very oily or very just bogged-down hair. so, then i'm just gonna do a little bit of the lotion. this is like your smoother prior to your blow-dry. so, a little trick that a lot of people do not know -- right after they put the product in, they're straight with the blow dryer. >> uh-huh. >> they already pin it up and they're trying to blow-dry. take a lot of the moisture out. so it's gonna be a little bit of a rough blow-dry. so you're just gonna take the blow dryer and literally -- you can flip your head over and just shake a lot of this moisture out. because what's gonna happen is, it's gonna help you from already being so tired by the time you get to the front. you're gonna be really good to go with that. >> and what's the biggest mistake people make when they're blowing out at home. >> grabbing a bunch of hair and trying to shove it all on the brush and just going at it. and i'm like, "no, no. take your time." >> section by section. >> section by section. hot tip, you want to keep the nozzle on the blow dryer. this is gonna help you from not frizzing.

>> ahh. ♪ and i know you saw me when i was doing this, and you kind of -- so, you start this way, but turn. >> okay. >> so, when you turn, you can put the heat here for a little bit and then do a cool shot, let it cool for a minute. when you're coming out of it, spin. >> ahh. so the release is just as important. >> yes. so, when you do that, it automatically puts a form. so when you keep going to the next, it's holding it. so, let's say you just want a nice little sleek, sophisticated look. you can keep it like this. or we can do a little bit of a tease. so, quick tease trick. a lot people think you have to do the old-school, 1950's to '70s little section by section roller set. no. what i always tell people is to do, like, a triangle in the back. so, line here, and then start at your peak.

>> okay. >> so, when you do that, again, it doesn't have to be that perfect parting 'cause you want it to be natural. so, just nicely comb. over-elevate just a little bit. and you could take any comb. you can use a brush. it doesn't matter. what's more comfortable for you. about midway... >> mm-hmm. >> ...go down. again. just nice and subtle. here's the trick to a tease that a lot of people don't do. they think they tease it and then the pull it back, right? take your hair and split it. >> oh. what does that do? >> this is helping divide so you're not having such a harsh, matted look right in here. >> i see. >> so, you see how it kind of branches out a little bit? so when you that and you comb... >> so the volume moves around your hair? >> exactly. it gives it movement. so, another little trick to tell you -- you ever get to where you see a picture, or you took a selfie and you're like, "oh, my

gosh, i can see my scalp"? >> uh-huh. >> so, you can take a rat-tail comb, a pen, a makeup -- any kind of tip and zigzag into your part. >> ohhhh. >> so, what that's gonna do automatically -- it's not dramatic. it's not, you know... but do you see how it gives a lift, too? >> uh-huh. i love this! oh, my gosh. perfect. love! thank you! >> yay! >> thank you, thank you. >> no problem. >> yes! >> [ laughs ] >> coming up, pack your bags! we're going to southern california for some fun. >> there's just so much to do. you're not gonna get bored. and if anything, you're gonna need to stay an extra night.

>> need to get away? we're taking you to costa mesa, the perfect place for a weekend getaway any time of the year.

costa mesa is located in orange county, and it's known for world-famous attractions, celebrated restaurants, specialty shops, and top entertainment. it's time to be surprised and inspired. >> all right. what makes costa mesa such a perfect place for a weekend getaway? paulette, what would you sum it up as? >> we have the best of the arts here at segerstrom center for the arts. we have world-class shopping here, and we have a fabulous dining experience. and, you know, you don't need a car to get around here, and that's what makes it so convenient. when you fly into john wayne airport, we're just about a 10-minute drive, regardless of where you stay in the city, and we have transportation from the 11 partnering hotels that we have here. you can hop on a bus right outside of our partnering hotels and get to the disneyland resort. we're close to beaches. we're just about a 10-minute drive away from the pacific ocean. so you've got everything right here in costa mesa. >> okay, now, the shopping.

world-class shopping. >> absolutely. if you want to shop outside, we have got quaint places like the lab and the camp, we've got the oc mix. we have, of course, south coast plaza, the international shopping destination. ♪ >> one of my favorite things to do on a weekend getaway of course is shopping. and costa mesa has plenty of it. i'm talking to linda of the lab. hi, linda. >> hi. how are you? >> good, thank you. okay. this is not your traditional shopping mecca. you call this the anti-mall. >> the anti-mall. yes. >> explain that, linda. >> my husband and i, shaheen, started the lab anti-mall almost 25 years ago. and our mantra is really to support little american businesses, which lab is the acronym for. so you will find very unique, one-of-a-kind tenants here, and we're really out to support them as kind of a foundation of america, really.

