he could possibly... he likes to collect things. oh! wow, you got all this stuff from ikea? what do you like not let your kids in here? oh, no, they moved in here. here. this is where i hide all the cords and the remotes, and those clack-clack-clack things. oh and we have an entire comic book store and i managed to wedge a candle in there. oh i see, so this is your new bed? let's just say it fits me perfectly. it also fits the entire neighborhood, when they show up, unannounced, in a good way... kind of... what's your dream? at ikea, we help you live it. make the dream yours.

>> "bay area life," where lifestyle, interests, food, and entertainment all come together. [ whirring ] >> we're getting dirty today. we're in this beautiful home in lafayette. it's a full gut. let's go inside, take a look, and see what remodeling is all about. ♪ all right, here we are. it starts in the entranceway of the home. you can see we've done a beautiful herringbone tile. but see how we've done it. we've numbered each tile individually so it fits to the millimeter. you can tell the baseboard isn't in, but the floor's been laid. and if you look to right here, permits nicely displayed on the window. i can't stress enough the importance of going with a licensed contractor, doing everything all legally.

we have the best warranty in the business, another reason to give us a call, because we will never leave a job unless it's perfect. let's take a look at this beautiful floor that's going everywhere. but something we did a little different -- the homeowner wanted to make this pop, so basically, we found a tile that matches the floor exactly. and you want to check out craftsmanship? look at this. perfectly level. so this is the family room or the entranceway. now let's go take a look at the kitchen. oh, there's abel, working on the electrical. what's up? so, let's talk about the importance... everybody knows the cabinets, the counters, the tile. but how important is the work behind the walls? that's why i wanted to come here today. we're always showing off our fancy job at the end. but what does it take to do these jobs right behind the walls? and how important -- almost equally as important as the finish? >> well, just like everybody

sees the nicest kitchen in the end, but this is something very important i need to talk about. all the electrical, so... >> needs to all be done to code, correct? >> all has to be done to code. and like you guys see, all, liketh, e here, you can see we have all the wires for the cooktop and also the gas for the cooktop. >> a thing people don't understand is all these electrical units need to be on dedicated lines. >> right, and the electrical is the most important. it has to be to code, and also the plumbing. like you guys can see, the fridge is going to be here. so, i mean, like, all the plumbing has to be to code under the sink. those are the most important. has to be done right. >> and it almost takes just as much time to get all this stuff right as it does to install the finished carpentry that everyone loves. >> correct. the finish is very important.

everybody sees on the end. but also, all the rough work is very important, too. this is for me -- number one, electrical, and number two, plumbing. >> you're right. but number three, structural. no ust fly whatbout it. is required to reengineer a home, but how many jobs have we gone into where they didn't hire an engineer, they didn't do it caving in? and we have to go in and spend all this money to make it right. so, let's go take a look at the plans and talk about and walk through the viewer why this is so important. this gives me a headache. just look at it. super-complicated engineerg.in but at american kitchen company, we have the back-end office, the in-house engineer to deliver all this. and on this particular job, y wait simpoant they went with an engineer? >> well, they want a big master bath. so that's why we had to relocate the wall and relocate toilet and vanity. >> and it's weird -- just to

bump a wall that much, look how much code requirements. you really need to know your stuff. even though we're just bumping a wall a couple of feet, to do it right, you have to take all the proper steps to make sure you get our leading industry warranty, to make sure you get a house that's going to last forever and not fall down one day. so, enough about the plans. let's go take a look at the actual reality of what this looks like in the physical world. so what was the big problem with this bathroom? >> the master bath was too small. >> way too small, right? so by reengineering it and bumping it back, why is it so important to do it right with plans, with a licensed contractor, and with skilled labor? because how many jobs have we gone on where they don't do the right steps and it just ends horrible? also, we support the roof. because this wall is supporting the roof and underneath the house. >> so it's not going to do this

in a couple of years. >> correct. >> we just left the kitchen. we've shown the whole house. we've got the engineering, structural, electrical, plumbing, flooring. we do it all, but we're called american kitchen company because that requires the most finish work in all remodels, but at the end of the day, our 40-man crew, no subcontractors, giant office staff, in-house design, it's what makes us the leading expert in residential remodel, and it's how we're doing these jobs right, and happy customers over and over. >> i'm excited. let's go back to work and finish this one. ♪ >> coming up, foods that will make your gut happy. >> the human microbiome is such a hot topic right now. and there's so much research going into it. going into it. ♪

