frontline® plus. good morning. storm front. a massive weatherys storm front, a massive storm system that pounded mish set to bring storms. or tornadoes to the nation's midsection. dylan is tracking it all. is it over? the government backs down in a standoff wit a cattle ranch owner that had hundreds of protesters rushing to the scene. this morning, though, tensions remain high. baby on board? the british papers going wild this morning speculating that will and kate are ready for baby number two. so just what did the prince say in new zealand that has everyone talking? marathon soccer match. it's been 69 hours and counting.

when you see why they're playing you'll see why no one is quitting soon. today, sunday, april 13th, 2014. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with lester holt and erica hill. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> welcome to "today" on this sunday morning p. i'm erica hill. >> i'm carson daly alongside jenna wolfe and dylan dryer. lester has the morning off. you just saw there, soccer match going on since thursday. raising money for pediatric cancer. we'll have the whole story later. >> same players? >> they swap in and out. they're on a rotating schedule. when it's all said and done, if you can imagine, a 73 hour soccer game. >> same balls? >> lots of different rotating balls. >> watch your newscast to get all the details in 36 minutes from right now. we'll actually also speak

with the little boy who's at the center o f this and his parents. i know you'll talk with them coming up in the next half hour. >> absolutely. great story. we begin, though, with this mo morning's top story. wild weather hitting the country's midsection. a tough night throughout michigan. heavy winds bringing down trees. they caused damage in several neighborhoods. where could this storm be headed now? we know the girl with the answers. dylan is tracking it for us. >> good morning. it is going to hit the plain states today. but snow in denver. yesterday in denver it was 72 degrees. and we are going to see several inches of snow. we've got this setup here with this area of low pressure sitting right through the middle of the country. you have the warm air out ahead of this system. then you have the cold air back behind it. and it's the clash of these two air masses that will create the potential for some severe weather. specially as we go a little bit later on into this afternoon. now, we are looking at the threat from kansas city all the way down into texas, east over into louisiana for isolated tornadoes, large hail is the biggest threat, and damaging

wind gusts. right in here through tulsa where it's orange here, that's where we have a moderate risk of seeing our best chance of tornadoes. but on the flip side of that, again, 72 in denver yesterday. but we could see four to ten inches of snow. 12 to 15 inches possible in the mountains. it's an area where it's going to get very messy into the day today and into tonight. keep an eye out for that severe weather right through the plain states. we are just getting into this tornado season here so it could be a busy day. carson? now to a tense situation in nevada that may be showing signs of easing up this morning. it pitted the federal government against a ranch owner in a fight over grazing cattle. authorities had seized some of them and it led hundreds of angry supporters to race to the scene. leanne greg is live in bunkerville, nevada, with more. leanne, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, carson. the dispute over states rights and land use is still undecided. but protesters who supported the family are celebrating today after the federal government backed down.

this morning about 400 head of cattle from cliven bundy's ranch are once again free to roam. after nevada's bureau of land management stopped its roundup of the animals on saturday. citing serious safety concerns. the agency had been corralling the cattle for the past week, saying they were grazing illegally on public land. but the bundys claim they own the land and call it a range war. >> get off our land. period. give us back our property. >> reporter: hundreds of protesters, many of them armed, rallied in support of the family. captured on video and posted to youtube, the dispute escalated. agency police fired a taser that struck bundy's son. >> they had the tasers. they had the weapons. they had the dogs. and we had nothing except us. we were almost equally numbered. and then they were the aggressors. >> reporter: the federal government says protesters were blocking a road.

assaulting authorities and their dogs. but the video prompted a call to arms from self-described militia leaders and those fighting for states' rights. one arrived carrying an ak 47 as the crowds grew. >> i'm willing to lay my life down. >> reporter: federal authorities say the issue is clear. the bundys stopped paying federal grazing fees more than 20 years ago. the courts have ruled that these cattle are in trespass. >> reporter: but for now the government is backing off. a temporary victory for the bundy family. but the conflict far from over. >> i have my dad in heaven. but he fought for this. my grandpa fought for this. i'm going to fight for this. >> reporter: the blm says it will work to try and continue to resolve this issue judiciously and administratively.