every couple years, we have a changeover. we want to keep it fresh and exciting. as we redo the art and the landscaping, we also redo our tenants to make sure we're answering immediate trends and needs. >> all right. linda, thank you so much. >> you're welcome. come back and visit. >> there's no doubt about it -- the culinary scene in costa mesa is really diverse. so, right now, i am at vaca restaurant talking to chef amar. hello, chef. >> how are you? >> okay, i understand we are gonna be doing something that just speaks to my soul. [ laughs ] >> it speaks to my soul, too. >> so, what are we gonna do here? >> so, what we're gonna do, we're gonna assemble a charcuterie plate. so, vaca here in costa mesa is a spanish tapas/steakhouse restaurant. so, we're gonna slice some of this beautiful jamón ibérico. slice it paper-thin. >> and what kind of flavors here are we talking about?

>> we talk about -- think about, like, eating hazelnut, and like a nice and rich and fatty piece of pork. i mean, the flavor on this is unbelievable. so, we're gonna get some spanish cheeses. we have three different kinds of manchegos. we have 18 months, 12 months, and 6 months. then we're gonna slice some spanish chorizo, also, to put on the plate. >> and what is it that you love most about costa mesa... >> i feel like the diversity here is so much better than anywhere else in orange county. you know, you get any kind of food. there's so much stuff going on and happening in so many restaurants, and it's so easy to get to. that's what i like about it most. >> this looks delightful. i don't even -- i'm going to go for this aged... >> yeah, try the aged manchego. >> ...manchego. oh. >> nutty, rich. >> that is so good! >> i wish you all could taste it through the camera. [ both laugh ] >> mmm! thank you, chef. >> yeah, you're very welcome. ♪

>> costa mesa is known as the city of the arts. so, talking to us right now is terry. and, tell us, this beautiful space, where are we? >> well, right now, you're in the renée and henry segerstrom concert hall. 1,900 seats. beautiful acoustics. it's one of the best places in the united states to hear a concert or see a wonderful performance. and, really, we're one of the most prominent and most favored touring destination for great broadway shows and many other kinds of performances. we're very lucky to have these facilities. >> so, tell us what kinds of performances people can see. >> well, we have jazz, cabaret, chamber music. but we also have one of the best classical dance series in the entire nation. any given weekend, there's multiple shows going on here. we have five different performing spaces, and sometimes we have two or three or four shows running on the same night. so lots of options, lots of choices. >> and i'm sure you've had friends or family that have come out to visit you. what did they say

when they left? >> you know, they're absolutely amazed. they have a great time. there's so many things to do. it's so easy to do these things. it's easy parking. it's easy to find great restaurants, and it's very easy to find great performing arts. they're amazed at what costa mesa has to offer. >> 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. ♪ what if there was only one emoji? now what if there was only one mattress?

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narrow it's like trying to breath through a soda straw. but as different as nathaniel looks on the outside, that is where the differences end. did you tell them, "it's -- his brain is unaffected --" >> that's really important. >> it's really important. >> because when you look at children with craniofacial conditions, you think cognitively, they are not going to be developmentally normal -- >> other than his appearance and how his life functions, breathing, eating, et cetera, he is no different than any other boy. >> reporter: but because of those malformations in his face in his first year of life he has more than ten surgeries. >> we've never done cosmetic surgery on nathaniel. everything we've done his whole life has had some benefit to life function. >> reporter: when nathaniel is one month old an emergency tracheotomy is performed, a breathing tube inserted in his throat. a procedure as life altering as it is life saving.