>> "bay area life," where li ♪ >> hi, everyone.

welcome back to the show. the accord is not only stylish but extremely safe as well. your car brakes when it senses an unavoidable collision with the vehicle that's in front of you. ♪ ♪ >> the human microbiome is such a hot topic right now, and there's so much research going into it -- looking at more of a plant-based diet, for example, and how that can really promote a more healthy biome. so it's just really hot, hot, hot. ♪ there's really two categories of food that you want to focus on. there's prebiotic foods, which are really high-fiber, plant-based foods, like fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, legumes, soy foods, and then also there's probiotic foods, so foods that

actually contain the healthy bacteria. so what i'd like to talk about are just a combination of those foods that i've put into a few sample mini-meals. so, for example, i've reinvented a reuben sandwich. i've greatly reduced the total then supplemented itd faan with some probiotic and prebiotic foods. so rye bread is a whole grain. rye is one of the rock stars in terms of this fiber inulin, which promotes the healthy bacteria. bacteria love to eat fiber-, inulin-rich foods. sauerkraut is a fermented food, so it's just cabbage with a little bit of vinegar and salt. and then i've replaced the pastrami with tempeh, which is a soybean curd that has been fermented. moving on to just a lot of vegetables, we have onions, and as you can see, the alliums are all really rich in this fiber, so all that i've done is i've

sliced thinly some onions, and i'm just marinating them in some vinegar. you can throw it on a salad. you can throw it on a sandwich. asparagus -- all i've done is i've trimmed the asparagus, put it under the broiler, sprayed it with a little bit of olive oil, and then salt and pepper, and it makes a beautiful snack. my kids love it. globe artichokes, jerusalem artichokes, leeks, shallots, all really great rock stars in terms of this prebiotic, inulin. and then moving on to dandelion greens. i've dressed it with a miso-based salad dressing. so, miso is simply ground-up soybeans where a culture has been added, and it's been fermented, so it is a probiotic food. so we're moving on to more sweeter choices. here is a chocolate frozen banana milkshake. bananas and even plantains are considered a prebiotic. all i did was froze the bananas, put them in a blender with some

almond milk. my kids love anything chocolate. now, with the almond milk, there's only about one almond per cup of milk, so i actually like to add a little bit of almond butter to it to boost the protein. and then i also like to add a little bit more cocoa powder, and again, these are really rich in nutrients, polyphenols. so this is a great afternoon snack. ♪ moving on to chia seed pudding. it's made with a kefir. kefir is like liquid yogurt. there's actually 12 bacterial cultures in kefir, so it's like a powerhouse probiotic food. and with the chia seeds, which are really popular right now, the chia seeds, when you wet them, they turn into a gel. so it just takes a few hours to make this pudding. then moving on to coffee beverages, this here is pero. it is a coffee alternative. what it is is it's a grain

beverage. there's another one called inka, which tastes just as good. and this is a great prebiotic because it's rich in these prebiotic grains -- barley... chicory root is one of the superstars in terms of prebiotics. and all you do is you just mix it with water. you can add some milk to it, turn it into like a cappuccino or a latte. and then also some of these french coffees, like out of new orleans. they cut the coffee with chicory root. so this is another great alternative. so, i showed you a variety of prebiotic and probiotic food, which will help just, again, grow that bacteria, help it thrive, protect your body. doesn't need to be complicated. keeping it simple and fun and easy is just really the best approach. >> coming up, attractive garage door options for your home.

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>> "bay area life," where lifestyle, interests, food, and entertainment all come together. ♪ >> hey, everyone. welcome back to the show. there's nothing better than being able to relax on a drive. and with the adaptive cruise control in this honda accord, i can do just that. i don't even have to set the

speed. it does it automatically. ♪ ♪ >> so, welcome to rw garage doors. i'm robert bruce, and i'm going to walk you through the process of buying a garage door. ♪ when you start dealing with garage doors, it's the most affordable solution for doing the biggest upgrade on your house. it's the quickest, fastest, and the face of your house. hi. how are you? i'm robert. nice to meet you. so let's take a look at some doors. >> great! >> so this location, what it does is it provides options for customers that want to see unique options for garage doors or even get an idea for just a standard upgrade. for us, realistically, we want to know what the customer values first off, and then we begin to walk through their desires -- you know, what color door do they like? is their garage insulated? they just want a basic, single-layer door?