nevada's government said a peaceful resolution was the best outcome he could have hoped for. carson? >> thank you very much for that. want to get you caught up on some of the other morning's top stories. jenna is following those for us. >> we begin this morning in ukraine where the country's interior minister today launched what's being called an anti-terrorist operation. residents in the eastern city of slovyansk. a raging wildfire in chile has killed at least four people and consumed hundreds of homes. officials say the flames have spread into vina del mar and port city of valparaiso. the country's government has declared the city a catastrophe zone evacuating thousands of people already. a new united nations report on climate change is out this morning and it calls on governments to act quickly to drastically reduce carbon emissions.

nbc's chief environmental affairs correspondent anne thompson has those details. >> this report outlines how we can avoid the worst impacts of climate change. and the u.n. report says we have to dramatically cut our carbon emissions 40% to 70% by the year 2050 and to near zero by 2100. how do we do that? we have to move to a low carbon energy supply, it says. that means moving away from burning coal and oil to create power and to get ourselves from place to place. instead, it says, we have to increase our dependence on renewable energy such as solar, wind, geothermal. we have to increase nuclear energy. when we burn coal, we need to use something called carbon capture and storage technology. it also addresses natural gas which is undergoing such a huge boom in this country. it says that natural gas could actually be a bridge to that low carbon future because it creates fewer emissions. now, the panel says there's no

time to waste. our emissions are rising despite all our talking. and that the longer we wait, the harder and more things

out. >> a wing on the boutonniere. >> right now we're told no sides. they're just doing the chicken. but this is actually true. >> what about cuff links that are little mcnuggets. >> really an idea. >> mcnuggets are great. >> throwing the ideas out there. >> and they're good. she has been a lightning rod for criticism ever since the rollout of obamacare turned into a huge mess. health and human services secretary kathleen sebelius announcing on friday she is stepping down from that post. the next day she spoke exclusively to andrea mitchell

about her troubled time in washington. >> well, i think there's no question. and i've said this many times. that the launch of the website was terribly flawed and terribly difficult. the good news was that we said it would be fixed in eight weeks. it was fixed in eight weeks. could we have used more time and testing? you bet. and i've said that from the start. and the great thing is, there's a market behind the site that works even better. people have competitive choices and real information for the first time ever in this insurance market. >> did the white house oversell it? >> i don't think they did. i think what we said from the outset was, you know, this was fixing a very broken market. where individuals really were on their own. if you were healthy and wealthy, you could get coverage. if you weren't, you were pretty much on your own. >> do you have any regrets? >> i don't. i -- i have -- i mean, if i had

a -- a magic wand and could go back to mid-september and ask different questions based on what i know now, i thought i was getting the best information from the best experts having outside and inside people come report and look, measure, but clearly that didn't go well. >> david gregory is moderator of "meet the press." david, good morning. >> good morning, erica. >> this has been a big focus in the days since kathleen sebelius announced her resignation. a lot of people asking, though, why now? so what is the thinking behind the timing? >> well, i think from a political point of view it's a way to say to democrats, look, we're taking some of the accountability in the administration. go out, try to win this debate over obamacare. you have better news to work with here. we're going to remove one of the impediments. the fact that kathleen sebelius who is criticized as running the department overseeing this and implementing it is now gone. i think the president made a decision at the time when all of

the rollout was happening so poorly that he didn't want to fire her then, force her resignation because, "a," they were in a bit of a panic about how to fix things. two, to replace her and get somebody confirmed on capitol hill would have exacerbated those problems. so he made the decision to stand fast at the moment. take responsibility for it and try to get the problems fixed. which they did. it doesn't mean that obamacare is going to roll out completely smoothly or that all of the impacts of it are going to be fully known. that's what republicans are going to keep arguing about. >> we'll be hearing more about that obviously. the president having to name a replacement, siylvia matthews borrel. she is more of a budget person. why was she the best choice moving forward? >> i think just viewed as a confident manager. going to be able to deal with execution going forward. they wanted someone more than anything not the kind of target kathleen sebelius has become because she was associated with the rollout in the way she was. i think the administration did

not use sebelius as effectively as they could have in terms of making her an outspoken advocate for and spokesperson for the law. maybe they didn't feel she was up to that task. and that her successor will be. >> this is something obviously we're going to continue to hear about. by that i mean obamacare and health care. so over the weekend in new hampshire, was the freedom summit. which is sponsored by conservative groups. we saw senators ted cruz, rand paul there. really, too, doubling down on health care. is this the beginning of or maybe we should say resumption as we resume speculation for 2016? >> there's no question about that. and they're also teeing up 2014. you know, this mid-term race has got to be from the republican point of view about health care, and it's got to be about president obama and the democratic grand. go back to 2006. the iraq war and big gains for democrats because of president bush and the republican brand. once they get to 2016 i think they want to turn the corner.

