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welcome back to "xfinity sports sunday." we're talking more football. we mentioned the 49ers in the first segment, now it's time to talk silver and black. jack started a new chapter with the raiders today. and we have the highlights just for you. several fans shochctd jack del rio said his team had a great week of practice. aldon smith now a raider. first game in the silver and black for him. bengals set the tone with jeremy hill. third and one. hill bounces wide. then cuts it upfield for a first down. ten-yard gain. bengals in the red zone. hill powers his way inside the 5. the raiders were struggling with slowing down the run. later on fourth and one, hill beat everyone to the corner for the score, romo. >> right there, yeah, armstrong

needs to force that guy to run back inside. then he makes it hard for heeney to make the tackle. he's thinking it's coming back inside. you've got to hold leverage. >> 7-0 cincy. how about the raiders offense. late first quarter, carr finds cooper. 24-yard reception for the first overall pick, romo. >> nice catch. this is a guy that's explosive. you see here, a little thing with pacman jones. if i had anything to do about it, i would go after the guy. >> definitely trying to rough him up. derrick carr takes off, pacman tries to tackle him out of bounds. derek carr used a straight arm. he injured his hand and didn't return to the game after this, romo. >> yeah, it was very unfortunate. because he really went hard. it was like he was almost kind of slapping at him with his arm. and that's something you don't do when you're a quarterback.

slide, get out of bounds, do something. but don't stiff-arm a defensive back. >> x-rays were negative. bengals offense roared. third and seven. dalton found green. later on the drive, hill rumbles in again. second td of the day. 17-0 cincy. this game was getting out of hand. tyler eifert, he went nuts. the tight end with somebody on a mission. nine catches, two touchdowns, 104 yards, bill. >> yeah. very unfortunate. you know, they gave him the middle of the field. he's a big target, but you've got to be able to make plays. and that's what it comes down to. and the raiders didn't make the plays. >> first touchdown made it 24-0 for cincy. then they strike again to make it 30-0. d.j. hayden beaten on this play here. >> he's got to get his turned around so he can see the ball. if you don't do that, it's hard

to make a play if you can't see the ball. >> the raiders were scoreless after the first three quarters. but in the fourth, matt looking for cooper on this 15-yard pickup. it is a first down for number 89. it wasn't as smooth as he wanted, but he did battle throughout the day. same drive, mcgoin finds reese for the touchdown. reese would add another touchdown late in the game. 33-13 is your final. so the red zone report is brought to you by your local toyota dealer. toyota, let's go places. the bengals have 396 total yards. they were 4 for 6 in the red zone. and they didn't have any turnovers. as for the raiders, they were scoreless after three quarters. marcell reese once again got to the house twice. however, jack del rio said his team's performance was embarrassing, bill. and he promised he would turn things around. first things first, let's talk about the injury to carr.

are you congratulating your quarterback for playing hard, or are you saying, look, that was not a smart play, you never use your throwing hand or throwing shoulder when you're about to make contact with someone on the defensive side of the ball? >> you know, it's an unfortunate situation. bottom line is, when you're out playing the game of football, there's a chance to get hurt on every play. this is one where a quarterback needs to preserve themselves, and be a little bit smarter. this is just unfortunate. you love the guts, and with it comes an injury. hopefully it's not too bad. >> bill romanowski, 16 years in the nfl, you were rough, rugged, and tough. was pacman jones' tackle and that shove that he did on the rookie, shoving his head into the helmet, was that a dirty play or not, in your opinion? >> absolutely a dirty play. i did that once in philadelphia and i got kicked out of the game

for pretty much something just like that. so it was dirty. it doesn't belong in the game. it shouldn't have happened. and i tell you what, i would have liked to have seen amare do something back. and we saw him getting interviewed after the game. and that's something he said. i've got to be more physical. i've got to, you know, do that back to him, and not let him get the best of me. >> absolutely. a lot of injuries for the oakland raiders. charles whitson had a shoulder injury, carr injured his hand. you saw the rookie get his head shoved into the helmet. when we come back, with just three weeks left in the season, the giants break out against the padres to keep their play-off hopes alive. we check in on the orange and black. it becomes a premier rivalry in men's tennis. we hit the hard court in new york for the u.s. open. roger federer and djokovic. and romo and waters. more in the show.

