♪ through anything ♪ hey ♪ we can stay together ♪ through any weather ♪ we can together ♪ we'll make it through whatever ♪ ♪ whoa oh oh ♪ whoa oh oh ♪ whoa oh oh ♪ whoa oh oh ♪ whoa oh oh ♪ whoa oh oh ♪ whoa oh oh ♪ we can stay together ♪ through any weather ♪ we can stay together ♪ through anything ♪ we can stay together ♪ through any weather ♪ we can stay together ♪ through anything

♪ we can stay together ♪ through any weather ♪ if we love ♪ we can stay together ♪ make it through whatever ♪ if we love ♪ through anything ♪ if we love ♪ yeah, anything ♪ if we love ♪ through anything ♪ hey [ cheers and applause ] >> jimmy: i want to thank harrison ford, keri russell. apologies to matt damon, we ran out of time. that album is called "unvarnished." it's out october 1st. playing us off the air with the song "bad reputation." you can see the full performance at jimmykimmellive.com. once again, joan jett and the blackhearts! ♪ ♪ i don't give a damn about my reputation ♪ ♪ you're living in the past ♪ it's a new generation

tonight on "nightline" -- saving daniel. he was only 12 years old when we first met him, a kid facing a heartbreaking diagnosis with impossible odds. but backed by a remarkable team at st. jude's children's hospital in memphis, cutting-edge medicine, and tender care, he faced the odds head on. tonight the incredible journey of the miracle survivor, who captured our hearts. and the medical pioneers who wouldn't take no for an answer. as we make good on the promise we made five years ago. and fifth time's the charm. it was for diana nyad. the 64-year-old phenomenon who

finally made her triumphant swim from cuba to florida. >> announcer: keep it right here, america.

good evening. it's a moment that's impossible to imagine unless you or a loved one have experienced it. a diagnosis of cancer. in daniel biljanoski's case an aggressive brain cancer untreatable at most hospitals. the prognosis is dreary. perhaps a year to live. but for daniel and his family especially devastating. he was just 12 years old. his very first day at st. jude's children's research hospital in memphis, "nightline" was there to witness a rigorous, groundbreaking treatment and one very courageous young man.

when daniel and his mother, lisa, arrive at st. jude -- >> please come to the ctu. >> reporter: -- it is an act of both hope and desperation. >> i'm sure he's exhausted. hit the pillow at -- >> reporter: doctors at his home in upstate new york have told his parents they think he has less than a year to live. >> tell me about that moment when they look at you and say your baby -- >> it's terrible. it's horrible. >> let me put this on your arm. >> reporter: one set of worries is quickly removed. >> you know everything here is paid for through st. jude. you'll never get a bill from st. jude for anything. >> reporter: and for daniel it may also be a last hope. >> we're going to go get some

vital signs. >> reporter: the type of brain cancer he has, atrt, is untreatable at most hospitals. but for more than a decade dr. ahmad gajar here at st. jude has been pioneering a new treatment which he believes may save daniel's life. >> is the tumor he has amongst the worst you've seen in children? >> it is an aggressive tumor in children. no question about it. >> reporter: the treatment will be grueling. >> be careful about -- >> reporter: daniel may well lose some of his hearing and some of his strength. his ability to learn may also be affected. the question is how much? so before daniel begins treatment, everything is measured. >> there's a chance that there will make you sick to your stomach, the radiation. >> reporter: attacking the cancer with a treatment so aggressive that children under 3 cannot survive it without suffering significant brain damage. >> that's the brain tumor? >> that's it.

>> reporter: dr. thomas merchant is also part of the team. >> all of this is the tumor? >> right. >> this little boy had a tumor that consumed almost a quarter of his brain. >> it was very extensive. >> i'll be here for quite some time, but just knowing the doctors and everyone is so nice, you know that you're in great care. >> reporter: with all the support and kindness, this is still a hospital. >> if you could have a brain surgery you could get -- >> reporter: these are still children, children with cancer, who must endure poking and prodding and needles. >> all right. that's it. you know where the toy chest is. you get to get something out of the toy chest. >> reporter: bravery is rewarded here. >> i choose this guy. >> reporter: and daniel was going to need all his courage. >> the survival rates from this kind of cancer -- >> they're very low.