it's got to be about a republican party that is moving forward with a different theory. and a different way to govern. they've got to be in that place by 2016. they don't want it to still be about president obama by then. >> we'll check in with you in just a bit for a look on what's coming up on "meet the press." now to the wild speculation bubbling overseas this morning. could will and kate be getting close to adding baby number two? rumors have been swirling since saturday after the prince, who is said to have made a very interesting comment to the word in the crowd, during the trip to new zealand. >> reporter: as the duke and duchess of cambridge wowed the crowds across new zealand, it's clear who's the center of attention. and while prince george is winning hearts on his first royal tour, now there's speculation about baby number two. according to british papers, prince william may have tipped his hand this weekend. reportedly telling a woman who knit a shawl for prince george, you might need to make another one soon. prince william, did he mention he might want another shawl in

the future? >> he may have. >> and did he say there was any urgency to it? >> he said sometime. >> there's no doubt they're going to have more children. but not just yet. >> reporter: meanwhile, it's been an action-packed few days for the royals. today a game of touch rugby with local children. plus an adrenaline inducing jet boat ride on a river. following a race of dueling yachts late last week. so while another baby will likely be in the young royal's future, it doesn't look like that future is now. >> it's very unlikely given the sort of program that's been going on on this new zealand tour that she is pregnant. sailing around upton harbor. going over the river. quite an active tour. >> reporter: further dispelling the pregnancy rumors the duchess was seen sipping wine at a vineyard. for today, chapman bell, nbc news, christchurch, new zealand. dylan is back with another check of the forecast. >> could be a very busy day

today. we've got the showers and storms starting to fire up. it'll take until a it willle bit this afternoon before we see some of the stronger storms. right in red there from the midwest into texas and louisiana. then we have snow on the backside of this system. especially back toward denver and some of the ski resorts out that way. that could end up with about 6 to 12 that is your latest forecast. >> dylan, thanks very much. coming up next, the remarkable high schooler who was

the bell of the ball when she showed up at the prom with a super bowl champion on her arm. the heartwarming story right after this. i jbut they blacked me out.ht these miles are useless! that's turrible. and all the other dates are triple the miles! triple the miles? that's as useless as chuck at a golf tournament. or you at the three point line. or you in a spelling bee. you gotta switch to the venture card from capital one. you can fly any airline. no blackouts. that's what i did. i don't say this often -- but listen to the ref. i can't believe i said that. don't get blacked out, get the capital one venture card. earn unlimited double miles on every purchase, every day. good on any airline or hotel. what's in your wallet? turn to roc® retinol correxion®. one week, fine lines appear to fade. one month, deep wrinkles look smoother. after one year, skin looks ageless. high performance skincare™ only from roc®.

(thunder rumbling) (thunderclap) (bellowing fire) (steaming and chugging) (thunderclap) (cheering) (rollercoaster rumbling) the world you've been waiting for is here. the wizarding world of harry potter, featuring the all new diagon alley and the hogwarts express. (thunderclap) come and live it. universal orlando resort. we are back now on a sunday morning with a story that is sure to leave you with a smile on your face. >> it was a dream night last night for one very special high school senior who showed up at the prom with a super bowl champion by her side. ron allen has more.

>> let's go look for your dress. >> reporter: a mother and daughter story as heartwarming as any fairytale. >> that is just pink. that's beautiful. >> reporter: chandler kirkland, 18, and mom stacy holmes in search of the perfect ensemble for taylor's senior prom. >> she's going to have a hard time walking in those shoes. >> reporter: chandler will graduate this spring despite battles with autism which limits her ability to speak. she was named homecoming queen because of her determination. >> yes, yes! we found the dress! >> reporter: so for the prom, mom thought taylor should have a very special date. >> i wanted something to be, like, over the top. extra special. i knew my cousin knew christian michaels and he played for seattle seahawks. >> reporter: that's right. she asked her cousin to just call up a big time football player. christian michael.

