back. >> it was so important to you even as a young kid that you

were willing to take on that hardship. >> exactly. education changed my life. all of the people who are interviewing with us and my colleagues, all of them are anonymous. >> aanonymous. >> we can't guarantee the safety of journalists. >> what happens if they're caught? what's the punishment? >> if the taliban arrest them, i'm sure they will be tortured, imprisoned, and maybe they will be killed. >> are they scared? >> of course. >> and yet they keep doing it. >> they're very brave. >> zahra told me the story of a mother who was living in such desperate poverty she was ready to sell one of her children in order to have the others survive. >> finally published this story, our audience, they came to us and reached out to us and said we want to support and help this

mother. >> that's really powerful. >> traditional afghan food. >> zahra had to flee kabul when the taliban took over in 2021 and she's ended up in london trying to form a new community but still dedicated to trying to drive positive change in her home country. that exchange of uplifting stories as well as sad stories, at least that is happening. so even if you're somewhere in afghanistan where there's absolutely zero access to education, you still will be able to read the media and still get a sense of what your sisters are going through. >> do you ever hope, believe that you'll be able to return home? >> i only wish. i really miss my country. >> she's got this really almost infectious ambition and drive. she's so strong, she's so committed to what she believes

in. >> it's never easy moving to a new country, especially for people who are fleeing mortal danger at home. our next champion has made that desperate journey herself, and since then she's now helped hundreds of refugees start safe, productive lives in the united states. my colleague boris sanchez has her story, and as you're about to hear, for him it strikes a very personal chord. >> i was 3 years old when my family came to the united states from cuba. we landed in miami actually on my birthday. what brought my family to the united states was a desire for freedom. >> there's something very basic, very important that the human being needs, that is freedom. >> my grandfather watched many of his friends either get beat up in the street or incarcerated or disappeared simply for

wanting to bring democracy to cuba. and so he took up arms and went into the mountains and became a guerrilla fighter. soon after the cuban revolution, he realized that it wasn't headed in that direction. [ speaking in a non-english language ] >> translator: it was the complete opposite. a very repressive government. it is something very painful. >> he decided that he would speak out against it, and for that he was punished. it led him to being sentenced to 20 years in prison. >> translator: many companions were put to death for the same. >> just like my grandfather, there are to this day so many people around the world that are seeking refuge, that are being persecuted, and muriel signs is helping those folks. >> i have become a texan fully. when i left nicaragua i was 14 and i was adopted into this country. it's been a very good life here. >> until april of 2018. >> yes. april of 2018 changed my life

completely. >> in 2018, the government in nicaragua made a series of controversial decisions that led to an outpouring of protests and demonstrations in the streets. the government cracked down, and hundreds were killed. >> all these flashbacks of what happened when i was little started coming to me, and they diagnosed me with moderate to severe ptsd. i did live through the revolution in nicaragua in 1979. i was 10 years old. it was just very scary. i had to go to therapy, but the therapy wasn't helping me. i started helping other people and got active on twitter and facebook, and i started receiving pictures of people that had been tortured or shot, and people asking me for help. >> muriel quit her job as an occupational therapist to focus on this full-time. >> i help them fill out their applications for asylum. when i take down their testimonies and the reasons why

they fled, it's very hard on them having to say how they were attacked or brutalized. >> it was call after call after call, all while we were sitting there in front of her within the span of ten minutes. lawyers are really expensive and these people have fled their countries with the clothes they have on. they have no money, so that's where translating their documents and later on helping them with a work permit. >> she tells them where food pantries are, where they can find medical services, where their kids can get school supplies. she's given assistance to over 1,000 asylum seekers. >> if i can make it a little better and have the pain not be there, then i want to be part of that. >> muriel saenz is a champion for change because she is changing lives. she's opening a door for people

that are incredibly desperate for freedom and giving them an opportunity. >> a champion who literally answers the call. everyone we've highlighted so far is serving humanity. but after the break, you're going to meet an advocate for animals and see what the plight of shelter dogs may soon be perking up. i remember when i first started flying, and we would experience turbulence. i would watch the flight attendants. if they're not nervous, then i'm not going to be nervous. financially, i'm the flight attendant in that situation. the relief that comes over people once they know they've got a guide to help them through, i definitely feel privileged to be in that position. ♪