so we have a lot of questions to ask -- size, do you want windows, is there a specific design? and once we begin to target those questions, we begin to determine value for the customer and price point. so these are actually magnetic. so you could take them off. >> oh! >> same with the hardware. so we actually have hardware that you can put on, but so you can relocate the hinges where you like, set handles on it, and give it a little carriage-house look. our showroom is catered to our customer. we try to target doors that are very popular, you know, upcoming trends, and what we see a recurring desire for. perfect. so this is amarr's oak summit. it's a triple-layer garage door. it's kind of like the standard...we should say basic when we start offering options. this is actually designed to look like a carriage house, so this is your low-price point carriage-house door. it's a really great deal. it's a triple-layer. has a polystyrene insulation in it so you get some type of thermal rating. but the build is very durable.

it's steel front, steel back. so when we start talking with customers, this is kind of where we begin. this is amarr's vista. it's an aluminum folding door. this is an anodized black aluminum frame with what's called satin edge or frost glass. and this is becoming really popular. these doors started on commercial applications -- firehouses and some unique warehouses that needed a decent look -- and it's kind of trickled down into the residential, and this has now become one of the most popular selling doors in the bay area. it's a really great door, and it's kind of the leader in the industry when it comes to the modern contemporary look. it's a game changer for the look of your house. when i talk to customers, one aspect of it is like, yes, you're looking at this door from the outside, okay, but if you are going to spend any time in your garage with the garage door closed, the garage door like provides a black area. it's just dark, you know. there's no light. this changes the inside of your garage. it's night and day. okay, so let's talk about wood.

this is about as high-class as it gets when it comes to a modern look. we custom make our own doors in vacaville, so this is our carriage house line. this is a western ridge cedar. it's a clear cedar, so it has no knots in it at all. hand picked. this here is a tongue-in-groove flush panel design for a modern look. you really don't get better than this at all. the beautiful thing about wood -- it's unique. okay? you cannot get that look anywhere else. manufacturers have made fiberglass doors, steel doors with two-toned wood paints, and tried to target the actual wood look. you just don't get it. rw garage doors is the best company i've worked for. great people. even the owner's desire really plays down, his mission plays down throughout, you know, the rest of the employees. and it's a good, healthy company. >> there's a big demand in the trades right now. garage doors is a perfect trade to get into. this location started out as a really small company in fremont, and since then, we've been able

to grow into this new showroom, this larger location where we stock product. and we special-order doors into this facility, but now we have our own product as well, so when somebody needs something, they call in, and if we stock it, we can get it done fairly quickly. >> we're hiring sellers, yeah. whether you have experience or don't have experience, anybody who wants to get into selling garage doors, we'll train you. we have a great training program with a great installation manager, who will train you. you don't have tools? it's okay. all we need you to do is be enthusiastic, be ready to work. the fact of the matter is we're selling a lot of garage doors. that's really what it is. we have lots of people who need garage doors installed. the new construction is going crazy right now. we provide a great customer service. they like whoever came out and gave them the estimate. and they've had a great experience so far, and we just need more people to finish that experience for us. the installation position is the most important position in the company because at the end of the day, they're the face of the company that's going to come out and make that person happy and sell that garage door for them.

♪ >> 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 places, pictures, and videos of the bay area. all of this fun driven by your northern california honda dealers. for more information on the vehicle featured in this episode, visit norcalhondadealers.com. ♪ ♪ ♪

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get a burger and fries from denny's starting at $6.99. >> when did the term transplant enter your vocabulary? >> i actually can remember right where i was the attending that was on just said, i think they are doing hand transplants now. you should google that. >> reporter: and she does, jennifer learns one of the world's leading hand transplant pioneers, dr. kodi azari is just 20 miles away from their

home at ucla >> the hand is probably the most remarkable i'd say instrument that i've ever seen. >> reporter: as surgical director of ucla's hand transplant department, dr. azari's passion often inspires him to wax poetic about his favorite appendage. >> if there is any evidence of divine intervention, it would -- it would be the human hand. >> this same hand can break bricks. >> it can also have the precision to be a concert pianist. >> absolutely. >> which is why trying to replace has been so imperfect. >> reporter: from a hook like this one, to even a state of the art prosthetic, dr. azari says there was room for improvement, but it would take just the right patient. >> when i first saw jonathan he was he was actually incredibly frail. >> he hadn't showered for months because he had open wounds. >> reporter: but azari had a plan: a new innovative procedure, a type he had never attempted before where the amputation of the hand is placed