for the super bowl champions. and ask if he would take taylor to the prom. >> i would just like to see what happens. i know, you know, he's really busy. >> she showed me the picture. my eyes light up. >> your eyes was lighting up. oh, my gosh. are you going to kiss him? >> yes. >> reporter: a mother's love made her daughter's dream come true saturday night. when michael, inspired by taylor's story, escorted her to the prom. >> i said yes on the dot. without thinking about it. she looks beautiful. outstanding. i don't want to be anywhere else but here. >> reporter: he was the perfect gentleman. she the bell of the ball. and mom enjoyed every moment. >> i'm totally over the moon about everything. i'm ecstatic. it's been like a fairytale. >> reporter: and they danced the night away. for today, ron allen, nbc news. still to come, we'll take you to a marathon soccer match

where the players have been on the field since thursday. the reason is a great one. a little boy with a great spirit who needs a helping hand. we'll introduce you to him. first these messages. a day at the spa is essential for rejuvenating your spirit. you owe me this cause i clean your tushy. but i'll settle for a toddler yogurt facial any day. all done, mommy. hey, love that yogurt. it's good stuff. you uh, you got a little something... hmm, it happens. yogurt is number 14 of my 20. the new amex everyday credit card with no annual fee. still good. make 20 or more purchases in a monthly billing period, and earn 20% more rewards. it's membership that rewards you for the things you already buy, everyday. what's your 20?

back on a sunday morning with "today's" update. we couldn't be happier to share this one with you. you might remember our story from yesterday about a young girl who was one of the best players on her basketball team. a boy's basketball team. 10-year-old jayliyn base and her team were set to play in on upcoming tournament. they said they couldn't play if she remained on the team. today we have an update, they will be able to play in the tournament. great news. >> fantastic. >> tournament officials changed their minds on saturday saying that the original decision caused a divide within the youth basketball community and that it was in the best interest of everyone involved to let the

team play. >> a divide in the youth basketball community and some outrage across the country. >> she's the best one on the team. >> of course. >> she is. we actually had a fair amount of response to that. we had asked people to write in yesterday. majority of people really felt she should be allowed to play. there were some people who didn't. one person actually tweeted something to the effect of i wonder how it would be if the tables were turned and it was a boy who wanted to play on a girls' team. which is an interesting thing to think about. you hope people would say let that kid play, too. >> she started on the team. they went to the tournament. >> she's responsible for a good amount of that success. >> go jaylynn. still to come this morning, the power of the human spirit. we're going to take you along on one young woman's road to recovery. she was seriously wounded in the boston marathon bombing and almost lost her leg.

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good morning to you. looking live at a bit of a gray start to the day in san francisco, but what does the forecast have in store? you're wondering? well, let's check in with our meteorologist. he has a look at the weekend forecast. >> this morning, we're seeing kind of a repeat of yesterday. low clouds. west of san francisco and in san jose. 54 degrees right now. mostly cloudy skies, but we're starting to see am changes a bit higher up in that break up the low clouds sooner. as we head to the afternoon, our temperatures moly in the 70s, but a few spots, upper 70s, close to 80s, and temperatures in the mid-70s around an soezy. as the onshore winds show signs of backing off a bit.

the marine layer gets compressed down, that means the temperatures will be climbing up higher than yesterday. 75 in san jose around the peninsula. upper 60s and low 70s around 11:00 to noon. we'll start to see the low clouds break up inland,nd winds shifting direction out of the north should provide clearing down the coast as we head through the afternoon. san francisco, mid- to upper 60s, and north bay, highs near 76. santa rosy, 78. one more warm day toorment, and then cooler, breezy changes coming tuesday into wednesday. >> thanks. >> we're following a developing story this morning and the rising financial toll of a fire that ripped through four businesses in berkeley. right now, the tally is expected to be in the millions of the dollars. it started in the wooden duck furniture store not far from the university exit. the foor was reported around 8:00 last night and quickly went to six alarms.