>> reporter: how low for someone his age? 12 years old. >> and he low. i just can't even bring myself to say. >> reporter: how low? >> survival is not very common. >> reporter: but the doctors here have a way of beating the odds. there is no time to waste. >> how do you feel? >> good. >> reporter: doctors need to know immediately if the surgeons in upstate new york were able to remove the entire time in daniel's brain or whether cancer cells are still spreading. >> almost my height. >> reporter: dr. bakazy will supervise a series of mris to find out. >> we are monitoring his blood pressure, his heart rate, his oxygen, his breathing closely from the control room while he's having a scan. at the same time he's listening to the shrek music, he's relaxed, he's comfy. ♪ i thought love was only true in fairy tales ♪ >> reporter: the next day daniel and lisa meet radiation

oncologist dr. larry kahn. daniel is nervous, worried about the test results. >> yeah, actually today's scans look good. >> really? >> reporter: but dr. kahn is unaware that he and his mother have not yet been told the results of the mris. >> his spinal looks okay. >> okay meaning there's nothing -- oh, i'm so excited. that's awesome. >> i guess you didn't know that. it looks good. >> i actually stayed up late at night actually researching everything they said about the spines because you've got to take action immediately. the spine just connects to all the organs and everything. >> that's true. and your spine looks perfectly good. >> oh, i'm so happy. get your butt over here. >> reporter: daniel will not just receive treatment at st. jude -- >> that's all somewhat preliminary. >> reporter: he's part of a research protocol, as are all the children admitted to the hospital. >> octopus. >> he's on a protocol, probably the most intense in the nation, for this type of tumor.

>> reporter: but as rigorous as the treatment is, thein st. jude's does its best to let the sick kids here still be kids. and they've arranged a treat especially for daniel. >> oh, my gosh. >> the acrobatic finish on the other end. >> reporter: even the tough guys on the memphis grizzlies respond to daniel's courage. >> all right. you take care of yourself. all right? >> you can keep that ball. >> thanks. >> you can have that. >> thank you. mom, i can keep the ball. >> it was awesome. words can't explain how happy and grateful i am. >> reporter: an experience that will help carry him through the grueling months to come. it's january 2008. >> welcome to hogwarts. >> reporter: harry potter fills the room. daniel's chosen a tape of the

young wizard to help him through his radiation therapy. this is his 19th treatment. >> daniel, we're going to take a couple of films today. >> reporter: the dose must be big enough to stop the cancer from returning while doing as little damage as possible to daniel's brain. >> everything's pushing really hard and they have to line up all the lasers. >> you're not just putting on an act for us? you feel strnong? >> mm-hmm. i do. i feel strong like mentally and physically. >> reporter: by the end of january daniel has received 31 radiation treatments. and finally, he is allowed to go home to auburn, new york for the month of february. >> everyone sewed a little patch for who was praying for me, and i just love it. >> reporter: and best of all, daniel has some old-fashioned fun. >> oh, i love the snow. i just don't want to hit my incision. mom made me wear a helmet.

>> reporter: of course his friendsrail elated to have him home. >> now that he's back i'm really happy. >> i've been thinking about him a lot. he's -- he's always, you know, in our hearts. we're always thinking about him. >> when we get home, we're plying the wii. >> reporter: the month at home is delicious for daniel. and painful. a reminder of all he is missing. in march it's time for him to return to st. jude for chemotherapy. >> daniel's anxious the. the chemotherapy has been described to him as poisons that are going to be put into his body. and they will kill the good cells as well as the bad cells. >> reporter: the chemotherapy will turn out to be even worse than they fear. >> i was horrified. i wasn't strong. i was in complete disbelief of how sick the kids actually become. >> daniel biljanoski.

27163. >> reporter: many days daniel is violently ill. during the course of his chemo he's also being given his own stem cells to help him tolerate the massive doses in a relatively short period of time. finally, after three months of chemotherapy, by june it has come to an end. >> i feel so light-headed that i might even trip over my legs. >> reporter: it has been seven months since his cancer was diagnosed. >> and you will be saying good-bye to memphis. but you're going to miss us. >> reporter: finally, a month later in july, after regaining some of his strength, daniel is headed home. but for how long? when we come back. you have time to shop for car insurance today? yeah. i heard about progressive's "name your price" tool? i guess you can tell them how much you want to pay

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ever since comedian danny thomas opened the st. jude children's research hospital 50 years ago, the hospital has significantly advanced children's survival rates from cancer. not only that, it's all free. no family has ever been sent a bill by st. jude. how do they do it? well, the entertainer's daughter, actress marlo thomas, spearheads the hospital's massive fund-raising. $776 million raised last year alone. for daniel biljanoski, like thousands of other kids turned

down at hospital after hospital, st. jude is the last hope. after seven months of treatment daniel is finally headed home. >> you're home. >> reporter: his grandmother and family friends are there to greet him. zblifrt -- can't believe this day has come. >> words can't describe how i feel. i'm so happy and excited. >> reporter: the journey through this year, through cancer, has been a long one. ♪ for he's a jolly good fellow ♪ that nobody can deny he arrives home in time to surprise his little brother on his birthday. a sort of rebirth for him as well. >> hi, nicolai. >> reporter: that day daniel was all the present nicolai needed.