closer to the wrist than the elbow. the arm is then prepped specifically to receive a new hand. a new innovative procedure. each and every nerve, tendon, vein and artery is extended and bound together. the arm is then sutured closed until it's later reopened and attached to a donor hand. the benefits: more functionality and range of motion. a much better quality of life for jonathon >> he was dependent on his wife for every single aspect of his daily existence. you know, personal hygiene in those situations is not personal anymore. >> reporter: azari wonders could jonathan be the one for his dream procedure? he had his doubts -- >> it takes a lot of effort to rehabilitate the hand, and you want somebody to put in that effort, or else it would have been a waste. >> reporter: jonathan, brimming with enthusiasm, had no doubts. di was like, oh my god. this guy is our guy. like let's do this. do you have any hands here we can choose from or can we just get one right now before we

leave, or how is this going to work? >> and he was like just chill. >> he did tell me to slow my roll. >> reporter: azari laid out a blunt series of challenges before he would agree to be his surgeon. for starters: he'd have to regain his strength and rebuild that once brawny body. trainer scott zeller played coach mickey to jonathan's inner rocky. >> i learned to trust scott very quickly. he understood not to baby me. >> we'd do a set of something, and then he'd fall asleep on the table. >> i had 270 milligrams of morphine coursing through my body every day. >> and then you know i kind of have to shake him awake to get him back on again. and then we'd do another set of something and then he'd fall asleep. >> getting ready for the hand transplant was literally the fight of my life. >> reporter: his mind perhaps more battle ready than his body, but within only two months of training, dr. azari thinks jonathan is ready for the next challenge. >> it'll sound strange to say it, but i wanted them to cut my hand my original hand off.

it was horrible. it was hurting me, and it was very hard to live with as long as i did, with dead limbs. >> reporter: in the summer of 2015 the process begins, dr. azari amputates jonathan's totally useless left hand, and just the fingers on his partially-functioning right. but while he's emotionally divorcing himself from parts of his own body,- jonathan makes good on the promise he'd made, waking from his coma. he and jennifer are married in their backyard, in a ceremony so simple there isn't even a cake. >> it was so simple and perfect. it was 38 seconds in the backyard with four people and it was over, and then we got something to eat, like we always do. >> yeah, we had honey nut cheerios. >> reporter: but next came perhaps the biggest and most costly of dr. azari's challenges yet. before jonathan could get a new hand, the cruelest kind of exchange, azari tells jonathan there's something he can't fix. he would have to lose his leg. >> well i said, jonathan, i can't do your transplant until you've had your amputations of your legs, and you're up and moving around with your

prosthetics. >> reporter: why? so he would be steady on his feet so not to stumble and injure his new hand. so the very next day after his marriage to jennifer, back to the hospital for the amputation of his rig hospital. >> reporter: there was reason to be hopeful. so many high-profile success stories. oscar pistorius breaking records on that blade! >> a double amputee nearly taking home the mirror ball on "dancing with the stars." you'd think an optimist like jonathan would be prepared, but it seems nothing prepares you for the moment when you're staring down at an expanse of bed sheet where your leg used to be. >> that was so emotional about having my leg amputated. when we left the hospital and i was getting into jennifer's car and i realized that i didn't

have a right leg below i was really upset about it. so upset that jennifer was forced to pull off the freeway, and then i just burst into tears, which was the first time during this entire thing that that had happened, and you know, after that we came home, and we got to work. >> reporter: undeterred with even fewer limbs, but now fitted with a prosthetic leg the moment of truth: >> on the first day he got his prosthetic, he got up and walked, and i've never, ever, ever seen that before. >> what was that moment like when he learned to walk? >> i was overwhelmed with joy. he hadn't walked in 11 months. >> uh-huh. yeah, we trained really hard, but i was so happy. >> reporter: all the while, jennifer's video camera trained on some unsteady strides, and surprisingly few stumbles. that old swagger back intact. >> i was impressed by the speed of his rehabilitation.

i didn't think there could be somebody that was this eternal optimist that would work so hard. doesn't smoke, doesn't drink, eats well. i didn't think that person existed. and yet here is jonathan. >>reporter: and with that, dr. azari finally gives the green light to place jonathan on the donor recipient list for a hand, and when we come back the call comes. >> i was like, this isn't happening. this isn't happening. jonathan's going to get another man's hand. >> reporter: the hand is on its way, packed in ice, in a cooler like this one. but it can't survive long without blood. >> well we all know about the notorious la traffic. >> and an unforeseen visitor causes an unexpected delay. a critical race against time, next.