someone in a neighboring business saw the flames and called 911. the property owner tells us the fire spread from that furniture store to three other businesses, import tiles, joshua tree, and thrivering lifestyles and there's no cause of the fire just yet and no reports of injuries. investigators are trying to figure out what let to the death of a peninsula hiker whose body was found yesterday. magdalena glinkowski went missing two weeks go after going out for a hike. an all-out search last weekend turned up nothing, but surveillance video and a tip from a jogger caused the search team to zero in on that area and that's where they discovered the woman's body yesterday morning. >> turning to a story you will only see on nbc bay area. a state-wide sting on unlicensed auto dealers and they're cited people who are dealing cars who

could be unsafe to drive. there are only 3 of 20 cars that had for sale signs were legitimate on one street targeted yesterday. according to investigators, unliceanted car deals will purchase low-end cars with salvage titles and sell them for profit. >> at 7:00 on today in the bay, baseball is back in the bay area. that means new ballpark fare. we're going to take you to at&t park to see the new gourmet treats and the rest of the day's news coming up in just 30 minutes.

♪ >> on the "today" show! >> cheers from wisconsin. we brought cheese! >> hey, dad, love you! >> we're all celebrating our birthday with the "today" show! >> we're back on this sunday morning, april 13th, 2014. and we need con ga lessons, apparently. we want to thank you all of them coming out. taking some great pictures which you can see on our plaza wall.

i can't believe i saw what i just saw from the corner of my eye. we have a lot coming up this half hour. first let's get you caught up on this morning's headlines. a strong storm system that caused big problems in michigan is set to bring even more damage to the middle of the country. tornadoes and flash flooding are both possible. a tense standoff between the supporters of a cattle ranch in nevada is over. the government has since backed down. baby makes four? rumors swirl from the down under after prince william made a comment that has some people speculating that the royal family could be expecting another child soon. >> let the speculation begin. and the betting in vegas. still to come this half hour, a teenager who isn't letting anything stop her as she recovers from a terrible injury from the boston marathon bombing. she nearly lost her leg. when you hear her story, you'll really understand that phrase boston strong. also ahead, two brothers from texas who are masters of the rodeo. and these kids are little, and

they're adorable. so good they took some time out to give me a little lesson. really cute. we had a good time. let's begin this half hour with a marathon soccer match that started on thursday and is still going strong this morning. it's all because of the a 2-year-old boy facing a tough battle with brain cancer. we're going to meet young jackson and his parents in just a moment. first the story and inspiration behind the game. >> reporter: it's a soccer marathon that's been running since thursday afternoon. all inspired by 2-year-old jackson steinkuehler who today is cheering from the sidelines. last summer jackson was fighting for his life. diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer. doctors at st. louis children's hospital removed a golf-ball-sized tumor from his brain. the first of four surgeries during his jackson suffered complications, including meningitis. >> i don't know if i could have even imagined the kind of fear we'd feel, that we felt, especially in the past ten months or so. >> reporter: after doctors successfully removed the tumor,

radiation and chemotherapy followed. >> i never broke down in front of people so many times. i really can't describe to you how difficult it was. >> reporter: but jackson is now doing better and his prognosis looks good. so to thank the hospital, jackson's dad, rob, a college soccer coach, and some of his players rallied for a good cause. a 73-hour soccer match to raise money for pediatric cancer research. >> this is our way of saying, you know what? we're going to take charge now. we're going to do everything in our power to raise money so parents don't have to go through what we did. >> the whole idea behind doing this is just to pay it forward. >> reporter: while dozens of players have been going back and forth for more than three days now and a few have dropped out due to injuries the game continues to give kids with cancer, children like jackson, a fighting chance. young jackson and his parents, rob and kelly steinkuehler, are all at the soccer match this morning. good morning, guys. how are you? >> we're doing good.

how are you? >> good to have you here. kelly, let's start with you. we'll get to the soccer match details in just a second. tell us a little bit about how jackson's doing. i understand he got some pretty good news in march. >> we did. he had a scan in march. it was clean. as long as we keep having clean scans things are going to continue to improve for him. he's doing great. he's running around like little kids should. >> great to hear. rob, when you think of college kids, i know you're a soccer coach, you don't think about college kids raising money for pediatric cancer. tell us a little bit about your guys who've been on that field since thursday, what that must mean to you and how they're holding up. >> i really can't be any more proud of the guys that are my players. this is an unbelievable journey that we're all on. and everybody's in high spirits. everybody's real excited to get on camera this morning. hopes are really high right now. >> kelly, you've got an entire community just rallying around you and your family. what has that support meant to