>> once you become dependent on a trach -- >> your life will s -- s -- >> your -- your life changes. and then, he's gonna be prone to infection, which ended up proving to be true. where a normal parent, you know, bath time is this cute, wonderful experience. for us, you're worrying about, "what if water gets in there." >> reporter: but they remain committed to that pledge they made to nathaniel on the first night of his life, to raise him as a, quote, normal boy and take him out into the world. >> i live in new york city. we're walking with the stroller. and everybody was, "oh, you have a baby." and they go, "let me see the baby." and they're like, "god bless you." >> that was the worst. >> that was the worst. >> reporter: by the time nathaniel turns two, russel and magda are settling into this version of parenthood, yet they still long for the chance to experience it without all the heartache. >> i wanted to have a normal child. i wanted to see how -- >> be able to nurse --

>> easy it is. >> a baby -- >> definitely for sure. but we were scared to just do it on our own -- >> reporter: because of the hereditary nature of treacher collins, there is a 50/50 chance their second child will have it as well. >> reporter: we did every test known to man. and they basically came back and said, "we're 99% sure your second child will not be affected by treacher collins." but there is no way to know for sure until delivery day finally arrives. >> this delivery was so quick. >> i walk into the hospital. 20 minutes later jacob was born. >> jacob literally came out looking like a porcelain doll. he was just gorgeous, beautiful. >> reporter: the simple joys of motherhood, so easily taken for granted were for magda, extraordinary. >> it was just so easy. this is so easy. you just have the baby and you just hold it and try to breast feed it.

>> reporter: throughout the years nathaniel and jacob shared all the moments and memories that brothers do, but for nathaniel, things were always different. how old was nathaniel when he first noticed, looking in a mirror, "i don't look like everybody else"? >> definitely around age four or five, he could clearly vocalize, "i don't like the staring. i don't like the name calling." at that age we're goin' to birthday parties and other kids see him and scream and leave. he knows it was about him. >> reporter: i traveled to reno, nevada, where the family now lives, after russ got a new job. it is finally time to meet nathaniel. hello. >> nice to see you again. and this is nathaniel. nathaniel is now 11 years-old and has had 53 surgeries.

>> this is sam. >> nice to meet you. >> reporter: i bring my son sam along, who, like so many kids, has never met anyone like nathaniel. we've come to do some of nathaniel's favorite things -- video games. going to the trampoline park. >> dodge ball! >> how do you explain how you look different? >> i just explain that i have treacher-collins, i know everyone looks different, except i look a lot more different than everyone else. >> does that bother you? >> no. i kinda like it. it just seems fun 'cause i stand out. >> i'm curious when you realized, "hey, my face is different from other people's faces." >> when the first kid called, "monster." >> a kid called you a monster? >> yeah -- >> that must have hurt your feelings? >> yeah, and then i realized that they don't do it to anybody else, so i was different. >> how did that make you feel? >> i was insulted. >> yeah, i'll bet. were you mad? >> yeah, i guess a little. sometimes -- >> why do you think kids do that?

why do you think they say mean things to kids who look different? >> because they're -- they don't really think about what they're saying, and their parents don't really do anything about it. >> reporter: and over the years nathaniel's differences have affected his little brother jacob too. he can sometimes find himself acting more like a big brother. your parents were telling me how when you were so little and kids would be mean to nathaniel and you'd get up there with your little fist and go, "hey, leave my brother alone." >> i still do that. >> you -- you still do that -- >> but i get more into it. >> please don't stare. >> do you think of yourself as your brother's protector? >> i think he can protect himself pretty good, but sometimes there are just big high school kids that i have to talk to by myself -- >> how old are you, jacob? >> almost 9. >> you're almost 9? >> here comes super hero nathaniel! >> sometimes i forget i have treacher-collins. >> you do?

>> yeah, sometimes if i'm having a good time, i forget what i look like. >> so when we were zip lining did you forget you had treacher-collins? >> yeah, i was just having a lot of fun. >> reporter: coming up for nathaniel, middle school. how do you fit in when you are born to stand out? >> my name is nathaniel newman and i am different. >> reporter: stay with us. he thinks it smells fine, but his mom smells this... luckily for all your hard-to-wash fabrics... ...there's febreze fabric refresher. febreze doesn't just mask, it eliminates odors you've... ...gone noseblind to. and try febreze unstopables for fabric. with up to twice the fresh scent power, you'll want to try it... ...again and again and maybe just one more time. indulge in irresistible freshness. febreze unstopables. breathe happy.

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everything you want in a bed, in a box. >> reporter: the first day of middle school, whoever wants to re-live that, but imagine what it's like for nathaniel newman. in the fall of 2015 nathaniel walked into bd billinghurst middle school in reno, nevada for his first day of sixth grade. which for nathaniel meant another brutal round of introductions. new school, new classmates. to ease the transition, the newmans had a plan. >> russell came up with the great idea. they sat down together and we write a letter.

