>> "bay area life," where lifestyle, interests, food, and en >> welcome back to the show, everyone. i'm almost to my next location. all i need to do is park. and parallel parking in the civic couldn't be easier. ♪ hey, everyone. i am hanging out in hayward in kris' beautiful kitchen. >> that's right. kind of. >> but it's not exactly your kitchen. >> no, it's not. if it was, you'd be sitting over there with a nice, cold glass of pinot grigio, but it happens to be one of our beautiful kitchens in our showroom here in hayward. >> awesome. so, we are at airport home appliance & mattress, and we are talking about all the amazing appliances that you guys carry here, right? >> that's right. >> give our viewers just a taste of just a few of the brands that they might be familiar with? >> so, i'm sure people have heard of g.e., whirlpool, all

those samsung, even a lot of the pacific brands that have come over, lg, we've got something called fulgor from italy. we have bertazzoni. we have about close to 50 different brands of appliances, so we're definitely appliance specialists. >> really? >> yes. >> now, i know some people may be under the impression that you go to airport home appliance & mattress for discounted products or products that have been out of the box or damaged. ut>>i smeurane., this is high-d stuff. i mean, you're more than just that. >> yes, you're talking about some of the things that we get that might have a scratch or dent. we actually have special sales for those, and sometimes, within the stores, we might have a little section that might have a few of the scratch-and-dent items, but for the most part, we have just an incredible array of appliances. we are family-owned and operated. my sister, kate, you know, she's like the wonder woman. she wears the wonder woman belt and crest. she's running around between all the five store and locations. i think we come to market looking like we're a big-box store, and i think a lot of people think we're just, like, this huge big-box operation.

it's true we go head-to-head with these big-box stores, with the lowe's, the home depots out there. no problem, because we can compete with them. if people are looking for a bargain range or, let's say, replacement range, they might have it at some price we can buy in such large volume because we do a huge volume business. we beat them every day. >> so, you basically cover all the gamuts when it comes to appliances. >> yes. something for every budget, which is great. we have people that are new homeowners and maybe they didn't like their refrigerator that they've inherited. might be a little scary. so we'll help them out with that. or if they want to upgrade, great. or let's say they're trying to flip the house and they just want it to look great but not spend a ton of money. we're the place. >> okay. >> it's with the use of... >> you talk about your elite team -- right? -- at all of your stores. >> that's a certification process. they go through a long process of training. it takes close to a couple of years for them to become proficient at this program. so if a person comes in and is really -- you know, they're gonna be in this house for a long time. everybody knows in the bay area

the investment in owning a home, and they want the right appliances the first time around and not figure it out after a couple years. they speak to one of our elite appliance people, and they'll be set. they'll be very happy, yes. there are 14 languages spoken at airport appliance with our sales staff. >> we're in this beautiful kitchen, and i notice that some of the appliances just fit perfectly flush in the cabinets. >> we specialize in built-in appliances, and that's, i think, a hard thing for people to buy online, because just even buying a built-in microwave, you have no idea of exactly how to measure it. you might have to remove a trim kit, you know, to get the right measurements and everything. but we actually offer field measuring from our stores to come out to your house, and we have an expert staff that can actually ask you all the right questions. you know, our warehouse sales that we have, these big blowout warehouse sales, a lot of them, there is nothing wrong with the product. they're just out of a box due to mismeasurement. >> you guys have a big event coming up this fall. >> yes. >> tell us about it.

>> we want to do it in the fall because it's interesting how often people wait till the week of thanksgiving, right? i know they're busy, you know, school starts, but we really encourage people, once you get those kids in school and you got the routine going and you think you're gonna be hosting any holiday thing, you want to start early, because the popular items, believe it or not, do sell out. ♪ ♪ >> kris, we are here in your hayward store. >> yeah. >> for some of the folks who haven't been out here, i mean, you've got a little bit of everything here, right? >> we do. well, the building is unique. the showroom used to end right here, and so the front part, that was the showroom. the rest of it was a warehouse, and actually, this was our warehouse back here. >> and then, over here, on our right and left... >> yeah, this is home on the range. okay. we have so many ranges. so people will ask -- we were talking about built-in appliances earlier. so this is, like, a slide-in range.