welcome back to "xfinity sports sunday." week one of the nfl. but baseball also deserves a lot of coverage as we hit the final stretch of the regular season. the world champs, san francisco giants, have 19 games remaining, and they're trying to run down the first-place l.a. dodgers. giants looking to bust out the brooms against the san diego padres. going for that sweep. bottom of the second, giants down 3-1. mike lee helping his own cause. the pitcher with the three-run homer to left. his sixth of his career. giants up 4-3. in the fifth, buster posey has an insurance run. rbi double to left. giants go on to cruise 10-3 is the final. yes, they get the brooms out and sweep the padres. the giants and dodgers both won today. l.a. remains 7 1/2 games ahead

of the champs. the giants have won three consecutive games. they'll host the reds for a three-game series beginning tomorrow. we talked to bruce bochy after his team sunday afternoon victory. we apologize, but one thing we do know about bruce bochy, he said, look, this team is still in the hunt. he's not going to throw in the flag at all. he's definitely positive about his team running down those l.a. dodgers. it's going down to the wire. when we come back, romo will be back, ricky waters will be back. we're going to look ahead. as for ricky waters, what are you looking forward to the most for the 49ers? and bill romanowski, what is he thinking about as the raiders must prepare for the baltimore

ravens in oakland next sunday? we'll be right back.

all right. welcome back. we want around the nfl. alex smith looking for travis kelsey. the big fella hauls it in with no problem at all. he wasn't done. if it works once, it will work twice, ricky. take a look at smith going right back to the tight end. >> he's wide open there. >> he almost busted that ball after punching it. 27-20. j.j. watt not happy about that. ravens and broncos, romo, third quarter, third and ten, jimmy smith comes up with the pick six. >> big-time play. when you can get pressure on the quarterback, and force a bad throw, those are the kind of plays you can come up with.

>> late third quarter, joe flacco's picked off for the 51-yard return. broncos go on to win. this game went down to the wire. 19-13. but get this, terrell sug suggs tore his achilles. on defense. seahawks and rams. seattle up 7. nick foles looking deep. overtime. in o.t. after seattle failed to get an onside kick, foles drops the dime to bailey. 22-yard gain. led to a field goal. still in seattle, drive, ricky, marshawn lynch is going to get stopped. what is going on? >> one yard to go. they gave it to him this time. it didn't turn out too well. >> no skittles tonight for him. rams win 34-31. what about the saints and

cardinals? finding littlejohn. >> he's tough. i tell you what, carson really did a good job just keeping his eyes focused down the field. >> he got the rookie involved here. david johnson takes the 55 yards for the score. cardinals win 31-19. let's take a look at the top fantasy performers for the nfl. and week one, brought to you by draft kings. play weekly fantasy football for free and win huge cash prizes. get to draft kings.com now. quarterback tom brady put up huge numbers, 25-32. the ball wasn't deflated this time, by the way, guys, he just looked good. four touchdowns. as for forte, 24 carries, 141 yards, and 25 yards receiving. hopkins, nine catches for 98 yards, two touchdowns. a total of 23 fantasy points for him. by the way, don't want to

embarrass you, but back in the day i used to pick ricky waters all the time for my fantasy team. >> man, you were smart. >> i was smart. i won a little cash off of you, ricky. i give you props for that. >> happy to be able to help you. >> let's talk monday night football. what are you looking forward to the most, 49ers against the vikings tomorrow? >> you're at home. you've got a great opportunity. monday night. everyone's going to be watching. a lot of people are looking down on this 49er team for some reason. we know the reasons. because there was so much movement on the off-season. but they still have a good nucleus. they're going to come out in their black uniforms, they're going to be at home. i want to see the fire, i want to see the passion, i want to see them go out and try to outhit this team. be the most physical team on the field come monday night. >> speaking of fire and passion, bill, do you think the raiders can turn things around and get their act together by next sunday when they take on the

baltimore ravens? >> they have to. they have to come out with a sense of urgency. they've got to come out and make plays. they've got to fly around and hit people. this is a violent, tough, nasty sport. and you've got to go out there on sunday and prove it week in and week out. well, this one got away from them. they need to redeem themselves next week. >> week one of the nfl. tell the truth, guys, did you wake up this morning and say, man, i wish i could still play football? >> well, hey, if i was out on the field and they maybe threw the ball or ran away from me, and i just kind of scoot down the line, i'd be all right. >> ricky, you miss the game? >> yeah, i love playing the game. but at the same time, you have to be realistic about things. i would be able to go in and do a few plays. but to do it the whole time, back-to-back, and to the end of the game, i don't know. >> i want to let the niners and raiders know, if you need a water boy, i'm the guy.

is changing a face the best way to change a life? >> people would just come up to me and just be like, why don't you have a chin? i mean, everybody should have a chin.