>> he came in with a bow on. i was like am i dreaming? >> reporter: but is it happiness you can count on in it is now almost a year since daniel was diagnosed with brain cancer. the leaves are falling. the pumpkins are out. and daniel is back in school. >> what did you get on that science class? >> 102. >> seriously? >> yeah, i got like an 88. >> reporter: though tests show the cancer treatment has slowed his ability to process information a little bit -- >> can anyone come up and draw this on the board for us? >> reporter: -- daniel remains a straight a sfutudent. >> the number two i got into the ninth. >> nicolai, you show-off. >> reporter: and every day he's getting stronger. >> i don't have the stamina i used to but i'm trying to get my stamina back to where i used to have it. >> daniel, there are people at the door for you. >> reporter: best of all, on november 4th, daniel turns 13 years old. >> daniel, happy birthday. i'm so glad you're okay and home

safely and healthy. >> reporter: that alone was a cause for celebration. >> he wasn't expected to be here for his 13th birthday. ♪ happy birthday to you ♪ cha cha cha >> reporter: but what the long-term future had in sight for him was unclear. when we parted ways in 2008, i confessed i was worried about him. but to rally his spirits i blurted out that i expected an invitation to his high school graduation, promising i would be there. we said our good-byes. this summer, more than 5 1/2 years later, we received a surprising phone call. not only is daniel alive and well, but it was time to make good on that promise. he was poised to graduate. >> oh! i can't believe it! look at you. you're all grown up. >> almost there. but i'm still growing. >> reporter: now 17, going on 18, he invited us back to auburn because he told us he wants to

give other kids hope. >> i can't forget about it because it's always there. and i've learned so much from it. >> it's amazing. it makes me cry to see you. >> thank you so much. >> reporter: he's blossomed into a mature and active teen. >> i love driving so much. i really do. >> well, it is independence, isn't it? >> reporter: plays on the varsity doubles tennis team. and while he goes back to st. jude every six months for checkups, he says every day he feels great. >> nice serve. >> it's unbelievable. he's playing tennis with me first doubles on varsity. it's insane. >> reporter: despite in cognitive delays from his surgery, he is a top honors student, the recipient of over seven scholarships and awards. >> you graduated with a really high average, something in the 90s, right? >> yes. >> do you ever think about those days back at st. jude when you were so sick? >> quite often.

because those are the days that i -- you can't ever forget about treatments because they make you who you are. >> reporter: indeed they do. >> look at you. >> reporter: daniel wants to become a doctor and has been accepted to siena college. and through a special program, med school too. he says he wants to give back what he received. >> are you ready, guys? >> yes. >> thank you. >> that's a happy picture. ♪ >> reporter: and this extraordinary day. >> we are filled with excitement and hope for all of you on this day. >> reporter: once a sick child's dream, now a young man's reality. >> live life to the fullest. >> reporter: when we first met daniel almost six years ago, we were deeply concerned that his story would be too sad to air on television. but he surprised us all. >> daniel biljanoski. >> reporter: a testament to his spirit, his family -- >> just enjoy every day. embrace it. >> reporter: and the staff at st. jude's.

>> got my diploma. >> reporter: who never lost sight of the person by only seeing the disease. >> what a great young man. well, as of his last visit to st. jude, daniel is now officially cancer-free. off to college this week, we know he has a big fan club of doctors and nurses from st. jude cheering him on. next, our feed frenzy, diana nyad's historic swim and the highly anticipated lead actors announced for "fifty shades of grey." anna, your hotels have wondrous waffle bars. ryan, your hotels' robes are fabulous. i have twelve of them. twelve? shhhh, i'm worth it& what i'm trying to say is, it's so hard to pick just one of you, so i'm choosing all of you with hotels.com. a loyalty program that requires no loyalty. plus members can win a free night every day only at hotels.com [ alarm sound for malfunctioning printer ]

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in tonight's "feed frenzy" -- while many of us were relaxing this labor day, 64-year-old diana nyad became the first person to swim from cuba to florida without the help of a shark cage. she did have a special mask that protected her against jellyfish, which doomed her last attempt. arriving on the beach in key west after her 53-hour journey, she had this to say -- zblefr >> never, ever give up. >> so after this triumph we wonder who will play nyad in the movie? and speaking of casting, today e.l. james announced by twitter the leads for the film adaptation of her blockbuster erotic novel "fifty shades of grey." charlie hunnam wasn't at the top of most