notice that it has unfinished sides, so it actually sits up on a countertop. then there's something called a freestanding range that has all the controls back here. >> oh. >> it has finished sides. here, we're getting into the freestanding products of the ranges. these are otrs, or they're known as over-the-range microhoods. so we can get that microwave up off the counter so it's not only a microwave, but it's a hood, as well, and a nice cooking light for your cooking surface down here. got a whole nother building next door that has our mattresses, all our refrigeration, built-in refrigeration, freestanding refrigeration. takes up a lot of room. and all the laundry equipment is next door. >> and now we've got the mattresses here. >> that's right. land of mattresses -- isn't that weird? appliance store with mattresses? but we found that a lot of people that, when they come in to buy appliance packages, a lot of them are moving in to a new home or they're just updating everything in their house, and, yes, we carry mattresses. we've got serta, we've got simmons, we've got tempur-pedic, and we have guaranteed low pricing on this product, as well. >> ahh. >> you need a mattress? how old is your mattress?

>> i do, actually. >> yeah. how did you sleep last night? [ both laugh ] >> depends. [ both laugh ] you can learn more about airport home appliance & mattress by visiting airportappliance.com. ♪ >> the leukemia & lymphoma society and light the night honors heroes and honors those that have passed away.

woman: so, greg, it's a lot to take in. woman 2: and i know that's hard to hear, but the doctors caught it early. hi, blake! my dad has cancer. woman: and i know how hard that is to hear. but you're in the right place. man: and dr. pascal and her team, they know what to do. they know what to do. the doctors know what to do. so here's the plan. first off, we're going to give you all... (voice fading away)

♪ >> hi, everyone. welcome back to "bay area life." i'm impressed with how much power this honda civic has. it's fast, efficient, and fun. ♪ >> every year, abc7 partners with the leukemia & lymphoma society for their light the night fundraisers. light the night walks feature honored heroes, and so many of them are young members of our communities. blood-cancer fighters and survivors with inspiring stories to share. ♪ >> this is rainbow dash, and she

makes the rainbow. and this is pinkie pie. >> well, tessa was diagnosed with all leukemia in june of last year, june of 2016, and it was very, very upsetting. we were told that she had leukemia, and the night -- we came in about midnight that night. >> you know, it was a whirlwind of emotions and everything. we couldn't even talk about it to anybody for the first couple days 'cause it was -- he didn't know. it was the fear of not knowing. >> since then, the family has been making the trek back and forth to san francisco from their home in fort bragg in order for tessa to receive the vital treatments she's needed to fight her cancer. >> they give you all this information, and you sign all these forms about these poisons that you have to put into your child, but it's that or you may not have your child anymore. >> sometimes you even feel almost guilty when she's going through some of these scary processes so well, 'cause she -- a lot of people, chemo will make them sick or they don't feel well.

she seems to like to sing and dance to her doll. she has this great attitude, and that helps us get through it. >> and it's tessa's smile and fighting spirit that's earned her the role of honored hero for this year's lls light the night in san francisco. >> you know, the experience itself and watching other people walk with their lanterns and for survivors and for cancer, she is a -- she is a hero, you know? she's a lot of people's hero in this process. we know how special she is. if she can share her spirit with other people, then maybe it'll help other people get through it. >> across the bay, in walnut creek, another honored hero will light the night. >> i like to play baseball. i like to ride my scooter -- i got a new one. and i like to ride my new bike that i got for my birthday. hi. my name is sage nelson. i am 9 years old, and i am a burkitt's lymphoma survivor. >> i noticed he sounded

different, his voice. we had a bunch of people look down his throat, kind of like -- so we called it a circus act. everybody was kind of amazed. they could actually see the tumor down his throat. and so it was attached to his tonsil. we actually had it removed not that long after that, and immediately, within less than 24 hours, we got a call. i was at work, and the doctor said, "your son has cancer. you need to immediately go home, pack your stuff, grab your son, your husband, and start chemo this evening at ucsf. so, that's what we did. >> i just remember, you know, just screaming as loud as i could in my truck and just kind of, like, if it was anyone in the world, why him, you know? because he didn't deserve it, you know? and if i could trade places with him, i would, but i couldn't. it was really tough. it was really tough. i mean, it's every parent's worst nightmare. we thought that we might lose him, and that was the hard part. and right away, our family therapist that was there to support us, said, "you're not gonna die from this," and i was like, "thank goodness you're

