_hm this is itit "nightline," born mystery. his doting parents open up about their remarkable story and the decisions. plus her characters have all kinds of secret. but for shonda rhimes, the biggest secret was her own. she takes us inside her world. and a special reading of 'twas the night before christmas with all-star whoopi goldberg,

holiday favorite. but first the "nightline" five. as an american, it's hard to hear good evening, we begin with another look at a poignant story of love and sacrifice in the face of overwhelming odds. a young couple learns their child will be born with a debilitating medical condition, and they bring him into the world anyway. it's been a tough road and it's still not easy, but now these parents have a medical marvel on their hands. here's abc's david wright. >> for brandon and brit nigh bul, the first serious curveball of parenthood came the day after

>> these are hislegs. his hands a a feet are in the air lili this. >> reporter: the scan where the couple first found out they were having a baby boy. >> the ultrasound tech was acting strange. she got really strange. when she got to his head and was word. >> then the very next day, t phone rang. bifida. >> how did you process it? i couldn't really believe it. >> turns out the initial diagnosis was wrong. but the scan showed a severe brain abnormality. th brain almost non-existent. miraculously, jackson survived, he's now just over a year old. the doctors didn't expect him to. in fact, it was the sort of pregnancy where doctors as gently as possible mentioned the word termination. abortion has much charge. >> it wasn't until 23 weeks that

>> that we had the option to terminate in the state of florida until 24 weeks. >> to put it bluntly, many families faced with that scan into the world. >> how many fingers do i see? chance. >> where do they come from? i can't say. but i bet they've come a long, >> but in a way, this is the essence of that debate. >> it can be. >> some people take it that way. way. termination. >> i would feel terrible doing something like that. but if they were to tell me, he was going to suffer, or he would in pain, or my life was in jeopardy, then my thought different. >> we're christian and we believe in what we believe in, but we still are going to do the best thing for our family, for brittany, and ultimately for jackson. >> and this is jackson today.

>> for us, this is normal. we don't have another child. this is the first one. >> even just bathing him is a task that requires both parents. >> want to play with your toys? this one or that one? >> where do you put his happiness? >> he's happy almost all the time. he's just like any other baby. he's teething and gasy,, s s he's cranky often. >> t tre you . good job! >> and he's the sweetest baby. i know we're byiased and that's fine. >> but jackson is not like most other babies. here's what his brain should look like. instead, this is jackson's brain. only a year later did neurologists come up with a proper diagnosis. >> microhydro ensefaly. august. there? >> very little. >> will he ever be able to talk? >> i would be shocked if he could. >> will he ever be able to walk?

>> there's no prognosis. doctors are surprised he's made it this far. >> do you have any sense as to how long he can survive with this? >> i don't ow. i don't have a crystal ball. it really depends on the medical complications. >> such a good boy. >> he's only made it this far with the help of his parents. jackson gets nutrition through a feeding tube. burping him involves removing the excess fluid from his stomach. he sometimes suffers from mild seizures. >> even when he's really calm. sometimes he'll just go into a slight seizure. >> is he suffering? >> i don't think so. he was irritable when i saw him, and there's nothing about this that causes pain, per se. >> reporter: pain and suffering are not necessarily the same things. in the end, the doctors themselves say that science alone can't answer that question. >> and what is his quality of

>> again, i imagine but i don't have a full appreciation of parents. >> how he's able to see the lights on his toy is baffling because the ser eastbound rum is so small as to be non-existent. >> mommy can't do it for you. i'll remind you, you put your hand and you press it, like that. >> reporter: and yet his parents, who spend so much time with them are convinced their son is in there. >> it's so cute when he gets so proud of himself. he grins. >> yeah, it's a cute grin. >> it is cute. >> responding t theirir love and attention. >> every day we spend time with him. every day we play with him. every day we say i love you. >> a hundred million times. >> maybe a little exaggeration. but probably over a hundred times a day. no exaggeration. >> can you sit up like a big boy? here.

