[ APPLAUSE ]
>>> 22-YEAR-OLD BROCK MEISTER IS
A SURVIVOR.
AT 16, HE BATTLED CANCER AND
WON.
BUT HE HAD NO IDEA HOW DIFFICULT
HIS NEXT CHALLENGE WOULD BE.
WATCH THIS.
>> I WAS HAVING BAD HEADACHES.
AND I REALIZED MY VISION WAS
GOING IN AND OUT.
>> Reporter: IN OCTOBER 2012,
16-YEAR-OLD BROCK MEISTER'S
SYMPTOMS LANDED HIM IN THE E.R.
IN SOUTH INDIANA.
>> I WAS SCARED.
I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS.
>> Reporter: TESTS SHOWED IT WAS
CANCER, IN THE CENTER OF HIS
BRAIN.
>> YOU HEAR BRAIN TUMOR AND YOU
THINK THE WORST.
>> Reporter: BROCK WAS
DETERMINED TO SURVIVE.
AND ENDURED FOUR CYCLES OF
CHEMOTHERAPY AND FOLLOWED BY
PROTEIN RADIATION.
>> ONCE TREATMENT WAS OVER, I
NOTICED GOOD CHANGES FOR BROCK.
>> Reporter: LIFE WAS BACK TO
NORMAL.
UNTIL JANUARY 2018.
WHEN BROCK WAS IN A CAR ACCIDENT
WITH HIS 'CAUCOUSIN.
>> THEY HIT ICE.
AND THE TRUCK, I BELIEVE, WENT
SIDEWAYS AND HIT A BANK.
HIS BODY WENT OUT THE WOINTD.
>> I REMEMBER CLOSING MY EYES
AND SAYING, MY NECK HURTS.
MY NECK HURTS.
>> Reporter: DOCTORS SAID HE
SUFFERED AN INTERNAL
DECAPITATION.
HIS SKULL HAD SEPARATED FROM HIS
SPINE.
>> ALL OF THE THINGS THAT CAME
ALONG WITH IT, PARALYSIS, NOT
BEING ABLE TO TALK.
>> Reporter: BROCK'S ONLY HOPE
IS A RISKY SURGERY.
>> THE OUTCOME IS NOT VERY GOOD.
YOU ARE EITHER PARALYZED OR LIVE
THROUGH THE ENERGY.
AND BROCK IS 5% THAT SURVIVES
THE ACCIDENT.
>> BROCK'S MOM, JENNA, IS HERE
WITH US.
AND SO IS BROCK, WHO IS GOING TO
COME ON OUT.
WELCOME TO BOTH OF YOU.
[ APPLAUSE ]
WELCOME TO BOTH OF YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
>> IT'S AN INCREDIBLE STORY.
YOU HAVE THE ACCIDENT.
ALL YOU FELT WAS, MY NECK HURTS?
>> YEAH.
HURT REALLY BAD.
>> YOU DIDN'T KNOW BEYOND IT WAS
A CATASTROPHIC INJURY.
>> NO.
I THOUGHT I JUST SPRAINED MY
NECK OR SOMETHING.
>> AND WHO WAS WITH YOU?
>> MY COUSIN.
>> YOUR COUSIN HAS THE PRESENCE
OF MIND.
HOW OLD IS YOUR COUSIN?
>> 20, 21.
>> HAS THE PRESENCE OF MIND NOT
TO MOVE YOU.
HE KNEW THAT COULD BE
CATASTROPHIC, TOO.
YOU WIND UP MEETING HIM AT THE
>> WE WERE ABLE TO ARRIVE
>> MY GOODNESS.
WHAT WAS THAT LIKE?
>> IT WAS DIFFICULT TO SEE BROCK
LIKE THAT.
BUT HE WAS TALKING.
HE WAS MOVING ALL OF HIS
EXTREMITIES.
I KNEW HE WAS INJURED.
AT THAT POINT, WE DIDN'T KNOW
THE EXTENT.