you? >> everything. we wouldn't have gotten through this without everyone's support. i mean, that's just the simple fact. we wouldn't have made it through all the difficult -- i mean, we just bad news after bad news. having everybody behind us is what kept us going. we say all the time we're still standing because of the people holding us up. >> right. hey, rob i understand jackson's been a big motivator for the players out there. do you have a future soccer player on your hands? >> oh, absolutely. he loves soccer. every time he sees a soccer ball he points and kicks it around and says dada. he's going to be a soccer player for life. make his daddy proud. >> tell us a little bit about that game going on since thursday. is there a score? >> yeah. the score right now is 274-304, the good guys. which is my team. >> 274. wow. i guess after a normal soccer game you might go out for some pizza. where's everybody going to go after this marathon? >> i don't think we're going anywhere. we may hit the grass and stay there for a few hours. i don't know. >> yeah. all right. awesome.

well, it was great to see you guys. thank you so much for the inspiration. jackson, i have a son named jackson as well. he shares your same name. i hope he shares the same bravery that you've shown, buddy. good to see you guys this morning. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> all right. let's get a final check of the weather from dylan. she's outside on the plaza. dylan? >> good morning, guys. we're having poster issues. but there's a lot of red and blue on the plaza here. you're all down from maine. what's the special occasion? >> heritage tour. >> you traveled to other places, too? >> we went to washington, d.c., and pennsylvania. >> now you made it to the "today" show. part of the american heritage, right? we are going to see a big change in temperatures over the course of the next couple of days. today we should still be in the 80s down in texas. we are looking at temps today at about 10 to 15 degrees above average in chicago. but look at the cold air that's moving in tomorrow. we are going to be about 22 degrees below average. 44 for a high in kansas city after being in the 70s and 80s just yesterday. 57 for a high tomorrow in dallas. we do have to keep an eye out

for severe storms out ahead of the cold front. the reason why temperatures are dropping and we could see large hail, damaging wind gusts and even an isolated tornado, and we are heading west to cleveland for "today's" top spot. it's the ix indoor amusement park in cleveland. thanks to our affiliate wkyc. adrenaline junkies look no further for action. 20 acres built.

a soring zip line. racetrack. even a water ride. probably a little too cold for that right now, especially tomorrow. again, it's mostly indoors. anything goes. temperatures in cleveland should be in the 70s today. not too bad. up next, she's defied expectations in the weeks and months after the boston marathon bombing. one survivor looks back at how far she's come. that is right after these messages. [ male announcer ] this is kevin. to prove to you that aleve is the better choice for him, he's agreed to give it up. that's today?

[ male announcer ] we'll be with him all day as he goes back to taking tylenol. i was okay, but after lunch my knee started to hurt again. and now i've got to take more pills. ♪ yup. another pill stop. can i get my aleve back yet? ♪ for my pain, i want my aleve. ♪ [ male announcer ] look for the easy-open red arthritis cap.

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as we approach the one-year anniversary of the boston marathon bombings, we are reminded of amazing stories of strength reasoned sill yens of survivors. >> it has been a painful year and a year of healing. despite is it all, one young victim decided she would never let any of this stop her from achieving her dreams. 25 minutes after the first bomb blast, 18-year-old jillian ready was in triage at boston bringing ham and women's hospital. >> i was fully conscious until we reached the energy room. i definitely understood how grave the situation was. >> reporter: the blast tore through her lower leg. >> initially we were thinking the fragmented bone was going to turn this into an amputation situation. >> reporter: a key nerve and blood vessels, however, were intact. and three days later surgeries were ready to try to save jillian's leg. >> when we got to the hospital, we really just had no idea what would happen.

it became very clear very quickly that we were so fortunate to have landed where we landed. >> reporter: from the beginning, jillian defied expectations. >> within about two weeks, we could not believe what she was doing at rehab. >> jillian set the tone by moving forward and not sort of looking back. >> reporter: while doctors advised she take a year off from school to focus on her recovery, jillian had other plans. >> it was a terrible thing that happened. but it wasn't something that i wanted to derail my life. and i really, really wanted to go to college on time. and i really wanted to graduate high school on time. so it pushed me to push myself. >> reporter: jillian did graduate on time. and just four months after the bombing, jillian took her first steps on her own. >> first day walking. >> here she goes! >> reporter: what was it like for you folks the first time you