>> my name is nathaniel newman and i am 12 years old. i am different. >> i don't want you to be surprised when we meet. i -- i have a trach to breathe and a special hearing aid to hear. i have three dogs. i like pokemon a lot, as well as "star wars." >> i really just want you to treat me like everyone else. >> and we include a picture to try and avoid some of the first day shock and awe if you will. >> reporter: after a couple of months we came to visit nathaniel at school. ms. culbertson and ms. urban are his sixth grade teachers. >> how important were those letters that nathaniel's family sent out? >> the students knowing what to expect i think is very helpful, rather than just walking into school and then having that reaction, which most parents have taught their kids not to have that kinda reaction. but it's hard. they're kids. >> were any of guys at all nervous to meet nathaniel the

first time? >> yeah. >> yeah, it's okay to admit that. tell me why you were nervous. >> i was a little nervous because i didn't wanna say anything to hurt his feelings. >> i didn't know what -- what the experience would be like. >> he may look different on the outside. but on the inside, he's perfectly normal just like everyone else. >> reporter: but the single most powerful change in how children treat nathaniel isn't because of that letter, but because of a little blue book called "wonder." >> we incorporate the book "wonder" into the welcome letters. like, hey, you might have read "wonder" now. >> you might have read the book "wonder." if you have then you already know a little bit about me. >> reporter: "wonder" tells the story of 10 year-old auggie pullman born with a facial difference a lot like treacher collins. rj palacio wrote the book after a chance encounter with a little girl who looked a lot like nathaniel. >> i was in front of an ice cream store here in my neighborhood, with my two sons. and i realized that there was a little girl sitting directly next to me.

she had a very severe cranial facial difference. and i kind of panicked, 'cause my little boy started to cry hysterically and in my haste to protect her from his reaction, i kinda like turned the stroller around, i started pushing it away really fast. it was terrible. and i -- i was so mad at myself for the way that i handled it. for the rest of the day, i just kept thinking about all the things i wished i'd said and done. >> reporter: palacio started writing with the hope that this story could inspire parents and children alike. >> i just thought, "okay, i'm going to write a book and it's going to be about what it must be like to face a world every day that doesn't know how to face you back." >> reporter: when the book came out in 2012, nurse pat chibaro was one of the first to read it. she immediately reached out to the newmans. >> i literally read it in three hours, cried the whole time. and i remember calling back pat and going, "pat, did she spy on us? like, this is freaky." >> and then we got to meet raquel face to face for lunch one day.

and when she saw nathaniel, you could just see this look in her face. >> and i remember thinking, "oh, my goodness, this is auggie pullman come to life." >> reporter: the similarities between the book and nathaniel's life are almost unbelievable. "wonder" begins with auggie starting at a new school just like nathaniel, enduring dozens of surgeries like nathaniel. and even more astonishing, if you flip to page 118 you'll even find the lyrics from that song that means so much to the newmans. a song they still play every year on nathaniel's birthday. it's so remarkable that you wrote this entire novel and then you meet this family and it's the family in your novel. >> i know. >> i mean -- >> it was amazing. >> reporter: today "wonder" is more than a book, it's a phenomenon selling more than five million copies and translated into 45 languages. it's even become required reading in hundreds of schools

across the country. >> it's become part of a campaign, in essence, to be kind. >> i used this quote, "if you have the choice between being right or being kind, just choose ki kind." such a simple thing. >> that book has singlehandedly making life easier for children with facial differences. it's just a fact. >> reporter: coming up, will nathaniel ever breathe on his own? doctors propose a risky surgery that could mean life or death. >> one more major surgery, which is -- >> barbaric. >> reporter: are the newmans ready for the gamble of a lifetime? stay with us.

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jono lancaster. >> i'm excited. >> reporter: in the world of cranio facial disorders jono lancaster is a rock star. >> i have a "welcome to reno" sign for jono. >> hey, there he is. >> hi. >> hey guys! how you doing? >> hi. >> reporter: jono, a 33-year-old from england is perhaps the best known person on the planet with treacher collins. >> jono lancaster was born with the facial condition. >> i don't know how many people has called me names a laughed at me. because i don't care anymore. >> reporter: he spends much of his time traveling the world and meeting families like the newmans. >> you're the first adult with treacher collins he's ever hung out with. >> wow. >> right? all of a sudden you're quiet, you didn't shut up all morning, now you're afraid to talk? >> reporter: nathaniel may be a little star-struck, but it's magda and russ who recognize the magnitude of this moment. what it means to talk to someone who knows the uncertain path they are on. >> guys, get as close as you