here," because i didn't know that, either, you know? so that was encouraging that they had such a positive prognosis, that they knew he wasn't gonna pass away. >> it was kind of hard seeing my brother that i cared for a lot. and just, like, when you were doing your own thing, there was, like, no kind of way for me to help him out other than, like, just visiting him and making him have hope. >> dubbed "super sage," this young lymphoma survivor and his family know the importance of showing support and giving back. and they're using the leukemia & lymphoma society and light the night as a platform to do just that. >> the leukemia & lymphoma society and light the night honors heroes and honors those that have passed away. they're people in our community. they're people we know. they're people we can relate to. there are families that are just like ours. >> our first experience with light the night, i was kind of really nervous about him being around all these kids and roughhousing with his old

buddies and grabbing each other and, you know, touching, and my wife would say, "just let him go and let him have his time." and i just remember how much fun he had and how awesome it was for all of his friends to join him and be there. and then, now, i think it's really important for us to give back, because so many people were so generous with us and so helpful to us and reached out and supported us. and so now, for him to be able to be the kind of poster boy for that is just absolutely awesome, and we really think it's important for him to give back. [ laughter ] >> "light the night" on three. light the light on me. >> 1, 2, 3! >> light the night! [ laughter ] ♪ >> there's so much to explore in the bay area, so we'll be back with more stories to share. in the meantime, we want to hear from you, so send us your favorite stories, pictures, videos, and places in the bay area. visit us online, join us on facebook, and follow us on twitter. all of this fun driven by your northern california honda

dealers. ♪ ♪ ♪

spring, when hundreds of people come from around the world, to

try and summit mt. everest. in her time, freer has fashioned a stretcher from coiled rope a tarp. she's set broken bones with trekking poles. >> too much pain? >> reporter: she's even extracted teeth with pliers from the local sherpa guides. >> yeah, it's pretty rooted in there. >> reporter: but it's the visiting climbers who usually need the most serious attention. this is a deadly and has been a deadly adventure for many people. >> tragedies happen every year, our bodies are not designed to live in this austere environment. there's no oxygen, the conditions are brutal. >> reporter: so brutal that nearing the 29,029-foot summit, oxygen ceases to exist. it's an area called the death zone. by far the greatest risk to climbers is high altitude pulmonary edema, or hape -- reduced oxygen in the air causes

some blood vessels in the lungs to dangerously constrict. the pressure causes those vessels to leak, filling the airways with blood, making breathing difficult, even impossible. but perhaps dr. freer's greatest macgyver episode happened when she crossed paths with joe and liz hughes. avid mountaineers, the couple met while climbing a mountain in south africa. although deny it was "love at first height." >> no. it was friendship -- >> yes. >> kindred spirit. you're doing something that's very dangerous. we watched out for each other. >> both were experienced climbers. they felt like they were destined to be together, though it also seemed they would never hear little footsteps behind them. >> you didn't even think you could get pregnant -- >> it wasn't supposed to be in the cards for me. >> reporter: but conquering mt. everest was, and the couple

vowed to do it as a team. >> it can be the most incredible experience but it -- it's also a killer. people die there. >> yes. >> were you fully aware of the risks? did it make you give -- give it a second thought at all? >> of course, there's always, you know, doubt and some fear, but i was up for the challenge and i was ready to do it. >> you gamed the risks and figured out this -- >> exactly. >> is worth the risk? >> it's worth the risk. >> reporter: after six months of intensive training, they set off in the spring of 2004. their plans quickly went awry. >> when was the first time you met them? >> they came to meet me because they were concerned because liz kept getting dizzy and passing out. >> what did you think as you examined her and talked to her? >> i thought, "wow, we better just make sure that you couldn't be pregnant 'cause pregnancy can cause you to feel a little bit dizzy and woozy." >> she diagnosed me pregnant on the mountain. >> and you had no idea -- >> no idea. >> and it shocks me to this day to even think about it, yeah.