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sometimes the bravest people are also the most vulnerable. sara sidner is an example. she's made a career reporting from the world's most dangerous places but also struggled with the fear of failure. sara's champion helped her overcome that. sofia chang was a force in hip-hop music, managing groups like wu-tang clan, and now she's a force of nature. >> i will never stop saying, my name is sophia chang and i was raised by wu-tang. i was a yellow girl in a white world who wanted to be white. then i meet wu-tang, and they are so reverential.

of asian culture. they brought me around to a love of my culture, and therefore a love of self. >> reporter: a self-love that later motivated sophia to create a space exclusively for women of color. she calls it "unlock her potential." it doesn't promise outcomes, but it does promise possibilities. >> i wanted to be very specific about this. it is also for 18 and older. why? if you google mentorship programs, the vast majority are for young people. those folks absolutely need mentorship. but so do we. as we get older, as women of color, we are erased. and so i really am fighting it for all of the other women of color out there. >> sophia is a champion. she's going to make sure that you feel proud of whatever it is

you accomplish. last but certainly not least tonight, a story of loyalty. after years covering politics for cnn, jim acosta was ready for some unconditional love. and he found it in a shelter dog named duke. jim's champion is striving to revolutionize the way shelter animals are treated and adopted. >> what you doing over here? >> reporter: as harry truman said, if you want a friend in washington, get a dog. i was coming out of my seven or eight years at the white house. i was suddenly burdened with extra time on my hands. i thought, time to get a dog. this is duke. he is my rescue dog that i got from best friends. he was found in arkansas. mother was in an abandoned home. a lot of times with these rescue animals, they're coming out of pretty bad situations. >> traditional animal sheltering has been around for 150 years.

the status quo was, we don't have a choice, it's a necessary evil in our society that we have to kill these animals. best friends really became the disrupter, because they challenged the status quo. why don't we talk about how to best save our best friends? rather than how to best kill our best friends? >> julia is a remarkable person. she started in 1996. she was employee number 17 here. became the ceo of this amazing organization. what they're trying to do is sort of transform the animal rescue adoption experience. kanab, utah. this is where best friends basically runs their operations here in the southwest. it's a spectacular setting. and it makes it all the more welcoming and inviting as somebody who might be interested in adopting a pet. you go and see pigs and goats and horses. of course we saw dogs and cats.

there were turtles and parrots and cockatoos. i felt like dr. dolittle. >> what we do here at the sanctuary is so incredibly unique. so we are able to help animals that most other organizations couldn't. >> these aren't throw-away animals. these are precious, sentient beings that deserve a second chance at life. >> the arkansas facility, can you describe that? >> bentonville was an opportunity to reimagine. you're walking into this bright, cool environment with a coffee shop and no cages. you can participate in that life-saving in a way that's very similar to something like an apple store. >> the arkansas facility's important to me because that's where i got my pet from. >> it's a whole experience, i think, when you come in here. you can tell they want you and the dog to be taken care of. >> back in 1984 when best friends got started, they tell us that they were something in

the neighborhood of 17 million animals killed in this country. now about 378,000 last year. and best friends is the leader in that movement. they'd like to get to this place where the united states is a no-kill country, essentially, by 2025. >> the benchmark for no kill is 90%. roughly 10% of animals that are entering america's shelters probably are too sick to be saved. so it's that 90% benchmark that we're after. >> you think it's possible? >> absolutely. >> are you showing off? yes! >> from rescuing man's best friend to serving humanity itself, there are countless people out there quietly making a difference. i hope the stories we shared with you tonight inspire you to become a champion for change as well. i'm dr. sanjay gupta. thanks for watching.