>> HAD YOU HEARD THE TERM
INTERNAL DECAPITATION?
>> NO.
NOT SOMEBODY THAT SURVIVES IT.
>> THE DOCTORS SAY IT KILLS A
FAIR AMOUNT OF PEOPLE IN CAR
ACCIDENTS.
SO, THE ODDS WERE LOW THAT HE
WOULD SURVIVE THAT INJURY.
>> CORRECT.
IF HE DID SURVIVE, THEY TOLD US
IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE HE WOULD BE
PARALYZED.
>> WHAT ARE YOUR OPTIONS AS
YOU'RE LOOKING AT HIM IN THE
HOSPITAL?
>> FOR ANY CHANCE OF LIFE, THEY
NEEDED TO STABILIZE HIS NECK,
WHICH WOULD REQUIRE ENSURGERY.
>> WHAT WERE THE CHANCES DURING
SURGERY?
>> WE WERE TOLD THEY COULD
PARALYZE HIM FROM THE SURGERY.
WE WERE TOLD HE COULD HAVE A
STROKE.
THERE WAS A LOT AT STAKE.
>> WERE THEY SURPRISED HE WASN'T
ALREADY PARALYZED?
>> YEAH.
WE HAD QUITE A FEW PHYSICIANS
WONDERING WHAT HAPPENED BECAUSE
HE WAS TALKING.
HE WAS MOVING ALL OF HIS
EXTREMITIES.
>> AND NOW, YOU WALKED RIGHT OUT
HERE.
THE CAR ACCIDENT WAS IN JANUARY?
>> JANUARY 12th.
>> OF '18.
AND LOOK AT HIM NOW.
[ APPLAUSE ]
BUT THAT'S NOT ALL.
THAT'S NOT ALL.
BROCK WAS GIVEN RESTRICTIONS
ABOUT WHAT HE COULD AND COULD
NOT DO DURING RECOVERY.
BUT LIFE WOULD THROW THE FAMILY
ANOTHER CURVE BALL.
BOY, DID BROCK
[ APPLAUSE ]
>>> AND WE'RE BACK, NOW, WITH
BROCK MEISTER AND HIS MOTHER,
JE
JENNA.
WE'VE BEEN HEARING HOW BROCK
BEAT THE ODDS TO SURVIVE A
SEVERE NECK INJURY THAT LEFT HIM
KE CA
DECAPITATED.
HIS DOCTOR IS HERE, AS WELL.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
YOU'RE IN THE HOSPITAL WHEN
BROCK GETS BROUGHT IN.
WHEN YOU FIRST SAW THE C.T. SCAN
OF WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO HIM,
WHAT DID YOU ANY?
>> I THOUGHT I HAD PULLED UP THE
WRONG PATIENT OR SOMETHING.
THERE WAS NO WAY THAT WHAT THEY
WERE DESCRIBING TO ME, SOMEBODY
MOVING THEIR HANDS, MOVING THEIR
FEET, TALKING, HAD THAT KIND OF
A C.T. STAN THAT SHOWED HIS HEAD
ESSENTIALLY SEPARATED AND
DISPLACED FROM HIS NECK.
>> HOW CAN THAT BE?
HOW CAN IT BE HE IS HERE, ALIVE
AND WELL, NEW EOTWITHSTANDING T?
>> THE SURGERY GETS SOME OF THE
CREDIT AND SOME OF THE NEWS
THINGS.
BUT THE THING THAT SAVED HIM,
MOST PEOPLE DIE IN THE CAR, DIE
IN TRANSPORT BECAUSE WHEN HE
SUFFERS THE INJURY, HE'S SITTING
THERE, HEAD SPEPARATEDED FROM HS
NECK.
AND HIS AIRWAY AND ALL THOSE
THINGS ARE AT RISK.
THE PEOPLE THAT HAD PRESENCE OF
MIND NOT TO MOVE HIM OUT OF THE
CAR BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE THE
EMOTIONAL RESPONSE.