can. that'll work. >> that's a good one. >> reporter: because he too has walked it. >> aw, that's awesome. >> reporter: life for jono was tough from the start, born to parents who had no idea he would have treacher collins, they gave him up just 36 hours after birth. >> when i was young, there'd be the odd playground game of run away from jono in case you caught treacher collins. they'd pull their eyes down. >> what did you most want to hear from him or ask him? >> i just wanted to know about his teenage mostly. >> his teenage years? >> yes. i know soon the boys will be getting girlfriends. i just want nathaniel to be a part of that too. >> girls used to ask me out as a dare or as a joke, or they used to flirt with me and make it really obvious that they were making fun of me. and i got used to name-calling and bullying and stuff like that. and i kinda got used to that. but the girls. >> it bothered you. >> it really upset me. the fact that nobody found me sexually attractive really hurt.

>> reporter: although it took time, life began to transform for jono around the time he began transforming himself. in his 20s he developed a passion for fitness, looking back he says he was trying to shift the focus from his face to his body, it eventually led to a job as a personal trainer and it was at the gym where he unexpectedly met laura richardson. the two struck up a friendship and one day jono asked her out on a date. >> when the two of you are out on a date, do people stare? >> yeah. and i get really quite, like, defensive. i'd be like, "what are you lookin' at?" >> you'd call them out. >> yeah, i would because it -- it would, like, bubble up inside me. and i -- it made me angry, but i do not notice it at all now. >> there's a lot of kids out there that are really, really good at hiding their feelings. >> we're gonna skype laura in london to say hi to jono's girlfriend.

>> reporter: in reno, the newmans get a chance to meet laura as well, over skype. >> look how gorgeous she is. seriously. >> hi, laura. >> hi. >> i just have to tell you, you loving jono the way you do, makes me and magda so happy about nathaniel's future. >> thank you. >> have you ever felt like people stared at you a lot when you were a kid? >> yeah, um, i did have people staring at me. and when i was younger, i always thought they were staring at me in a bad way. um. but as i've got older, i've learned that loads of people stare at me because, you know, they like my hair, or they like my clothes. you know? they're not staring at me in a bad way. sometimes they stare at you in a

>> oh korean barbecue is ready. >> how many surgeries have you had when you were a kid? >> i think i must have had maybe like 15. >> that must have been rough. >> reporter: when the topic of surgery comes up around the dinner table there is one major difference that is clear, jono has never needed a trach, the life-altering breathing tube in nathaniel's throat that he's lived with since he was a month old. now doctors may finally have a solution that could give nathaniel a trach-free life. but it's a gamble. >> one more major surgery, which is -- >> barbaric. >> barbaric? >> barbaric. >> why? >> it's so extreme. >> reporter: the newmans have been meeting with doctors at the seattle childrens hospital, trying to decide if they are ready for a surgery so radical it's only been preformed on one other child with treacher collins. >> it is i would have to say, a terrible surgery for a child to go through. >> reporter: dr. richard hopper is the chief surgeon at the cranio-facial center. he knows how debilitating nathaniel's trach tube can be.

>> we gotta make sure you're clean. >> it's keeping him alive. but for him to have the quality of life that we all take for granted -- the tracheostomy needs to be gone. >> reporter: in order for that to happen, dr. hopper will have to literally rearrange the bones in nathaniel's face opening up his airway. >> what we need to be able to do is separate his entire face off of the skull and swing his face forward into the correct position. >> reporter: at his consultations, no detail is spared from nathaniel. >> he listened to the whole thing, very attentive, and finally he turned to the doctor and he said, "i have a question." >> do they change their face a lot? >> it's not giving you a new face, but it puts your face into a different position. >> will i still look like this? >> yes. >> he goes, "i want my trach out. but you're not changing the way i look. i love my face." >> that's extraordinary. >> i really learned the meaning of the phrase, no pain, no gain. so i realized the meaning of that.