>> reporter: the story is familiar, but no less painful for the kid living it. we met a student from wisconsin when he was 16. his name is donovan. >> there were times where people would walk around with like their heads like cocked back or something, to make it look like they don't have a chin, to mock me. high school's hell. my chin has caused me to become more reclusive. i do have a few guy friends. they kind of are dispersed. they are my friends, i think. are they? are they my friends? >> i don't know why people have to be so mean. >> reporter: so what was it like walking the halls? i mean, do you always look over your shoulder? >> it was a war zone, yeah. whether it was being cornered or being tripped, or just punched in the shoulder or something. >> reporter: donovan says the bullies would always deny what happened, so the school rarely took action. >> i've almost had to deactivate my facebook account because of the bullying. like, donovan is gay.

don't talk to donovan. >> reporter: what did they say that pushed you to the edge? >> the same guy that posted on facebook, he just straight up said, donovan, why don't you go kill yourself tonight? it would be better for everybody. >> reporter: you've never considered anything like that. >> a few times i have, but i've never gotten so close to the edge where i wasn't able to return. >> reporter: donovan applied to little baby face, hoping the group's doctors would fix his small chin. now surgery is dramatic. why do you want to take such a dramatic step? >> i believe if it's not there, people won't talk about it. >> reporter: it would stop. >> it would just be like normal. >> reporter: really? >> i know there will be, like, backlash. like, oh, he's like the one that lost. but i think i would be the one that won because i did something about it to make it stop. >> reporter: donovan's parents and brother supported his pursuit of surgery. >> a long-term goal will soon be achieved. i thought it was a sign of good things to come. >> reporter: but when her son

wasn't around -- >> he was all cheeks, but he definitely had a chin, little protruding chin. >> reporter: donovan's mom sue told us she had mixed feelings about the surgery. >> if he did have the surgery, how much would his life really change? and i would love to see him discover that it's really not the outward appearances all of a sudden that would make his life complete, but that he's learned to put his best chin forward. >> reporter: psychologist vivian diller agrees. and she says parents should know that cosmetic surgery not only has physical risks, but psychological ones, too. >> in my practice i do hear regrets. >> reporter: you do? >> they complain that they don't look like their family anymore. i kind of miss my face. >> reporter: dr. diller sees a better, long-term solution for all three of these teens. >> if you can find a way of enjoying how you look, you can gain the kind of confidence that will last you a lifetime. >> reporter: this young girl seemed to prove that point. she was born with a rare condition commonly called bpes that affects the appearance of

her eyes. though it has taken years, she says she's built the confidence to be herself. her name? cheyenne. >> there's, like, some days where i feel i'm not pretty or i'm not normal. but other days i'm, like, oh okay, i don't care what people think. >> reporter: standing by cheyenne's side, her mother, jamie. >> it's tough being a military family and moving so often. she goes through a lot at every new place, but she's been so strong in doing it. >> reporter: cheyenne went through several corrective surgeries, but didn't see any improvements when she looked in the mirror. you must have been over surgery after a while, right? they're not working. why do we keep doing them? >> yeah, she gave up. >> i actually gave up like a few years ago. i lost hope. >> reporter: but what she lost in hope, she gained in fortitude. and sometimes, she says, she could see herself as beautiful. >> i see prettiness sometimes, but then when i go back and i look at the picture, like what was i thinking? >> reporter: when you hear your

daughter speak like that, i feel pretty and then sometimes i look back and say what was i thinking? >> i don't like the last part. >> reporter: cheyenne's mom want her daughter to embrace who she was. but she also wondered if there was a surgeon somewhere who could make cheyenne's eyes look more normal. so when she heard about the foundation, she felt conflicted about applying, not sure if she should expose cheyenne again to the risks of surgery. or more disappointment if she wasn't chosen. >> you just don't want to let your child down ever. i chose not to tell cheyenne at first. >> reporter: secretly, jamie applied for her daughter. but when "dateline" asked to document their application process, she decided to talk to cheyenne about it. >> what do you think if you >> i'd be sad, but i would get over it. >> not everyone looks the same. >> yeah. >> but you can still have a normal life and be beautiful, and be outgoing. if you don't get picked, i would feel bad because i would feel

