INTO
INTO HIM
INTO HIM NEAR 19th AVENUE IN PHOENIX.
PHOENIX.
PHOENIX. THE POLICE SAY THE TRAIN HIT
THE MAN AS HE TRIED CROSSING
THE BLOCK.
THE BLOCK. HE ENDED UP TRAPPED UNDERNEATH.
FIREFIGHTERS GOT THE MAN OUT
AND HE IS IN HIS 40s.
>>> AN EYE-OPENING EMOTIONAL
JOURNEY CONCLUDING TONIGHT.
>> LAST NIGHT WE INTRODUCED YOU
TO RACHEL WHO FOR YEARS LIVED
AS JAMES.
AS JAMES.
AS JAMES. SHE ALLOWED US TO FOLLOW HER TO
MONTRIAL FOR GENDER
REASSIGNMENT SURGERY.
REASSIGNMENT SURGERY. NOW HERE IS THE CONCLUSION OF
BECOMING RACHEL.
BECOMING RACHEL. >> IT HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE
THE BEGINNING OF TIME, THAT
MOMENT OF CREATION, A MEETS
EXPERIMENT AND LIFE BEGINS.
EITHER MALE OR FEMALE BUT
SOMETIMES, THERE IS AN
UNEXPECTED TWIST.
UNEXPECTED TWIST. >> WE CANNOT IDENTIFY AN
ANOMALY SPECIFICALLY TO MAKE
THE DIAGNOSIS.
THE DIAGNOSIS. >> WHEN I WAS A KID I USED TO
PRAY TO GOD, MAKE ME A. IT
NEVER HAPPENED.
NEVER HAPPENED. NOW IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN.
>> RACHEL PRIZE IS 1 1/2
MILLION ADULTS WHO IDENTIFY AS
BEING TRANSGENDER.
BEING TRANSGENDER. SHE WAS BORN A MAN AND LIVED AS
A MAN.
A MAN.
A MAN. FROM THE TIME SHE WAS FIVE, SHE
REALLY DID NOT FEEL LIKE ONE.
SHE FELT OUT OF PLACE, TRAPPED
IN THE WRONG BODY.
NOW ON THE EVE HAVE HER 50th
BIRTHDAY, SHE HAS DECIDED TO
BUY HERSELF THE ULTIMATE
BIRTHDAY PRESENT: GENDER
REASSIGNMENT SURGERY.
REASSIGNMENT SURGERY. >> WHEN YOU LOOK IN THE MIRROR
AND THE PARTS DON'T MATCH, THIS
SHOULD NOT BE THERE, IT HURTS
YOU.
YOU.
YOU. >>
YOU. >> Reporter: BY THE TIME
TRANSGENDER PEOPLE GET TO
SURGERY, IT CAN BE A MATTER OF
LIFE OR DEATH.
THE SUICIDE RATE FOR PEOPLE WHO
ARE TRANSGENDER IS OVER 40%.
>> BEHIND THIS NONDESCRIPT
BUILDING LIES TWO OF THE
WORLD'S MOST RENOWNED GENDER
REASSIGNMENT SURGERY CLINIC.
>> I AM REALLY EXCITED FOR
RACHEL.
RACHEL.
RACHEL. THIS IS SOMETHING SHE HAS BEEN
WAITING FOR ALL HER LIFE.
>> RACHEL INVITED US ALONG IN
THE HOPES OF DISPELLING SOME OF
THE MISUNDERSTANDINGS ABOUT
PEOPLE WHO ARE TRANSGENDER.
INSIDE, RACHEL IS ONE CHECK OF
SIX PATIENTS WHO WILL UNDERGO
THE TWO HOUR PROCEDURE.
SHE IS GIVEN AN EPIDURAL AND
WILL BE AWAKE FOR THE DOCTOR'S
LIFE-CHANGING SURGERY.
LIFE-CHANGING SURGERY. >> IT IS FULFILLING, DEFINITELY.
IS THE MOST FULFILLING PART OF
MY PRACTICE.
MY PRACTICE. I USED HER GENITALS, THE SKIN
AND PARTS, I CONSTRUCT FEMALE
GENITALS.
GENITALS.
GENITALS. >> THE DAY AFTER HER SURGERY,
WE CAME BACK TO VISIT HER WHO
WAS ON AN EMOTIONAL ROLLER
COASTER.
COASTER.
COASTER. SHE WAS THRILLED TO FINALLY
CALL HERSELF A WOMAN.
WE ARE AWARE OF THE SAME THE
PAIN SHE HAS CAUSED.
>> I FEEL BAD FOR HER.
IT TOOK A LOT TO GET WHERE I
AND OUT.
AND OUT.
AND OUT. IT WAS TOUGH.
WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO WORK IT
OUT.
OUT.
OUT. WE
OUT. WE ARE STARTING OVER BASICALLY.
>> WITH THE HELP OF THE DOCTOR,
RACHEL HAS A CLEAN SLATE, A NEW
BEGINNING WITH DREAMS OF A
HAPPY FUTURE.
HAPPY FUTURE. >> EVENTUALLY I WOULD LOVE A
BOYFRIEND, I WOULD LOVE TO GET
MARRIED.
MARRIED.
MARRIED. YOU KNOW, I WANT TO BE A WIFE.
>> HOW MANY OF US CAN SAY WE
HAVE LIVED TWO COMPLETELY
DIFFERENT LIVES AT SOME POINT
INTERSECTING BUT ALSO
DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT?
DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT? JAMES AND RACHEL DID.
THE NIGHT BEFORE HER SURGERY,
RACHEL WAS FINALLY AND
PERMANENTLY ABLE TO SAY GOODBYE
TO JAMES.
TO JAMES.
TO JAMES. >> HI JAMES.
WE HAVE BEEN TOGETHER A LONG
TIME.
TIME.
TIME. >>
TIME. >> AS I WRITE THIS LETTER I CRY
NOT BECAUSE I AM SAD THAT
BECAUSE I MISS YOU AND I AM
HAPPY FOR THE FIRST TIME TO
BECOME THE PERSON I WANTED TO
BE ALL THESE YEARS.
GOODBYE JAMES, REST IN PEACE,
LOVE RACHEL.
LOVE RACHEL. >> THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE IN
PAIN RIGHT NOW STRUGGLING WITH
THE SAME THING.
IF YOU TAKE NOTHING ELSE AWAY
FROM WATCHING THESE TWO
STORIES, I HOPE THAT ANYONE OUT
THERE WHO IS STRUGGLING WITH
GENDER IDENTITY WILL KNOW THERE
IS HOPE AND HELP AVAILABLE.
YOU CAN VISIT TRANS-
LIFELINE.ORG.
LIFELINE.ORG. THAT IS A TRANS-LIFELINE.ORG.
HOPEFULLY YOU CAN FIND THE KIND
OF PEACE AND HAPPINESS THAT
RACHEL HAS FOUND.
WE HAVE PUT A LINK ON OUR
WEBSITE.
WEBSITE.
WEBSITE. >> I MET HER, SHE IS GREAT.
I ADMIRE HER STORY AND
CANDIDNESS AND BRAVERY IN
SHARING THIS STORY.
THIS IS VERY INTIMATE.
>> THIS IS A VERY PERSONAL
THING.
THING.
THING. I
THING. I SO APPRECIATE WHAT SHE
ALLOWED US TO DO.
THE OTHER THING IS, IF YOU ARE
, THERE IS A WHOLE WORLD OUT
THERE FOR YOU.
FOR THE MOST PART, YOU ARE