>> reporter: look carefully. you're watching jonathan koch

bench press using the stump of his left wrist. remarkably, pushing past the familiar, ever present pain. >> come on, give me 10. >> reporter:this unwavering drive. >> good job. >> reporter: is about to pay off with a new hand. >> if i wasn't ready, then what dr. azari did and all of his genius, would have gone potentially, you know, to waste, and so that wasn't ok. >> reporter: but dr. kodi azari had to be ready too. he trained 18 years for this moment, and not unlike jonathan, he too had a silver screen hero. >> reporter: sully, the movie about the hero pilot chesley sullenberger's miraculous plane landing on the hudson. azari says he watched it repe similarities between their two professions. >> we're expected to do the operations perfectly every single time. yet, the human body

throws curveballs our way, and when that happens, you've got to have the composure to do what's right, to do what's best, and you have to make judgments at very critical times. >> and lives can often be on the line. >> and lives. the movie really resonated with me. >> in many ways sully's like a hero to you. >> i think he's a hero to many people. >> reporters: and like pilots in a simulator, azari and his team gathered multiple times to practice jonathan's operation in a surgical anatomy lab. >> the search for a donor is not easy. >> the hand is different. it's an external organ. so, you need to match for size. you need to match for color. you need to match for hair pattern. imagine my hairy hands on you juju. i don't think you would accept this as yours. >> that would be a little off. >> reporter: after a 7 month wait, last october, jonathan and jennifer get the call. the one they hope will change their lives.

>> i still don't believe it. i was like, this isn't happening. this isn't happening, and then, finally, you know, we get in the car and we go. >> and so you're driving to the hospital. what's goin' through your mind? >> well, first of all, obama was in town. so that wasn't great. >> the surgical team is at ucla medical center waiting on jonathan and jennifer, but they didn't bank on this. >> president obama will be fundraising in l.a., once again. >> and that means traffic delays as you head to work. >> and so it's l.a. traffic. >> yeah. >> you're stuck in gridlock? >> yes. they're relying on a g.p.s. but on a day like this, it's more like o.m.g. >> we decided to follow waze, but, of course, everybody in l.a. follows waze. so we were on these back roads with all these stop signs with literally as much traffic as there was on the freeway. >> so we were 45 minutes late to my own hand transplant. >> reporter: meanwhile the donor is on life support at another southern california hospital.

azari and his procurement team are there to meet the dying man's family. >> and i actually got to meet the donor's brother and i got to meet the donor's pastor, and to me that was an incredibly emotional time because i can truly sense their loss. jonathan got an organ from somebody that was truly an incredible person. >> reporter: azari texts jennifer. all is going well. we have left the donor hospital en route to ucla, but timing is now critical. traffic delays from the president's motorcade could be catastrophic. dr. azari has a helicopter on standby. the organ or the hand for this instance is not getting blood supply so over time it's deteriorating. so there's a ticking clock. >> reporter: a ticking clock on what will already be a marathon, almost 18 hour surgery, but today, in the city of angels, an angel just might be watching over them. >> and do you get stuck in traffic? how do you get back? >> there was no traffic. imagine that, coming back to ucla there was very little

traffic. >> how are you feeling about your hand surgery? >> very peaceful and hopeful that everything goes well. >> jonathan had no concerns going into the surgery, but i did. i mean, this is an 18-hour surgery. this is a big deal. >> i actually told dr. azari. i said, you take care of my husband. you better take care of him. >> don't lose him? >> yeah. you bring my husband back to me. >> reporter: azari joins his team of 13 surgeons, 4 anesthesiologist and 8 nurses from competing southern california hospitals now in the o.r. all volunteering for one of the first of its kind hand transplants. before now, it was the stuff of science fiction, luke skywalker got one in star wars. but this procedure, if it works will be ground-breaking. a complex surgery that would allow jonathan to recover with greater coordination and more sensation than in previous hand transplants. >> you volunteered to be a guinea pig, essentially. >> i did volunteer to be a