like i brought undue stress. i did open this door. that it would have been opened unnecessarily. >> reporter: renata's mother also didn't want to get her daughter's hopes up. >> you really just never know. >> reporter: but she also couldn't contain her own excitement that a call from the foundation might actually turn her daughter's life around. >> i'm very hopeful that they're going to choose you. that's all i think about. >> reporter: in the meantime, renata finally agreed to see a mental health counselor, catherine brown. she told us she was against kids using elective surgery to build self-confidence. >> my goal is to help her see herself as being beautiful. and i hope that she won't want the cosmetic surgery anymore, but that's still, i guess, her choice and her decision. what kind of negative things would you be thinking? >> i guess that i'm just nothing. >> so is that the reason you're staying in the house so much?

>> yeah, that's a big reason why. >> reporter: renata's mom hoped therapy would help this time, since there was no guarantee renata would be picked for surgery. in fact, while all these teens waited for a decision, some would take the brave step to solve their problems on their own. coming up -- connor decides to confront his fears and his friends head-on. >> does it really bother you that people talk about your nose? >> does it make you feel bad?

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several months passed while these four bullied teens waited to hear back from a plastic surgery foundation that might just change their lives by changing their looks. but just being bullied won't get them chosen. >> we are not a bullying foundation, but we have kids with facial birth defects that are bullied. she's 14 years old from alabama. >> reporter: cheyenne was born with the condition bpes. here the foundation's doctors debated if they could improve upon the surgeries she'd had before. if they decided she couldn't help her, she wouldn't be coming to new york. >> she's had reasonable work done. this is very hard to fix. >> reporter: but it was still unclear if renata and connor's noses and donovan's chin qualified them for the foundation's help.

>> let me see his picture. there's a fine line here with helping somebody with cosmetic surgery or a facial birth defect. >> reporter: as the foundation considered that question, we found donovan sitting alone in his room on prom night. >> prom is going on, and i'm here. i do not care. i've heard it be called a rite of passage for some people. to some it's just another night. >> reporter: connor, too, had never been to a high school dance with a girl. >> they wouldn't like me because the way i look or like how large my nose is. >> reporter: but it wasn't just his insecurities around girls that made him want surgery. connor's own buddies were part of the problem. >> they all make fun of each other, but -- >> reporter: right. but you feel like you get the lion's share. >> yeah. >> reporter: though he still wanted surgery, connor bravely decided to tackle his problems head-on by letting his friends know how much the teasing affected him. >> does it like bother like bother you when people like talk about like your nose or no?

>> well, kind of, because like some people ink they're talking about me. >> what name do you think gets to you the most? >> i don't know. there's a few. the one that you guys made up was toucan. >> who was that, mike? >> do you like kind of take it as a joke? because we really don't mean to offend. >> well, now -- well, from you guys, like, i'm kind of all right with it. because everyone does it. but then like there's other people i'm not friends with who say it. >> how long have you been like getting picked on for? has it been like since you were a little kid? >> seventh or eighth grade kind of. >> geez. >> wow, that's bad. >> reporter: it was the first time connor had ever opened up to his friends this way. >> i feel bad when i make fun of connor because it's like something he can't help. i don't know if he takes it seriously or not. i never really asked him. you know? >> we never really asked him. >> does it make you feel bad? >> well, yeah. >> when we call you toucan and all that. >> anything you want to say to us? >> not really. >> you want us to stop? >> reporter: they asked you, does it bother you? >> yeah.

>> reporter: and what did you feel like when they asked you that question? >> it was weird because like they never asked me anything like that before. >> reporter: would you feel better if they didn't call you the names they call you? >> yeah, i'd feel a little better, i guess. >> after you opened to us like this, we'll take it easy on you. >> reporter: could this breakthrough with his friends give connor the confidence he'd been looking for, all without surgery? as she waited for the foundation's call, cheyenne opened up about her insecurities as well, here with her best friend savannah. but savannah was expressing doubts about the surgery. >> do you feel like you need to do it? >> the surgery? >> yeah. >> no. >> you don't feel like you need to but you want to? >> yeah. >> why though? >> i don't want to be different. >> you don't want to be different? >> i do, but i don't. >> reporter: then, cheyenne asked a question, one that suddenly revealed the heart of the matter. >> how does it feel being beautiful? >> why are you asking me that? >> just answer it.