>> wow. >> reporter: the news, thrilling, the timing, not so much. about to be a mother, liz knew this climb of a lifetime was over. >> did you tell her she should descend immediately? >> i did. we both cried a little bit. >> reporter: joe was so overjoyed, he proposed on the spot. >> i said, "do you want me to come?" and she was like, "no, i can't let this stop your life's dream." >> reporter: as liz headed home to the states, joe pushed on, scaling 21,000 feet up the side of mt. everest. 8,000 more to go before he can claim victory. along the way, he had been making recordings for students back home who were following his everest adventure. >> for the past four days we've been sitting in base camp and it feels like forever. when you sit you get weaker, your muscles start to get tight. >> reporter: now, suddenly

feeling weak he makes what would be his last dispatch. >> but i dig deep. i pushed so hard that i collapsed. and this morning all i want to do is sleep. >> all of a sudden, i'm feeling like i can't breathe. i'm feeling tired. i feel like i'm working hard. but in my mind, i'm climbing mt. everest. you're supposed to feel like this. >> reporter: a film crew on the mountain turns its lens on joe who can no longer walk without help. tantalizingly close to the summit, his lifelong dream slips away as an emergency call goes out. >> american climber joe hughes has to be helped and often carried down over 5,000 vertical feet past the treacherous khumbu icefall. >> we got reports from other climbers past the falls, that this guy doesn't look so goods. >> reporter: fearing the worst, luanne sends sherpas with a stretcher to help bring joe down the mountain. blood is beginning to flood

joe's lungs, his life is slipping away, but instead of being wheeled into a hospital he's being carried into a tent. and it require the daring, improvisational medicine of dr. freer and a big dose of good fortune for joe to make it home alive. stay with us.

>> announcer: we continue with this special edition of "20/20." once again, elizabeth vargas. reporter: joe hughes never thought he'd be here inside of a clinic, on the face of mt. everest. suffering from high altitude pulmonary edema, with his new fiancee and unborn child. waiting for him to come home. >> the calls stopped and i was trying not to think the worst. >> reporter: there's only one person who can save him, dr.

luanne freer, and from her makeshift everest e.r., she's about to give a master class in medical improvisation documented by a film crew. what was his condition when he finally did arrive, carried into your tent? >> he -- he was gravely ill. he was blue, he was gasping to breathe. you could hear the bubbling in his chest without a stethoscope because blood is literally leaking into the -- >> reporter: pooling in his own lungs? >> in -- in your lungs, yeah. >> and you can eventually drown? >> right, people drown in their own blood. and -- and it's the most common cause of death at high altitude. >> reporter: now, dr. freer is scrambling to figure out what to do, and the situation is becoming more dire by the moment. >> more o2. >> what's that? >> more o2. >> he was the closest to death i've ever seen of somebody with high altitude pulmonary edema. >> what's the normal treatment for it? >> high flow oxygen will help reverse the process.

unfortunately, in austere settings, you don't have unlimited oxygen. >> what kind of medications did you give him? >> we gave him everything i could think of that could decrease the blood pressure in the lung. >> reporter: her skills pushed to limits even dr. shaun murphy would find daunting. were you just making it up as you were going? >> a little bit. at that point, i felt like, you know, we got to throw everything at this guy. he's going to die. >> reporter: the answer, a little blue pill that's come to many a man's assistance. we used viagra. >> viagra? >> yeah. viagra was first developed as a medication to decrease blood pressure in the lungs. >> oh, really? >> and then its more lucrative side benefit became known. >> in this situation, joe needs a pill every six hours. did it work? >> it did. >> somebody might ask why did you have viagra on mt. everest? >> we had it specifically for that -- because we knew we had limited supplies of oxygen.

>> reporter: but there was still the matter of joe's severe dehydration. he urgently needs iv fluids and in the zero-degree, spring temperatures of everest at night, that's a tall order especially when the tent's power generator briefly goes down. how did you keep the iv liquids from freezing? >> yeah, that's -- that's been something that took me a couple of years to figure out. this is the fluid we've just warmed it up. in a pan of hot water, and it's and we want to minimize the heat loss so what we improvise is putting it through the sleeve of a friend. >> oh, so then, the tubing runs along their body. >> right, everybody's wearing down-jackets, and why not use this body heat that's trapped in the down jackets. >> reporter: the iv had worked but joe wasn't out of danger yet. >> i turned around to the expedition leader and i said start working on a helicopter. he needs to go to someone who treats high altitude pulmonary

edema. >> reporter: as night turns to day, joe desperately needs to get to a hospital. but, a helicopter rescue at that altitude is impossible, the air too thin. so the sherpas must improvise too, on dr. freer's request, they take turns carrying joe 5,000 feet down the mountain, where he can be safely flown to nearest hospital before returning to liz. >> i have told louann many times i would be raising my daughter alone if it wasn't for her. >> reporter: his life had been spared that night on the deadly mountain by the heroics a savvy, quick thinking wilderness doctor, unafraid to think out of the box. >> what she was able to do and what she was able to come up with is not part of medical training. that's instinct. that's on par with the ability to, you know, rescue a soldier. >> reporter: nine months later, the hughes family had a chance