guinea pig, and it's really my job to make sure that i have the best chance to succeed so that other people can have the same opportunity moving forward. >> reporter: but the possibilities for complications are inevitable. >> there's always the fear that maybe rejection will set in or some other complication might set in. >> that's right. initial fears are that the vessels are going to clot and blood is not going to move through the hand. >> reporter: two surgical teams work simultaneously, side by side, every tendon, artery, nerve is tagged and labeled. kind of like stereo wires waiting to be re-connected. there's no margin for error. >> nerves are like coaxial cables, except there's no red to

red, green to green, yellow to yellow connection. you have to figure out how they fit within each other so that the parts of the nerve that are for sensation match up and the parts of the nerve that are for motor function match up. >> and so one wrong move and it can affect the way his hand moves? >> the way his hand moves. the way his hand feels. >> reporter: the new hand is now attached. tourniquets and clamps removed. did it work? the surgical team holds its breath. >> and what was that moment like when you saw the pulse return to his wrist? >> when you see this dead hand, it's cold, it's white, and it's not moving, and once you connect the vessels, including arteries and the nerves, then you see it start to swell up with blood. it's like a new life. it's magical. >> the next morning the operation is over. jonathan wakes with one pressing question for dr. azari. >> i asked dr. azari, did you do it? and he said yes, and then i started to sing the rocky theme. >> reporter: coming up, would

jonathan's new hand function as dr. azari hoped? >> we're going to try to move your thumb tip. >> reporter: would he be abe to feel the touch of his wife's hand in his again? the day after jonathan's surgery is jennifer's birthday. there was only one gift she wanted. >> that's amazing. >> reporter: stay with us.

>> reporter: 21 arduous months after jonathan koch first felt sick, a moment that would have been inconceivable at the start. he awakes from surgery with a newly transplanted left hand. >> i was told that an hour after surgery you were moving fingers >> it was jennifer's birthday, when i got out of surgery she said, i just want one thing, i just want you to move one of your fingers. or i think you said move your thumb. >> that's amazing! >> and i didn't think there was any chance that i could. but i thought about it and it moved. >> what a birthday present! >> yes. it was the best birthday present. >> then all of the sudden this

guy comes on. and that's where it began. every hour, something would come back. >> doc, will i be able to play the piano after the surgery? >> reporter: a new hand, yes. but what kind of new life lies ahead? remember he also lost fingers on his right hand, and a leg to that insidious disease. >> it's in my heart that if you, you know, you set your mind to something and you're willing to get through the pain. anything is possible. >> boom! >> that's awesome! >> about one week in he's gripping a tennis ball and throwing it. >> what? >> reporter: from the opening serve, his doctor says, it was advantage koch. >> unbelievable! >> so, better than expected? >> better than expected. next thing you know he's -- he's got this little video that he shows me where he picks up a glass of water and he takes a drink. and he goes, ahh. jonathan has met or in the vast majority of cases exceeded all of my expectations. the classic one was, i told him jonathan it's gonna take you

maybe a year and a half to two years before you can tie your shoelaces, at two months he sends me a video of him tying his shoelaces >> reporter: that moment loaded with symbolism - for the man who'd told us he first learned to tie his shoes in that basement - under the duress of his dad. >> juju, you don't have a lot of patience for this. >> no it's -- >> because you said i - you know, my doctors are telling me i'm a year ahead of schedule but i don't feel like i'm a year. >> well, i don't 'cause i'm just doing what's in front of me. >> reporter: for months now, he's put more in front of himself than many would. >> now you have full extension. remember you didn't in the beginning. >> that was the most difficult one. >> reporter: at ucla, an exacting rehab regimen to build up the hand itself. and at the gym. >> dude good job. >> there's constantly something new on the horizon that we're trying to accomplish. >> reporter: an exhausting workout schedule to restore his whole body.