>> but i'm not that pretty. >> yes, you are. >> no, i'm not. >> yes, you are! >> no, i'm not. >> seriously. >> you seriously want me to answer that? >> yes. >> it's not great. >> why? >> you still, like -- people find every reason to hate on you. >> reporter: it was the first time cheyenne heard this perspective from a friend, that looks don't always equal happiness. bullies are irrational. they don't just pick on the funny-looking kid. they pick on the kid they feel like is weak. and i don't know if that makes you strong because you have your nose fixed. i think you may still sometimes be that same insecure kid still. >> part of that dynamic of a bullying and the child being bullied is also the acquiescence of the child that's being bullied. if you self-empower that child and they don't look at themselves that way, the loss of self-esteem, the anxiety, the depression, the suicidal

tendencies. if you can roll that back, then the bullets that are coming in from the bully may not have that same effect on that child. >> reporter: while dr. romo believes that plastic surgery may not be for every child, he cautions against judging parents who feel this is the right solution. >> don't be pc and say that somebody else's child shouldn't have the option of doing that. >> reporter: while renata waited for a decision, she continued to go to mental health counseling. but the counselor, who was against renata having surgery, didn't see any progress. in fact, she saw a girl so walled up in her self-isolation that it was the counselor who changed her mind about surgery. >> knowing renata, i do think that it would help her to feel better about herself much, much sooner than just having counseling. she's making herself antisocial. i'm closing the door behind me. i'm in the home. i don't want to be a part of

that. so that's why i would say her situation is more extreme than some other situations. >> reporter: will the people in new york evaluating renata's case agree? >> hello? >> hello, renata? coming up -- who will be chosen for possibly life-altering surgery? >> oh, my god. >> and who won't? when "dateline" continues.

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children with facial deformities finished evaluating these four cases. >> hello? >> hello, renata? >> yeah? >> my name is diane, and i'm with the little baby face foundation. >> reporter: renata had been waiting anxiously for months, thinking a straighter, smaller nose would silence her bullies and improve her self-confidence. >> i am looking at your beautiful picture that you sent us and i just read the beautiful letter that you wrote. i want to invite you to come to new york to see if we could help you. >> are you serious? >> very serious. >> oh, my god. thank you so much. you made me so happy. >> i'm glad you're happy. i can see you smiling right through the phone. >> that was great! >> that was great. it feels great. she's going to come out great, too. >> i am so happy, oh my gosh! i can't believe we're going. i can't believe we got chosen. that's awesome. >> reporter: next, connor.

his friends promised to stop making fun of his nose, but will the foundation offer to fix it? >> i have a doctor who's going to work on your cleft lip. and i have another doctor, thomas romo, who is going to do your nose. >> thank you. >> you are welcome. all right, let me talk to your mom so i can explain all this. >> children that are born with cleft lip, they also have a cleft lip nose deformity, and they look like connor. so connor's nose, it wasn't just so much it was big but his septum was totally obstructing his left airway. and the arch of his nose was totally undersupported. >> what are you thinking about? >> new york really, and how i'll look after surgery and everything. >> i was wondering what he was thinking because he wasn't saying much. but i'm sure he was pretty happy. >> congrats, con. >> reporter: then, donovan's turn. he asked the foundation for a more prominent chin, but mom thinks he should keep his head up instead. >> how are you? >> pretty good, pretty good. >> i know that you were bullied because of your chin, but i want to tell you something.

when i look at this application, i see this handsome, 16-year-old guy, and from the pictures that you sent me, it really just looks like you need a very minor cosmetic procedure. and it really doesn't fall under our mission statement for the baby face foundation. >> okay. it's a pretty big disappointment. i guess i can live with it. >> reporter: what was it about him that made you not select him? >> i really felt that his case was cosmetic. and that other children had severe issues than his. >> reporter: donovan's mom hopes her son will bounce back. >> you have to do a lot of inner soul searching to find that part of you that gives you strength. >> reporter: and finally, cheyenne. >> cheyenne? >> reporter: she's tried to correct her eyes through surgeries before. though she's learned to accept the way she looks, her mom decided to give it one more try. >> this is a difficult case. i'm still looking at that beautiful face, but i'm just trying to figure out how are doctors could take care of you. >> reporter: diane told cheyenne