to express its appreciation. you named your daughter after -- >> yes, absolutely. >> absolutely. >> reporter: tara "luanne" is now a spirited 12-year-old. she's grown up immersed in the folklore of her parent's journey to mt. everest. hoping one day to have the chance to embrace her namesake. >> i think i am going to be at a loss for words because it will be the first time i'm seeing the woman who saved my dad's life and the woman who told my mom she was pregnant with me. >> reporter: and last week, we brought everyone together. we have a little something that we want to show you. >> hi. >> come here. >> thank you. >> i love you. this is my little family. i love you, basement guest bathroom. your privacy makes you my number 1 place to go number 2.

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we continue with this special edition of "20/20." once again, elizabeth vargas. >> who is this guy? >> reporter: yes, dr. shaun murphy is different. >> it looks normal to me. >> it's not normal. there's a concave deformity in the right atrium. >> reporter: but in another sense he's exactly like so many others --- compelled to pursue a career in medicine by the pain of searing personal tragedies. >> the day that the rain smelled like ice cream, my bunny went to heaven. >> reporter: first, the loss of his beloved pet. then, his beloved brother. >> the day that the copper pipes in the old building smelled like burnt food, my brother went to heaven.

neither one had the chance to become an adult, and i want to make that possible for other people. >> reporter: the way murphy reveals his motivation is dramatic, but channeling personal tragedy into professional choice is, in fact, not all that unusual. >> my inspiration to become a physician assistant is actually my brother, jesse peetz. in 2005, he was stricken with viral meningitis. >> so when i was 13 years old, i was at a family event where my cousin's husband suddenly collapsed in front of us, in the living room. >> my father was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer. and before my dad passed away, he told me that he thought i had a gift for nursing. and he told me that i had healing hands. >> reporter: but of all the stories we heard from around the country, the career of dr. debbie yi follows a path like no other. today, she's an emergency room doctor at university of california, san francisco.

the personal and painful history that got her here began here, 14 years ago. debbie was sharing a new york city apartment with her sister and best friend, christine. debbie had recently been working as an investment banking analyst when she got some terrifying news. >> my sister, christine, was in a toerrible accident. she was hit by a train -- a subway train in new york. she tripped on the subway platform and landed in the area between two subway cars. and the train began to drive away and she was still on the track. >> her heart stopped at one point? >> yes, her heart stopped. she stopped breathing. and a surgical intern provided breaths to her and brought her back to life. >> reporter: dr. toni mclaurin was the orthopedic surgeon on call when christine arrived, her right leg was completely shattered below the knee. >> she had an injury that we

sort of refer to as a "mangled extremity." it tells you not only is the bone broken, but there's also been significant damage to the skin as well as to the, you know, the muscles surrounding the bone. >> reporter: what do you remember about the accident that day? >> fortunately i don't actually remember very much. i remember leaving my office that day. and the next thing i remember is being in the dark, in a lot of pain, and someone calling out to me, telling me that help was on the way. >> it was after her surgery and she asked me why she felt like she couldn't wiggle her toes. >> what did you tell her? >> i think there's no room for sugarcoating things in times like this. and i told her, you were in a terrible accident. and you lost your leg. >> that had to have been devastating. >> i think i was on a lot of medication. because and i said it's okay, my

legs weren't that long anyway. >> you made jokes? >> i didn't realize how hard it would be at the time. i was just happy that i was alive. >> reporter: the next five weeks were a blur of surgeries -- 15 in total. many aimed at saving her knee. if you had lost that that knee, what impact would that have had? >> the prosthetic leg for an above-knee amputee doesn't always work. so, it was a huge deal for me to keep my knee. >> reporter: when discharge day finally came, christine was happy to leave the hospital, debbie, however, had decided to spend her life in one. >> after my sister's accident, i realized, i have a greater purpose in life. >> reporter: debbie decided to become a doctor like the ones who saved her sister. you not only chose medicine, but you chose trauma. >> any chest pain or trouble breathing? >> and why choose that particular path? >> i remember the first time an

ambulance came, you know, pushing through, in to the emergency room. i remember that feeling i had. i felt like i was reliving what it was like to be in the emergency room when my sister arrived. >> reporter: during her residency in new york, the abc medical documentary "new york med" followed dr. yi, as she tended to a patient who had been shot. >> can you squeeze your hand for me, honey? good. >> reporter: saved by a man who'd been attacked by a man wielding a machete. >> did you actually pass out today? this is why we go into emergency medicine. i've seen, you know, probably about 4,000 patients. how are you feeling? >> much better. >> without fail, whenever i have a patient like this, i will be smiling for the rest of the night. >> reporter: then, a stunning coincidence.