>> ten, one, come on. >> seeing him do new things after his hand transplant, quite a few of them brought tears to my eyes. >> ready, go. >> reporter: but maybe the greatest reward of all, doing anything with his daughter ariana. >> i'll get you next time. >> how cool is it to be able to work out with ariana again? >> oh i love it. you know, doing those things now with her are just extraordinary. >> reporter: like in february, a milestone that seemed implausible. they attend ariana's last high school father daughter dance. >> you made it to a father daughter dance again. >> i did! father-daughter dances are amazing, and ariana was incredible. she took care of me the whole night. >> okay, let's do this. >> reporter: but i got to share a pretty special thrill with him too, >> perfect. >> reporter: a rally on his beloved tennis courts. >> yes! how's it feel? >> it feels good, i just can't really feel my grip that well yet. >> reporter: as if playing tennis alone isn't amazing enough, the natural righty had to learn to do it left handed.

>> yes! >> yeah, i'm not great. but i am working on it. and i'm having a blast relearning tennis. >> good job. >> you're amazing!! >> reporter: it's not without issues, his heart and lungs are not at the levels they once were. and like any transplant recipient, there is a lifelong looming possibility of rejection. curiously, jonathan says he's lost a lot of his taste for food, and he overheats a lot. so he carries a fan, even during our interview. >> i'm just going to cool down one second. >> yeah, sure. >> reporter: but wherever jonathan goes, he is a living breathing inspiration. >> i feel very much that i'm, you know, the test pilot for this. you know that - that my hand is my hand but it's really all of ours. >> reporter: and speaking of pilots, remember the one who'd inspired the whole world with his heroism? >> i have a little surprise for

>> i have a little surprise for you. >> reporter: well we asked. >> am i about to be pranked? >> reporter: and he agreed - >> come on in. >> reporter: to pay dr. azari a surprise visit. >> good afternoon! >> cool. >> dr. azari. >> sir how are you? >> very nice to know you. >> reporter: captain sully. >> evacuate! >> reporter: the high-flying hero who makes a down-to-earth cameo in our little hollywood movie. >> i cant tell you how many times i've cried watching that movie. that was an incredible day for america. >> i think at a time when we all needed it. it gave us all hope. >> oh my goodness jonathan, how are you? >> good, how are you? >> jennifer, it's a pleasure to meet you. >> pleasure to meet you. >> it's pretty remarkable isn't %-p! >> it's been an incredible experience. as something happens almost every day that changes it. >> it's amazing how complex the human body is! >> shake? >> that's lovely! >> it is. >> reporter: when we come back -- just how does one learn how to play guitar with a transplanted hand?

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>> ♪ my hands are small i know, but they're not yours they are my own ♪ >> reporter: when jewel wrote her top-ten hit "hands", she didn't even know jonathan koch. ♪ and i am never broken >> reporter: but now the song is almost a soundtrack for his life. >> nobody gets through life without pain. not one of us. we're all gonna deal with heartbreak, death, trauma. and so i really wrote that song about not being a victim. about taking your happiness in your own hands. i sometimes use one finger to hit both strings. >> reporter: and with that new left hand, his first stab at playing guitar, part music lesson, part life lesson. >> wow. this feels really good. >> wow. >> i really like being -- >> you just learned a chord dude. >> thank you everyone. >> reporter: jonathan koch, the man who made a fortune telling other people's stories, now telling his own, as inspiration. >> none of this is ever gonna

happen to you. you're never gonna face it, but things are going to, and good things and bad things and i just would like you to be ready, and some day when you're feeling challenged, that you look back at this and you'll say to yourself, you know what, i can push through this. i can do more than i thought i could. it has already helped, you know, a lot of people, and that means everything to me. >> reporter: but on this day, he takes us back to where it all began. the last time jonathan and jennifer went through this door, they were heading out to an uncertain future. now, theyre heading back in. >> oh my gosh! wow. [ cheers ] >> reporter: cherishing the chance to say thank you to those same doctors and nurses at george washington university hospital. they may never know what triggered his medical mystery. >> im so happy for you. thank you. welcome back! >> reporter: but they seem just as thrilled as he is that they solved it. >> jennifer thank you for saving my husband's life! thank you so much!

just for everything. we can now report tonight that jonathan recently met the family of his hand donor, and they wish to remain private, but they have allowed us to show this photo, touching their loved one's hand once more, jonathan's hand. thank you for watching. good night. next at 11:00, the man injured in a freeway shooting in the east bay tells us what happened and updates the