her eyes would not be easy to fix. but she also told her to pack her bags. >> i just explained to her we've been trying to figure out what we could do to help. that the only way that we'll know is to invite you to new york for a couple of days, and then make a plan. >> okay. >> reporter: opening a closed door can sometimes be overwhelming. >> that would be wonderful. >> don't cry, because if you cry i cry. if i cry, my mascara goes. forget it. we're done. >> okay. thank you so much. >> this is the best part about my job, making this phone call. >> reporter: how do you feel when your mom gets emotional about stuff? >> i don't like it. >> reporter: you don't? >> no. >> reporter: how come? >> because i mean there's no reason. >> reporter: welcome to new york. renata went directly to her

pre-surgery appointment with dr. romo. >> and what we're going to do is we're going to straighten that septum out, and we're going to take this little thing down and make this whole thing smaller. okay? >> thank you so much. >> renata, actually, once you pinned her hair back, had a diagnosis, what's called a hemifacial microsomia. >> reporter: and what is that? >> half the face is smaller than the other side of her face. and that's why this nose is leaning to the left. >> reporter: is that an unusual thing? >> it's actually not that unusual. it just doesn't get treated that often. we make a little poke hole here. >> reporter: then, he unveiled his treatment plan. >> so it'll balance her face. >> reporter: and it involved more than just a nose job. he recommended a new chin as well. >> it's just something i've been thinking about, something we may want to do. >> reporter: wow! we're pointing out something else that she wasn't even worried about. >> when someone comes in to me about a nose problem, i pin their hair up because i want to look at the whole face. the nose, the eyes, the lips,

the jaw bone, all have an interrelation. >> the chin. do you understand what he was talking about? >> yeah, i understood. >> what are you thinking about that? >> it's a big decision. >> it's a huge decision. >> i don't know what would be better. >> you don't have to. if you don't want to change anything else, you don't have to. >> reporter: if you looked at me, and you were to say to me, hoda, that chin. and i might say, i think i'm fine with my chin. i promise you, dr. romo, every time i look in the mirror for the next five years, i'd be looking at my chin because a doctor says there's an issue with it. she's a vulnerable kid. she's going to do whatever you say, period. >> it's the doctor's responsibility to point those out. i know when they're going to have a more successful result. >> reporter: cheyenne spent a full day seeing specialists. at the end of it, dr. romo reported what sounded like disappointing news. >> your eyelids could physically be brought up higher. the problem is you wouldn't be

able to close them. we couldn't make her eyes actually larger. we couldn't pull her eyelids too tight because she had to close them. >> reporter: but dr. romo still saw a surgical solution. instead of operating on cheyenne's eyes, dr. romo recommended a nose job and pinning her ears. >> one of the ways to make the eyes look bigger is to make the nose smaller and deflect the look of where the ears are. and just setting this back. >> reporter: it seems like it's additional surgery and work that will change the way your daughter looks. >> first of all, i'm concerned about any surgery. >> reporter: yeah. >> that's concerning. i leave the ultimate decision up to cheyenne because it's her body. >> reporter: mm-hmm. what do you feel? >> i know i'm beautiful. but you know, some things you got to change to make yourself even more happy. >> reporter: during connor's

evaluation, dr. romo also recommended a new chin to go with a new nose. connor and his mom agreed. >> see how the chin, bringing that out just a bit, it opens the face up. >> reporter: renata decided to take dr. romo's advice, too. >> well, i've decided that i'm going to get the nose and the chin done. i thought i'd just trust him because he knows what he's doing. >> i can't believe we made it here. >> i didn't think we'd come this far. >> this is a big moment. >> i'll see you later. >> i love you, mom. >> reporter: as they headed into surgery, all three imagined sweet dreams. not for when they close their eyes, but for when they open them again. coming up -- the bandages come off. how life has changed for the three who had the surgery. >> this just is my prom dress. >> and the one who didn't.