smart. he hears those things every day from us. maybe i'm biased, but i believe positive reinforcement, talking to him, loving him -- >> that was a big yawn, buddy. >> i think he's responding to that very well. >> reporter: not only that, they feel he loves you back. they hear him saying so in videos such as this. >> i love you. >> and even if others may not hear it, these parents feel it. but brittany and brandon also hear from the neigh sayers. when they post his photos and videos online, people write the most terrible things. >> and we can't fathom would think something like that about an innocent child, especially one with special needs and two, actually hit the send button. >> he's a lucky boy, you guys seem like great parents. >> we try. >> we try hard. >> jackson is lucky, because many parents would not have given him that chance. it hasn't been easy. a lot of his treatments,

are not covered by insurance. they've had to resort to a go fund me campaign which is covering most of their bills for now. >> every decision we've ever made for him has been about his happiness, his comfmft, no matter what that meant, ando matter what the cost. >> i feel like jackson is doing so well and can teach the medical world so much. >> and we realize that jackson's life has a purpose, whether you are faith-based, or scientific and want to see more about medicine, learn more about the human brain. and at the same time, we realize the reality of jackson. that we're probably going to outlive him. there's an excellent chance of that. we're just trying to give him the best life possible. >> knowing that it might be a short one. >> we realize that. so every day is precious. >> jackson, almost 16 months old now, is still showing improvements. here he is taking his first picture with santa. ordinary people struggling with an extraordinary burden, and

i'm david wrighgh for "nightline" in tavares, florida. up next, she's not afraid of the dark side on shoz like "scandal" and how to get away with murder. >> do what i say and ask questions later! >> but shonda rhimes said she spend years hiding her own crippling secret. and later, whoopi goldberg, with a special christmas message. and that was amazing. along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. it absolutely reduced my urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking o oafter stopping chahaix. some had seires while taking chantix. if you have any of these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental health problems, which could get worse or of seizures. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you have these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away

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dave, i'm sorry to interrupt. i gotta take a sick day tomorrow. dads don't take sick days, ds take nyquil severer the nittime, sniffling, sneezizi, coughing, aching,

so she's the undisputed queen of primetime tv. shonda rhimes, the strong leading lady behind the strong leading ladies on "scandal" and

but behind the scenes, she's wrestled with serious and at times debilitatiti vulnerabilities. >> so when you walk onto the set like this, you must be giddy. >> it's exciting. this is pretty magical to me. >> we're getting an intimate tour of the oval office. a hollywood mock-up anyway. you may not recognize our guide, but chances are, you've been insideer racy day dreams. >> this can't happen, not anymore. >> there's been hanky panky in here too. >> there's been a lot of desk. >> stop. >> no. >> it's crazy what your imagination can build. >> shonda's imagination reaches roughly 30 million people a week with "grey's anatomy," "scandal," and "how to get away with murder." her world, shondaland. over the last 12 years, she's created bold female characters that dominate in typicalal

much like shonda herself. but one big difference, shonda was painfulfully uncomfortable in the spotlight. >> i'm a writer, i'm supposed to be behind the scenes. and everybody else in front. >> despite being invited to every glamourous party in hollywood, she'd make excuses saying she was too busy. until her sister provoked her. >> i was going on and on about the invitations i'd received and my sister cut in and said, are you going to say "yes" to anything? you never say "yes" to anything? and tho words stuck with me. she was right. >> so this became a campaign t t say "yes" to things that scared you. >> to say "yes" to things that freaked me out. >> for a full year she'd take on all the things she'd worked so hard to avoid. it began with an invitation to appear on jimmy kimmel, who she'd turned down so many times

>> i tip my white hat to you. >> what you started saying "yes," what happened? >> it's the doing of the thing that undoes the fear. >> but it was more than public "yes" to. >> let's talk about the f word. >> i did. i got on the airplane to go to new york, and i couldn't get the seat belt buckled. you can call the stewardess and ask for an extender, and i decided i was going to die because i wasn't going to say it out loud, my seat belt won't buckle. life-changing. >> i hit this point where i said, i work hard in every other areaaabc of my life, why wouldn't i throw myself into being healthy in the same way? >> at one point, losing 137 pounds. shonda said she was finally feeling comfortable in her own skin. but with every "yes," she struggled more to find time to

she's also frank aut motherhood and the dirty little secret working mototrs are often too afraid to talk about. that you really can't have it all. >> i was literally at my daughter's first debut in her school musical, and i missed sandra o. last filming eve at "grey's anatomy." it was not a question for me where i was going to be. but that was a really important moment at work and it was a big deal that i missed it. >> a big deal in part because christina yang was shonda's alter ego come to life. >> get out of my er! >> our feelings and our sense of relationships are very similar. >> don't let what you want eclipse what you need. he's veryy dreamy, but he's not the sun. you are. >> so when christina left gray

lover to pursue her keercareer, it was a major statement. >> one of the other things you talk about in the book, she doesn't want to get married. >> no, she doesn't. >> and you wrote that into her story line using your own life as a reference point? >> i did. i discovered i don't want to get married. at least for now. >> do you feel like it's important for women to throw out that fairy tale ending in a way? >> i don't know that women have to throw out the fairy tale ending. i just think they have to decide what their fairy tale ending is and not go with the standard one that everyone's told them they're supposed to have. up next, whoopi goldberg embracing the holiday spirit with a special christmas message. >> abc news "nightline," brought to you by pfizer. what about my family? my li'l buddy? and what if this happened again? i was given warfarin in the hospital but i wondered if this was the right treatment for me. then my doctor told me about eliquis.