>> that's right, you're going to have a little bit of pain. >> but then i'm going to gain. >> reporter: after months of preparation the day of the surgery is finally here. >> yeah. any questions for me today? >> no. >> i know we've talked about this surgery a lot. it's going to seem like a split second to you. >> one second i'm on the bed, and the next i'm sitting in a hospital room. >> yeah. >> ready? >> yeah. >> this is the drill. >> reporter: as he has done nearly 60 times before, a family tradition of sorts, russ carries his son into surgery. >> wanna kiss her one more time? >> yeah. >> i love you. >> see you soon. >> reporter: coming up -- the newmans face the most harrowing 24 hours of their lives. >> so my heart is beating faster and faster. >> i'm going to go to the house phone. hi it's russel newman, nathaniel newman's father? >> his whole face is broken in pieces. >> reporter: and a devastating development no one saw coming. >> it's so -- i'm so tired. i want it to be over. >> reporter: stay with us. ♪ tired of wrestling with seemingly impossible cleaning tasks?

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>> reporter: after a lifetime of surgeries, today 12-year-old nathaniel newman is heading back into the operating room. this time it's different. for the next 12 hours surgeons will work to rearrange the bones in nathaniel's face. anchoring them in place with a metal halo attached to his head for the next three months, until those bones can finally settle into their new position. at that point, doctors will finally remove nathaniel's trach and he'll be able to do things he's never done before.

as dr. hopper heads into the operating room, magda and russ are left to wait and worry. >> it never gets easier. putting your son on a metal table, surrounded by things that are gonna, you know, cut him open. it's agonizing. you know, it's just -- >> we're just sit and wait, you know. >> we just sit. >> you just sit. what else can you do? >> reporter: as the hours pass the tension mounts. >> so my heart is beating faster and faster. >> russel, what time is it? >> it's 6:40 already? so we're on ten plus hours now. >> i'm going to go to the house phone. hi alison, it's russel newman, nathaniel newman's father? we just got a page? >> okay. you got it. yup. thanks, genevieve. so he's finishing up. >> everything went fantastic. yeah.

no problems at all. >> how are you smiling? >> uh, i don't know, it's a lot of energy. he did great. everything went perfectly smooth. no problems whatsoever. it's going to be a shock, though, when you see him. because he's going to have metal everywhere. he's going to be very swollen. much more swollen than when you've seen him from previous surgeries. >> dr. hopper, really. we owe you so much. >> it's a pleasure to work with you. >> you've just given us such a ray of hope. >> reporter: magda and russ are able to briefly see nathaniel. >> we're keeping him comfortable with pain meds. he just gave us a thumbs up right now. >> what? he really gave you a thumbs up? can i hug you? >> oh, sure. >> oh my god he really did. >> his whole face is broken in pieces, right now. he knows that he will be asleep for two days. he said, mom, please do not leave my side. i want to know that you're there. >> reporter: when nathaniel wakes up his jaw is wired shut to that metal halo. the family leaves the hospital but remains in seattle so doctors can monitor nathaniel's progress.

but after just a few days, there is crushing medical news. this time not for nathaniel. it is for magda who has come down with a nagging cough. >> i started coughing and -- thinking. i probably have some type of -- yeah, walking pneumonia. so i just went to emergency room. >> reporter: the doctors quickly order a routine cat scan and then. >> the doctor says, "well, it's cancer." i'm like, "that's-- that can't be possible." >> reporter: but it is magda is diagnosed with an aggressive form of non-hodgkin's lymphoma. >> i was angry. i couldn't believe it. i just -- it was just wrong timing. >> reporter: a caretaker turned patient herself, she begins a series of grueling chemo-therapy treatments eventually losing her hair but never her sense of purpose. >> i had two choices.

to sit and mope and think, "oh, my god, poor me, or just, get help, get healthy and take care of nathaniel." >> party all the time, right in the hospital, right now. down, down, up, up. >> reporter: nothing it seems can stop magda. >> people would look at everything that you, as a family, have been through and would say why is so much being asked of this one family? >> i've asked myself that question. i've asked god that question. and you know what, you can focus on the negative and be negative. is it going to change? no. you have a choice to look at the positive. >> reporter: it is an outlook magda has passed on to nathaniel who while in that metal halo was unable to speak or eat but remarkably is able to dance. >> he loves to dance.

