and it wasn't. >> hi, my name is gabriella miller.and i have brain cancer. >> reporter: gabriella decided she would campaign for more funding to find a cure. >> less and less kids are going to have their childhood if awareness -- if people don't raise awareness and raise funds. >> reporter: the tumor was the size of a walnut on her brain stem, which pressed on nerves to the rest of her body. the millers would smash walnuts to give her a sense of control, and they started the smashing walnuts foundation, to raise money for research. >> i'm smashing walnuts, cracking the cure for childhood brain cancer. >> reporter: then there's macy's, which promised to donate a dollar to the make-a-wish foundation for every letter written to santa. >> the average wish was $7500, so we made it our goal to get 10,000 letters. >> reporter: how many letters did she end up getting? >> she personally delivered over 240,000 letters. >> reporter: but gabriella also wanted to squeeze all the life she could into the brief time she had. she wanted to go to colle

girl inspired by little girl gabriella miller diagnosed with 9 years old imoperable brain tumor.ecame very passionate about the cause. she was a force of nature as a 9 and 10-year-old. unfortunately she just passed away in the fall greg harper were he and i met the parents and named the bill after gabriella. >> it is a republican spruced bill. >> republican introduced bill. >> and the that the has also passed? >> amazing this week, greta, the senate went and cleared this bill so it's on its way to the president's desk. and i look forward to the president signing it because what this says is we all came together and able to actually produce a positive result to help cure disease and to help promote research in the area of pediatric diseases. >> which is maybe a little bit to loop back to the beginning where leader pelosi said that republicans were indifferent to this is of course to poor people families and struggling children indifferent to suffering children. >> you're exactly right. we can work together towards that end. >> leader, nice to see you, sir. >> great to be with you,

gia, gabriella, alia and adriana. the older 13, the youngest 4. >> it's a lot of pressure when you're trying to make your kids feel safe. how do you do it? >> i'm a role model for them. i can't just be upset and crawl up into a ball and lock the door. >> reporter: when the door is shut and when they are in bed, do you get to do that? >> yes. and i do do that. i would be lying to say i didn't. >> reporter: as a convicted felon, joe, who was born in italy and is not a u.s. citizen could face deportation. have you two talk the about what that might mean for your family? >> i've been married to joe for 14 years. he's been here his whole life. so i guess that's something that his attorney is going to deal with. >> reporter: today their attorney said he would fight any attempt to deport the father of 4. >> i think it would be a grave injustice for him to be deported. it would be inhumane to the children and teresa for him to be deported. >> reporter: joe is facing up to 46 months in prison. teresa, up to 27 months, somethin

. ~ she's lived in the richmond for 30 years, and she's been a mom of a great daughter gabriella as well. [speaker not understood]. i draw strength and lessons from her by often watching her work. we first met in the '90s when we struggled to transform a college called new collectv to be more representative of the work force and lectures and teachers he and students as well and community ~. but i've seen how in the classroom at san francisco state in her classes where she is an expert in health equity, medical anthropology, human sexuality, and new social movements but she's really great at teaching students, men and women becoming empowered to make change in our communities. as the president of the california faculty association, she's always been so supporting of nurturing a new generation of leaders from the bottom up. lectures like us often learn in a power structure where the tenured professor has power. she has always built a union and community labor allianceses that address power inequalities to make sure our organizations are empowering everyone. she is a registered nurse and i

host: let's go to gabriella in florida on our line for democrats. you're on the washington journal. lord, i'mank the waiting for the rapture is what i am waiting for. i am a christian democrat. world i don't think subjects like this would even come up. when you have people saying in -- a sundayhat school story or people killing other people for reasons -- i think if jesus was in the world right now he wouldn't the running after women who made a mistake, even if that would be the case. i don't think he would be running after those people. i think he would be upset at the hierarchy of a country that is very sad. i'm a true blooded american. i believe the rapture is coming and i believe that people need to get right with god. we will -- host: we will stay in california. donnas on our line. is on our line. caller: i wish people would get it through their heads that the bible is not a religious book. people have taken the bible and take in -- and turned it into the rule of the people. the word of god is meant for only one group of people, and that is the hebrew israelites, the black, spa

the director of "blackfish," gabriella cowperthwaite says "lara padgett didn't give me confidential documentsused in blackfish," and the author of "death at seaworld" argues the company is off base attacking padgett. >> i think they're doing it out of self-defense. i think they're doing it out of trying to create a picture where they were unfairly treated. but i don't think that those allegations are fair or accurate. >> reporter: a heated controversy following a trainer's death four years ago, showing no signs of letting up. for "today," mark potter, nbc news, miami. >>> all right, let's get outside now and talk to dylan about the latest forecast. dylan? >> hey, guys! and i am surrounded by blue people. are you cold or is this for a special cause? >> both. >> both, all right. so, what's going on here? you're the only ones not blue. >> it's day one of colon cancer awareness month, and we would like you to visit our colonotron in rockefeller center and join us on march 23rd at citi field for the colon cancer fund. >> and we're launching a campaign to urge everybody to get screened. >> can i ge

host: let's go to gabriella in florida on our line for democrats. you're on the washington journal. lord, i'mank the waiting for the rapture is what i am waiting for. i am a christian democrat. world i don't think subjects like this would even come up. when you have people saying in -- a sundayhat school story or people killing other people for reasons -- i think if jesus was in the world right now he wouldn't the running after women who made a mistake, even if that would be the case. i don't think he would be running after those people. i think he would be upset at the hierarchy of a country that is very sad. i'm a true blooded american. i believe the rapture is coming and i believe that people need to get right with god. we will -- host: we will stay in california. donnas on our line. is on our line. caller: i wish people would get it through their heads that the bible is not a religious book. people have taken the bible and take in -- and turned it into the rule of the people. the word of god is meant for only one group of people, and that is the hebrew israelites, the black, spa

the bill is named after gabriella miller who died of brain cancer last year. >>> a guilty plea is expectedlian defense contractor accused of giving military secrets to a chinese girlfriend. he will admit to passing on information to the woman while he was married. about nuclear weapons information and joint training exercises. >>> venezuela is increasingly unstable. more street protests expected today in the capitol. at least 21 people have died in more than a month of violent clashes between security forces and protestors there. a student leader of those protests was fatally shot earlier this week in the western city there. >> also, more bad news for general motors. the justice department investigating the auto maker for its handling of faulty ignition switches. they first learned of the defect a decade ago. 31 accidents have been linked to the part so far. >>> new hope for a dying 7-year-old in virginia who has beaten cancer four times a. rare virus now threatening josh hardy's already weakened immune system following a bone marrow transpla transplant. there's a drug maker, they say they