saw jillian walk again? >> unbelievable. >> we knew she was going to get there. it was very touching to see it happen. >> reporter: inspired by their daughter's remarkable recovery, jillian's family launched the gillian reny stepping strong fund to further critical research here including this work on bone regeneration hoping to offer more patients the same chance gillian had. >> how are you? >> good. >> reporter: nearly a year later, gillian is pushing herself every day. gillian was near the finish line last year waiting for her older sister, danielle, who was running her first marathon. this year, danielle is running again. with more than a dozen family, friends, even some of gillian's doctors as part of the stepping strong team. >> it's been amazing to see my family try to make something great out of something terrible. >> reporter: what is your goal at this point and your dream? >> this is always going to be a

part of my life. but have it not be the center of my life as it has been for the past year. >> reporter: gillian hasn't decided whether she'll be at the finish line this year. but she will be with her team. every step of the way. >> we're all running this together. she's done so well. we're so proud of her. she'll be with us as we cross the line one way or the other. >> gillian currently has physical therapy three times a week. she does daily exercises on her own. she said to me, i walk to class. that's great therapy for me. the family is an incredible family. no way around it. they're so positive. both her parents were also injured in the bombing. they were tireless advocates for their daughter and for the care that she received. it's incredible to look at how they are so focused on moving forward. >> and graduating on time. just continuing with her life. amazing. >> it's really impressive. this was really important to them that they find a way to give back and say thank you to all the doctors at the hospital that did so much for them. that's why they wanted to help try to fund this research so

that other people can have the chance like gillian did to not face an amputation. >> thaesz cool the doctors are going to be running too with the family. >> it's a really nice race. so many stories like this about the strength of the people in boston who were affected. >> you have to be so grounded and understanding what happened and be able to make that next move to the next chapter in your life. >> that's true. >> it personifies boston strong. that's what it is, that story right there. >> yeah. just ahead this morning, four rowers dealing with terrifying circumstances in the middle of the oceasomehow managed to survive. we'll share their story with you as well. but first these messages. [ children yelling ] [ telephone rings ] [ shirley ] edward jones. this is shirley speaking. how may i help you? oh hey, neill, how are you? how was the trip? [ male announcer ] with nearly 7 million investors... [ shirley ] he's right here. hold on one sec. [ male announcer ] ...you'd expect us to have a highly skilled call center. kevin, neill holley's on line one.

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four rowers were ready for the experience of a lifetime when they set off on a transatlantic mission never attempted before. their trip did not go the way they planned and ended with a dramatic rescue. this morning for the first time we're seeing video recovered from the ocean. keith morrison of "dateline" has more. >> reporter: the crew of the tiny 29-foot row boat, the james robert hansen, had been fighting the elements for weeks on end. there were storms. broken oars. power problems. all seemed to be conspiring

against the four rowers. >> it's adam calling from the ocean. >> reporter: and in these recovered videos, it's clear that along the way from africa to north america, the journey was proving tougher than any of them imagined. olympic gold medalist adam kreek was missing his pregnant wife and young son. >> i yearned for land more than i thought i would out here. >> reporter: then one day, back home in british columbia, his wife rebecca received a happy surprise on her computer. >> it's this awesome video that adam was able to send near the end of him talking to jefferson saying, hi, jefferson, it's daddy. what did you do today? then pause. then jefferson would watch it over and over and over and answer him. he'd be like, i went to day care. >> i was wondering, have you been to the park recently? >> yeah. >> have you been playing with your lego and tinker toys? spending lots of time outside? >> reporter: a father and son interacting with each other

separated by days of lag time and thousands of miles. >> i look forward to hearing back from you. i love you lots and i'm going to give you a big squeeze when i see you in miami. then we're going to go see the elephants at the miami zoo. >> yeah. >> love you a ton. >> reporter: in the early morning hours of april 6th, 2013, day 73 in the expedition, land based coordinator greg spooner got a call from the san juan, puerto rico, coast guard station. officials had received signals from three emergency beacons. about 350 miles off the puerto rican coast. >> i'm just standing here trying to figure out what's going on and why only three beacons have gone off. where's the fourth? >> reporter: back home their families were frantic awaiting word of their loved ones' fate. then in an amazing maritime rescue played out over ten hours with two different airplanes, the u.s. coast guard saved the day and four lives. >> we were really lucky.

there is no fairness with the sea. it doesn't have to give back anything. but we tried. in this case, it did. >> reporter: keith morrison, nbc news, los angeles. >> wow. see more of this story tonight on "dateline" at 7:00, 6:00 central here on nbc. over to dylan on the plaza. >> just a moment ago i was on the plaza with the heritage crew. this is samuel white from water view, maine. >> still to come on "today," riding and roping. two kids show jenna what it takes to be champion at the rodeo. but first these messages. >> and come on in. before using her new bank of america credit card, which rewards her for responsibly managing her card balance. before receiving $25 toward her balance each quarter for making more than her minimum payment on time each month.