>> debbie -- >> train versus human being. >> reporter: dr. yi, urgently called to treat a patient with traumatic injuries from a subway accident. >> we just activated trauma. >> reporter: what was like for you in that moment? to actually have a patient come in to the emergency room with injuries so similar to what your sister experienced. >> when i saw that patient, i knew that i had to take my best care of the patient and the patient had to live. >> you're very lucky to be alive. >> reporter: her sister's accident continues to define debbie, to drive her. >> i want to provide the best for my patients. and i consider that to be my thank you to all the medical staff who took care of my sister. >> reporter: yet, for christine, a different choice -- a determination to put her pain in the past. yes, that's christine, furiously spinning beside me at her favorite spinning class.

her prosthetic leg not slowing her down one bit. >> christine, look at you. you're pushing the whole time. >> reporter: through all the blood, sweat and tears, the sisters' bond is unbroken. life moves forward. the wheel keeps spinning. next, dr. murphy breaks the rules. so did these doctors in a war zone. risking their lives to operate on a human bomb. >> boom! in this area right here was the shaft of the rocket the fins sticking out over here. >> when we come back.

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we continue with this special edition of "20/20." once again, elizabeth vargas. reporter: a sunny spring day in eastern afghanistan. the soldiers of alpha company head out on patrol. private channing moss is on board manning a gun in a humvee. this is taliban country. >> there's danger zones all over the place. >> reporter: sergeant eric wynn is in moss' humvee. the convoy enters a narrow streambed surrounded by higher ground. >> and then you just hear a pop. >> oh, man, we're under attack. we just got ambushed. >> reporter: bullets turn to rocket-propelled grenades. rockets the size of baseball bats, with high explosives on one end and tail-fins on the other, travelling as fast as a bullet.

that is what is now raining down on alpha company. >> and i saw the first rocket hit a truck in front of me. it's a trail of smoke and fire. and you could hear it just barreling through the air. then you hear the boom! >> reporter: the convoy is in trouble. a pickup truck is burning. two afghan soldiers are dead. two others seriously wounded. escape is critical. >> i'm like, get out of the kill zone. right when i said "get out," is when we got hit. i didn't even finish my sentence. >> reporter: three rocket-propelled grenades hit the humvee. >> it just felt like one huge blow. >> reporter: one punches through the windshield. >> i got slammed up against the truck. and i went to go return fire again, and then i smelled something smoking and i looked down and i was smoking. >> i look at him to tell him, turn the gun toward where we're getting shot at, and that's when i noticed. he has a tail fin sticking out

of his side. >> i was scared, i was screaming. >> reporter: even a battle-hardened soldier would have been shaken at the sight of moss, impaled with a 3-foot rocket designed to explode on impact, killing anyone within 30 feet. >> i looked at him straight at his eyes like, i don't want to die like this. >> reporter: calls for help have reached the chopper pilots at a nearby medevac base. >> i was just like, "is the bird coming? because i thought i was going to tap out. >> reporter: then moss hears the sound of help from above. the rescue chopper has finally arrived. and for the first time the crew sees moss and those rocket fins. >> in his abdomen, in this area right here was the -- the shaft of the rocket and the fins were sticking out over here. >> reporter: army policy states they are not supposed to transport him. moss is a human bomb. but if they leave him, he will most certainly die. so, today, they will throw out the rules and try to save a life.