>> now we can check in. >> reporter: after three months nathaniel is back at the hospital doctors are ready to remove that halo. >> i'll see you in there, okay, buddy? okay. >> it's going to be all good, nathaniel, okay? i'll see you when you wake up. >> we'll do this. >> watch your head, duck. >> give me a kiss. >> reporter: with nathaniel in surgery magda heads home to rest and the crushing emotional weight of all that they have been through suddenly hits russ. >> it's been a really long four months. it's been a really long 12 years. it's so, i'm so tired. i want it to be over. >> reporter: when nathaniel comes out of surgery he is halo-free, but there will be five more months of evaluations and tests before doctors are ready to do something the newmans have waited a lifetime

to do -- remove nathaniel's trach. >> alright, you ready? this is a big day in your life. that's it, dude. >> okay so this is how you get rid of a trach after 13 years. here it goes. >> reporter: finally for the first time ever breathing on his own and nathaniel is able to do something most 12 year-olds wouldn't think twice about jump in the pool and go for a swim. >> you did it. >> reporter: and the newmans have another reason to celebrate after five months of chemo therapy doctors tell magda her cancer is gone. it is a year filled with milestones. >> happy birthday natony. finally you are teenager and your trach is out. ♪ happy birthday to you >> nathaniel celebrated his 13th

birthday, on his birthday, russ, you wrote him an amazing message. >> you, my little wonder boy, you show me every day that my strength pales in comparison to what you possess in that enormous heart of yours. because of you, i, we and our family have the strength to endure all life throws at us. >> i have a 13-year-old boy that's tackled more challenges than most 100-year-old men would ever dream of. >> what was it like to read that letter from your dad? >> i was happy. >> yeah? did you know that he thinks that you're that strong? >> yeah. >> yeah? do you think he's right? >> yeah. i don't know, actually. >> you don't know, actually? >> yeah. >> i think he's right. i think he's, like-- >> you think he's right. >> 100% right. ♪ you are beautiful >> reporter: russ posted his letter on facebook and attached that song you might call the newman family anthem. >> you're still playing, "beautiful"? >> i play it -- >> yeah. >> i play it all the time.

>> it inspires the heck outta me. >> reporter: when we come back an emotional surprise for the newman family you won't want to miss. >> i have somebody i want you to meet. >> r jimmy's gotten used to his whole yup, he's gone noseblind. odors. he thinks it smells fine, but his mom smells this... luckily for all your hard-to-wash fabrics... ...there's febreze fabric refresher. febreze doesn't just mask, it eliminates odors you've... ...gone noseblind to. and try febreze unstopables for fabric. with up to twice the fresh scent power, you'll want to try it... ...again and again and maybe just one more time. indulge in irresistible freshness. febreze unstopables. breathe happy.

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>> reporter: after 13 years of heartache, struggle, perseverance and triumph, today the newman family is on its way to a full circle surprise. >> hello newman family. >> hello. >> reporter: it's been just a month since nathaniel's trach came out, while he continues to recover, we brought the whole family to los angeles. they are here to meet someone who's been a lifeline for them from the very beginning.

>> newman family, i have someone i want you to meet. christina aguilera. >> hi guys! hi! >> oh my god can i hug you? >> absolutely. >> that's the girl who sang the song. >> we're in christina aguilera's house. it's just crazy right? >> welcome. you want to sit down? >> let's go. >> let's go hang out. >> once everyone settles in magda tells christina that it was her song, all those years ago, that gave her the strength to hold her baby boy for the >> i realized that evening that

i have a beautiful child and it doesn't matter what we see on the outside. >> christina has one more surprise for you. she's actually going to sing the song. >> wow. >> are you ready for this? >> this time not for an audience of millions, but for a family of four for whom this song has meant so much. ♪ ♪ i am beautiful no matter what they say words can't bring me down ♪ ♪ i am beautiful in every single way cause words can't bring me down ♪ ♪ i am beautiful in every single way 'cause words can't bring meg down ♪ ♪ so don't you bring me down today ♪ ♪ no matter what we do no matter what we say with the song inside the tune full of beautiful ♪ ♪ mistakes and everywhere we go the sun will always shine but

tomorrow we might awake ♪ ♪ on the other side we are beautiful no matter what they say no matter what they say ♪ >> reporter: and just this week the whole family was back in los angeles, for the premiere of the movie "wonder." as they walked the red carpet, we were reminded of those words russ wrote in his birthday letter to nathaniel. you've shown me strength i never knew could exist. you even taught me to accept life with a smile. ♪ today ton chp searching for a driver after a deadly

hit-and-run. >> killed four people and cause add traffic nightmare in the