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we are back on a sunday morning with a story of two brothers who keep themselves busy with maybe a fairly unusual after school and weekend activity. >> with years of practice and training, they are champions at the rodeo, and believe it or not, they taught jenna a few things as well. >> called rodeoing. it runs in the family. no surprise the brothers picked it up at a very young age.

in matador, texas, the only thing the brothers love more than riding their animals is roping them. between the two of them, 13-year-old brody and 9-year-old brogan, they've entered and won hundreds of rodeos. so these are what we call your trophies? >> yes, ma'am. all our winnings we've won over the years. >> are you proud of what you've done here? >> yes. >> reporter: their buckles and saddles on display as badges of honor. most kids your age right now are out playing ball or inside playing video games. this is exactly where you guys want to be, isn't it? >> yes, ma'am. >> reporter: and there's nothing more prestigious. every year more than 15,000 youth rodeo members compete in close to 2,000 rodeos with thousands of dollars in prison money at stake. do you guys ever get nervous when you're out here, out on a horse? >> practicing is sort of like laid back. when it's for thousands of dollars, you get nervous.

>> reporter: the boys are third generation ropers. their father, a modern day cowboy. mom, she's an all-around junior rodeo champion. their success is a mix of genetics and practice. lots of practice. what is the hardest thing about what you guys do out here? >> fundamentals of roping. >> you miss one, you have to think back on what you did on that run and fix it. >> reporter: the skills and techniques practiced inside the arena, all a foundation of what's needed to run a working cattle ranch and take it from me. let's start with the basics. >> you wrap it around your leg and wrap, wrap, wrap. >> reporter: from tying to riding. >> what do you think i'm doing, 30, 40 miles an hour here? >> no. probably three. >> reporter: to roping. >> turn your wrist. >> there you go. >> reporter: none of those skills are easy. but i'm just a city girl.

brody and brogan live this life. for them, it's the very essence of who they are. because they know the competitions today will make them cowboys tomorrow. >> i was nowhere near that fake cow. >> you overshot it a little bit. >> i get it. i was terrible. but these kids weren't. thanks to brody and brogan for showing me the ropes. you guys are absolutely fantastic and adorable. just a few weeks ago brody qualified for state finals where he'll compete in tying and team roping. these kids, they practice every day after school. they love it. >> they have to. >> what about you? did this unlooeeash your inner cowboy? >> i used to practice every day after school. now i stopped. >> let's check in with david gregory for a look at what's coming up on "meet the press." david, good morning again. >> good morning, erica. the politics of health care. what does the resignation of kathleen sebelius mean for the president's health care law.

particularly the mid-terms. kathleen sebelius will be a guest of our program exclusively coming up this morning. one year after the boston marathon bombings, i went to the city for a special discussion on how boston is recovering from tragedy. all coming up this morning on "meet the press." >> see you then, david. thanks. that's going to do it for us this sunday morning. thank you for watching. i'll see you guys. >> stop by any time. we'll make sure there are snacks for you. >> thank you. that was the highlight. >> thanks to all of you for joining us. have a great day! among the stories we are working on, a great american city looks back to the day and for boston, a big day to look forward to. >> nbc "nightly news" with brian williams this week. ♪

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make the weekend pop. good morning. i'm kris sanchez. today on today in the bay, a large fire breaks out in berkel berkeley, sending smoke across the area. several businesses and more than a million dollars worth of inventory up in flames. >> also, the latest from the tour bus trash. >> and only on nbc, our cameras were rolling on a state-wide sting, how it's going to keep drivers a bit safer. this is today in the bay. good morning. looking live at san jose this morning. and a nice, cool start to what is otherwise going to be a pretty warm afternoon. thanks so much for joining