and reduces the risk of them happening again. not only does eliquis treat dvt and pe blood clots, but eliquis also had significantly less major bleeding than the standard treatment. knowing eliquis had both... turned around my thinking. don't stop eliquis unless your doctor tells you to. eliquis can cause serious and inare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. if youad a spinal injection while on eliquis call your doctor right away if you have tingling, numbness, or muscle weakness. while taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily... and it may take longer than usual for bleeding to stop. seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. eliquis treats dvt & pe blood clots. plus had less major bleeding. both made switching to eliquis right for me. ask your doctor if it's right for you.

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so when you think of the holidays, you think santa claus or frosty the snowman, but at its core,, it's aboutestivities with family and friends. so tonight o friend whoopi & goldberg is ringing in the holidays for "nightline" from her living room. reading us a classic christmas tale. >> ho ho ho. hello. i'm going to give you my recitation of the night before christmas, because i really like it, and it's my favorite thing to do just before i go to bed. so lay back, or sit back, or just sit, if you're a puppy, or cat. 'twas the night before christmas when all through the house, not

the stockings were hung by the chimney with care in hopes that there. now the children were also nestled snug in their beds, while visions of sugar plums danced in their heads. and mama in her ker chief and i in my hat had settled our brains down for a long winter's nap. when out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, i leapt up from matter. away to the window i flew like a flash, tore up the shutters, threw up the sash. and the moon on the new fallen snow, gave a luster of midday to objects below. when what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a miniature sleighnd eight tiny reindeer. with an old driver so lively and quick, i knew in a minute, it

he whistled and sought shouted and called them by name, now dash e dancer, prancer vixen, cupid, donner and blitzen. now dash away, dash away, dash away all, which i assume meant, hey, go to the top of the porch and then go to the top of the wall and then get out of here. that's what i think that meant. as dry leas before the wild hurricane fly, when they met with an obstacle mountain in the sky. so up to the house, to the top quarters they flew, with a sleigh full of toys and saint nicholas too. and then in a twinkling, i heard up on the roof, the prancing and pawing of each little tiny hoof. as i drew in my head and was turning ararnd, down the chimney st. nicholas came with a bound.d. he came dn the chimney, which i personally think would have

saint nick and so, magic happens, but don't try that at home. i think trying that at home is a bad day. anyway, he was dressed all in fur -- fake fur. just saying. from his head to his foot and his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot. the bundle of toys he flung up on his back, he looked like an old peddler just opening his pack. his eyes, ooh, thewere twinkling, his diles, how merry, his cheeks like roses, his nose like a cherry. and his beard of his chin was as white as snow. and the stump of his pipe, well, he didn't actually have a pipe. the stump of his starbucks, he held in his teeth, and the coffee encircled has head like a wreath. he had a broad face and a round little belly and it shook when

he was plus sized, plump, right old elf, and i laughed when i s s him in spite of myself. now i wasn't laughing at him. i was laughing with him. he was going, ho ho ho, so we were laughing together. so a wink of his eye and a twist of his head soon gave me to know i had nothing to dread. well, i do have some things to dread, but i wasn't dreading seeing him. that's what that means. and he didn't say a word, he went straight to his work, filled all of the stockings and turned with a jerk. he laid his finger aside his nose and giving a nod, whoop, whoop, up the chimney he rose. he sprang to his sleigh. to his team he gave a whistle and away they all flew, like a down on a thistle. but i heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight, merry

good night. the night before christmas,by clement moore. >> and goodnight to you, whoopi. and for all of you out there, thanks for watching abc news. tune into "good morning america" tomorrow first thing. and as always, we're online at our facebook page for "nightline" and a a abc.com. have a wononrful holiday and he'll see you tomorrow.tmas time" plays ] merry christmas! i'm jacque reid in the midst of shoppers shopping at a local mall in new york city. hello, jacque. and i'm a.r. bernard, celebrating christmas right here at christian cultural center in brooklyn, new york.