>> he is possibly bleeding to death internally. he's in shock. we had to get out of that situation and get to a hospital where they could do surgery on him. >> reporter: they all know the risks. death, injury, maybe even court-martial. but they also know they are taking moss very gently, rpg and all. in this corner of the war against afghanistan, the frontline army field hospital is at best makeshift with limited medical resources. bringing in a human bomb is strictly forbidden. but none of that matters now. >> dr. oh said "we're staying. we are trying. we are going to try to save his life." >> reporter: in a rare medical pairing, surgeons, major kevin kirk and major john oh are joined by explosive expert, sergeant dan brown. >> and i said okay. we're on the same page, then. >> did you ever for a moment think holy cow, this man is alive? >> that's the first thing. i was, like -- i didn't use holy cow, but i used a few other

choice words. i was like, he is still alive and the doctor is like, yeah. >> reporter: once in the o.r. they discover what has been buried inside of moss for more than an hour. exposed in this x-ray, doctors and brown are relieved by what they don't see. the deadliest part of the rpg, the main explosive charge, is not in moss. >> so i was like "okay, here. this is a good thing." i said, "the warhead's not there." they're like "good." i said, "well, not all the way." >> reporter: what is in moss is a smaller explosive. the primer used to detonate the grenade. and if it goes off, it'll kill moss, and maim anyone nearby. >> it means we won't die, we'll just lose our hands. and they kind of looked at me, and they said, "you know, we're surgeons right?" i was like "yeah." >> i knew that if we didn't just get this thing out, he was going to die. whether it took fingers off or not, we had to get this thing out. >> reporter: the surgeon and the sergeant forge a bond both realizing they are in uncharted territory. they would have to rely on instinct for this one. >> i would have rather have sergeant brown than 50 other surgeons in that room at that moment, because he was the right guy to help me.

every time i'd -- he'd leave, i felt like my security blanket had gone away. >> reporter: and here are the stunning images documenting the actual surgery. in an act of medical brilliance, and bravery, the good doctors reach inside moss, steadying the still lethal rocket, inches from the soldier's beating heart. >> almost there, got three more inches. >> reporter: using a hacksaw, sergeant brown gently saws off the fins and eases the rocket out. >> you feed it. i'll hold it. >> reporter: with the detonator aimed at his own body. >> what his story was, if it had de detonated, then it would have detonated into his flak vest. >> will there we go. >> sergeant brown took it. >> and carefully walked out? >> he walked out at a smart pace. >> reporter: once outside, brown takes the rocket to a bunker and detonates it.

>> it was the loudest sound in my whole life, and just relief, private moss is alive because of that. >> i sat on a couple of pallets outside the aid station, took my vest off that i started shaking i knew i did everything i could to help him alive. and that was very, very intense for me after the fact. >> i was given a second chance and, to whom much is given a lot is expected. a lot is expected of me. >> he was american, he was a soldier, he was a brother, and he was one of us. and there -- and there was nothing going to stop us from doing what we knew we had to do. next -- the military man who became a medical man. from iraq to harvard.

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my name is gregory galeazzi, i was a captain in the united states army and i'm now a first-year medical student at harvard medical school. >> reporter: greg galeazzi's transformation from good soldier to good doctor began violently back in 2011, while he was serving in iraq. >> went out just on a normal, daily patrol, and we were on our way back from that mission and walking down the road, out of nowhere, just been hit by a roadside bomb. my legs were gone. my arm was almost completely severed at the elbow as well. without a medic there to have morphine, there was no sort of pain medication, so the only thing i could do was scream. by the time i was brought to the trauma bay, they'd revived me, what i found out then was that the real nightmare was just beginning. even with the most loving, supporting family, friends and community behind me, i was the one that was there in the middle of the night staring at the clock, in pain, in tears,

wondering when or if it'll ever get better. with time, eventually, the pain started to settle. i regained my strength. i started to regain my mobility. and as i regained my mobility, i started regained my independence. having over 50 surgeries hundreds of hours of physical therapy months on end as an inpatient in the hospital. not only did i want to practice medicine, but it -- it strengthened my resolve to do it. over two years, i ended up taking 18 courses. in march of this year 2017, i got the acceptance that i was hoping to get my number one school of choice. that was harvard medical school. it's where i met a girl jasmine who eventually is today my fiancee and planning a wedding for next year. so, even though i've gone through this journey, i mean, it's not lost on me how unbelievable this ride has been and how lucky i am to be here. be patient with difficult times and even when things may be

getting worse for a little while, just be patient and stick to it. >> so many incredible real stories of survival. so many good doctors. "the good doctor" airs monday, 10:00, 9:00 p.m. central. and meet tv's newest superhero, dr. shaun murphy, right here on abc. that's our show tonight. i'm elizabeth vargas. thanks so much for joining us. have a great night.