the time of operation at 2 hours and 30 minutes. >> reporter: can the confidence and self-esteem of children be lifted the way a face can? dr. romo says he's not trying to give these kids complete makeovers, but believes small surgical corrections make a big difference. >> the changes are subtle in the eye of the beholder. the children don't consider them so subtle. >> reporter: when we first met renata, she was so self-conscious about her looks that she rarely left her house. >> i don't go to regular school because a lot of the kids just make fun of me, how i look. >> reporter: now she was about to see her new nose and chin without bandages for the first time. >> wow. >> isn't that great? >> yeah. >> now it's swollen. it's going to go down. >> you look gorgeous. >> so straight. >> you look gorgeous, renata. >> i really love it. >> it could not be more perfect. >> what a beautiful woman. >> it just looks really amazing, and i can see the bump is gone. and it just looks perfect to me. >> she has not been this happy

in years, and i just couldn't wish for a better result. parents correct children's teeth with braces to make their teeth straighter. they're still the same kid on the inside, but unfortunately, people are judged on how they look. and i think that's what happened to my daughter. >> reporter: when we visited renata a few months after her surgery, things had changed dramatically. >> i've been going off the computer a lot more, and i've been going out a lot more. >> renata is much more you know willing to talk to people that she sees and she's just happier in general. >> yes, my daughter's here to see the guidance counselor. >> new enrollment? >> yeah. >> reporter: after nearly three years of home-schooling, renata went back to the classroom, enrolling in her local high school. >> a lot of people say that high school is the best time of your life, so i wanted to experience

that, too. >> oh awesome. so you're excited. >> reporter: now in her sophomore year, she's also making new friends. >> i feel happy, and i feel confident. and i feel like i don't have to hide myself anymore. >> reporter: and now, connor. he wanted a smaller nose, hoping it would make him less self-conscious around girls. >> think like it affects, like how i talk with girls because i feel they wouldn't like me because of my nose or my appearance. >> reporter: so, he changed his appearance with a new nose and a chin implant. >> it's been about two months since i had surgery, and i'm doing really good. no one really said there was a huge difference. they said i look a little different. >> reporter: but connor says he definitely felt different after the surgery. and he saw a difference among his friends, too. though that started happening even before he left for new york. >> yeah, they have stopped giving me a hard time. probably said a couple things, but not like as much as they did

before. >> reporter: and then, something he once thought would never happen. he went to his first school dance with his first real date. cheyenne's case was the most complicated. her eyelids couldn't be pulled any higher. so doctors made her nose smaller and pinned back her ears, all part of the illusion, they hoped, to make her eyes appear larger. >> i love my nose. it was a potato nose, as dr. romo called it. this dress is my prom dress. i like the color of it, the style. yeah, i like how my sister did my makeup. the change that i see right now is kind of what i imagined, like i imagined my eyes a little bit wider, but i like it the way it is. >> reporter: the friend most eager to see cheyenne again was savannah. she never thought cheyenne needed surgery, but she liked the results. >> she does look different, but not all that much, which is what i was worried about in the first place. she was beautiful the way she was, and she still is. and the only thing that came out of her going to new york was me missing her.

>> reporter: cheyenne says she is, finally, at peace. >> i think i'm done because i like the way i look now. you know if anyone has a problem, but i don't care. >> it's going to help them go to college. it's going to help them get a job. it's going to help them be social when they otherwise wouldn't. the bully's going to be left in the dirt. >> reporter: and donovan? he was disappointed when he wasn't chosen. but just a few months after his let down, he told us he'd had a profound change, too. he says not being picked for surgery turned out to be a blessing. >> i'm feeling good about it now. i don't have to have surgery after all. and it's just -- it's kind of a weight off my shoulders. >> reporter: in fact, he says, keeping his weaker chin gave him a stronger voice. at school, he started a campaign to raise awareness about

bullying, passing out wristbands and collecting donations for a local anti-bullying charity. he's already felt the impact on a personal level. >> a lot of people have really opened up to me and apologized for the years. >> reporter: and since then, he's been on a few dates and even joined his first rock band. >> i learned that there is actually people out there who care for me and like me for who i am. >> reporter: mom sue says she couldn't be more proud of her son and his change of heart. >> he's grown stronger, more confident. and i think that's what's going to take him through this world and make him the person, the best person he can be. >> reporter: all the teens we met are happy with the paths they took, though it may take years before they know the lasting effect of having surgery or not. but if there's one thing they can count on today, their teen years, with all that pressure and anguish, will not last forever. that's all for now. i'm lester holt.

thanks for joining us. a town devastated by flames. entire neighborhoods destroyed.