THE E.R.A. THAT GOT HIM TO THE
HOSPITAL, THE PEOPLE IN THE E.R.
AND THE ICU, EVERYBODY THAT
FASCINATED GETTING HIM IN
SURGERY, SAVED HIM AND ALLOWED
HIM TO WALK ON THIS STAGE.
>> YOU HAD A BIG PART IN IT, AS
WELL.
YOU NEVER KNOW WHY GOD PUTS YOU
THROUGH THESE THINGS.
YOU GET BRAIN CANCER AT 16.
YOU BEAT IT AND THEN, THIS
HAPPENS TO YOU, RIGHT?
THERE WAS SOMETHING RMIRACULOUS
THAT HAPPENED AFTER THIS INJURY.
YOUR BROTHER, COLLIN, HE'S TWO
YEARS YOUNGER THAN YOU?
>> YEAH.
>> HE HAD AN ACCIDENT.
CAN YOU TELL US WHAT HAPPENED
WITH HIS ACCIDENT?
THIS WAS A COUPLE MONTHS AGO IN
JULY.
>> WE WERE AT THE LAKE.
AT MY GRANDPARENTS' HOUSE.
AND MY SISTER COULDN'T GET THE
SEA-DOO STARTED.
AND I WAS LIKE, GET ME START IT.
AND MY BROTHER WAS LIKE, LET ME
GET ON.
ONE CLICK AND, BOOM.
A BIG EXPLOSION AND FIREBALL IN
THE AIR.
HE FLEW 15 FEET IN THE AIR.
>> HE FLEW 15 FEET IN THE AIR.
WHAT DID YOU DO?
>> I JUMPED IN AND GOT HIM.
HE WAS BY THE SEAWALL THERE.
I PUT MY HAND OUT THERE AND
GRABBED ON.
I HAD A LIFT RESTRICTION.
AT THAT TIME, I DIDN'T CARE.
I GOT IN AND GOT HIM.
>> WHAT DID THE PHYSICAL
THERAPIST SAY HIS WEIGHT
RESTRICTION WAS, JENNA?
>> HE HAS A 50-POUND WEIGHT
RESTRICTION.
SHE'S ABLE TO PUT A TWO-POUND
WEIGHT IN HIS ARM.
AND IT WILL DROP.
JUST TWO POUNDS, HE'S UNABLE TO
>> AND YET, IN THAT MOMENT.
HOW MUCH DO YOU WEIGH, COLLIN?
>> 145.
>> YOU LIFTED YOUR BROTHER OUT
OF THAT WATER, WITH ALL OF THE
JET SKI FUEL AND SO ON.
IT'S INCREDIBLE.
NOW, WHAT IS YOUR TAKE?
YOU HAD YOUR FAIR SHARE OF
CHALLENGES.
>> YEAH.
>> A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY WE HAVE
THE LUCKIEST/UNLUCKIEST KIDS.
WE KIND OF LIKE THAT.
WE'RE BLESSED IN ALL OF THIS.
>> WHAT'S YOUR TAKEAWAY?
GOD?
>> YES.
WE HAVE A LOT OF FAITH.
WE DO.
WE HAVE A LOT OF FAITH.
THAT'S WHAT'S KEPT US GOING.
I'M SO PROUD OF BROCK FOR
EVERYTHING THAT HE'S OVERCOME.
WE HAD WONDERFUL FRIENDS AND
FAMILY THAT SUPPORTED US THROUGH
ALL OF THIS.
THERE'S A REASON HE'S STILL
HERE.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
GOT A LOT YET TO DO.
HAPPY TO SEE YOU DOING SO WELL.
I KNOW THERE'S LIMITED MOBILITY.
BUT OTHER THAN THAT, YOU LOOK
AMAZING.
CERTAINLY SEEM LIKE YOU'RE ON
YOUR WAY TO A FULL RECOVERY.
THANK YOU, BROCK.