Holiday favorite. But first the nightline five. Good evening, we begin with another lookt a poignant story of lovove and sacrifice in the face of overwhelming odds. A young couple learns their child will be born with a debilitating medical condition, and they bring him into the world anyway. Its been a tough road and its still n not easy, b now these parents have a medical marvel on their hands. Heres abcs david wright. For brandon and brit nigh bul, the first serious curveball of parenthood came the day after their 17 week ultrasound. These are his legs. His hands and feet are in the air like this. Reporter the scan where the having a baby boy. The ultrasound tech was ting strange. She got really strange. When she got to his head and was measuring it, she didnt say a word. Then the very next day, the phone rang. They told me he had spina bifida. How did you process it . I dont know. I couldnt really believe it. Turns out t initial diagnosis was wrong. But the scan showed a severe brain abnormality. The brain almost nonexistent. Miraculously, jackson survived, hes now just over a year old. To. In fact, it was the sort of prnancy where doctors as gently as possible mentioned the word termination. Abortion has much chge. It wasnt until 23 weeks that about the option. That we had the option to florida until 24 weeks. To put it bluntly, many families faced with that scan into the world. How many fingers do i see . Chance. Where do they come from . I cant say. But i bet theyve come a long, but in a way, this is the essence of that debate. It can be. Some people take it that way. But we dont try to take it that way. Y. Termination. I would feel terrible doing someing likethat. But if they were to tell me, he was going to suffer, or he wld be in pain, or my life was in jeopardy, then my thought process might have been different. Were christian and we believe in what we believe in, but we still are going to do the best thing for our family, for brittany, a ultimately for jackson. And this is jackson today. Sorrily disabled, but thriving. For us, this is normal. We dont have another child. Even just bathingim is a task that requires both parents. Want to play with your toys . This one or that one . Where do you put his happiness . Time. Hes just like any other baby. Hes teething and gasy, so hes cranky often. There you go. Good job and hes the sweetestt baby. I know were byiased and thats fine. But jackson is not like most other babies. Heres what his brain should look like. Instead, this is jacksons brain. Only a year later did neurologists come up with a proper diagnosis. Microhydro ensefaly. This doctor saw him in august. How much of the brains there . Very little. Will he ever be able to talk . I would be shocked if he could. Will he ever be able to walk . Independently, very unlikely. Y. Theres no prognosis. Doctors are sprised hes made it this far. How long he can survive with this . Ion know. I dont have a crystal ball. It really depends on the medical complications. Such a good boy. Hes only madade i this far with the help of his parerents. Jackson gets nutrition through a feeding tube. Burpg him involves removing stomach. He sometimes suffers from mild seizures. Even when hes really calm. Sometimes hell just go into a slight seizure. I dont think so. He was irritable when i saw him, and theres nothing about this that causes pain, per se. Reporter pain and suffering are not necessarily the same things. In the end, the doctors themselves say that science alone cant answer that question. And what is his quality of life . Again, i imagine but i dont have a full appreciation of how hs able to see the lights on his toy is baffling because the ser eastbound rum is so small as to be nonexistent. Mommy cant do it for you. Ill remind you, you put your hand and you press it, like that. Reporter and yet his parents, who spend so much time with them are convinced their son is in there. Its so cute when he gets so proud of himself. He grins. Yeah, its a cute grin. It is cute. Responding to their love and attention. N. Every day we spend time with him. Every day we play with him. Every dayay weay i love you. A hundred million times. Maybe a little exaggeration. But probably over a hundred times a day. No exaggeration. C you sit up like a big boy . We say mommys here, daddys here. Youre so strong, youre so smart. He h hears those things every day maybe im biased, but i believe positive reinforcement, talking to him, loving him that was a b bigyawn, buddy. I think hes responding to that very well. Reporter not only that, they feel he loves you back. They hear him saying so in videos such as this. I love you. And even if others may not hear it, these parents feel it. But brittany and brandon also hear from the neigh sayers. When they post his photos and videos online, people write the most terrible things. And we cant fathom would think Something Like that about an innocent child, especially one with special needs and two, actually hit the send button. Hes a lucky boy, you guy seem like great parents. We try. We try hard. Jackson is lucky, because many parents would not have given him that chance. It hasnt been easy. A lot of his treatments, including that trip to boston are not covered by insurae. Fund me campaign which is covering most of their bills for now. Every decision weve ever made for him has been about his happiness, his comfort, no matter what that meant, and no matter what the cost. I feel like jackson is doing so well and can teach the medical world so much. And we realize that jacksons life has a purpose, whether you are faithbased, or scitific and want to see more about medicine, learnore about the human brain. And at the same time, we reali the reality of jackso that were probably going to outlivehim. Theres an e excellent chance of that. Were just trying to give him the best life possible. Knowing that it might be a short one. We realize that. So every day is precious. Jackson, almost 16 months old now, istill showing improvements. Here he is taking his first picture with santa. Ordinary people struggling with an extraordinary burden, and doing it with love. Im david wright for nightline up next, shes not afraid of the dark side on shoz like scandal and how to get away with murder. Do what i say and ask questions later but Shonda Rhimes said she spend years hiding her own crippling secret. And later, whoopi goldbg, with a special christmas message. And that was amazing. Along with support, Chantix Varenicline is proven to help people quit smoking. It absolutely reduced my urge to smoke. Some people had changes inin behavio thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. Some had seizures while taking chantix. If you have any of these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away. Tell your doctor about any history of Mental Health problems, which could get worse or of seizures. Dont take chantix if youve had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. Ifif you havthese, stop chant and call your doctor right away as some can be lifethreatening. Tell your doctor if you have heart or blood vessel problems, or develop new or worse symptoms. Of a heart attack or stroke. Decrease alcohol use while taking cntix. Use caution when driving or operating machinery. Most common side effect inausea. I cant believe i did it. I quit smoking. Ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. Whatcha doin . Just prepping for my bosss party in a couple week what are those . Crest whitestrips. They whiten way better than paste. Crest 3d White Whitestrips whiten 2times better than a leading whitening toothpaste. Someones making quite an impression. Th holiday season, select crest whitestrips are dave, im sorry to interrupt. I gotta take a sick day tomorrow. Dads dont take sick days, dads take nyquil severe the nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, so shes the unsputed queen of primetime tv. Shonda rhimes, the strong leading lady behind the strong leading ladies on scandal and how to get away with muer. But behind the scenes, shes times debilitating vulnerabilities. So when you walk onto the set like this, you must be giddy. Its exciting. This is pretty magical to me. Weere getti an intimate tour of the oval office. A hollywood mockup anyway. You may not recognize our guide, but chances are, youve been inside her racy day dreams. This cant happen, not anymore. Theres been hanky panky in here too. Theres been a lot of interesting hanky panky onhat desk. Stop. No. Its crazy what your imaginatio can build. Shondas imagination reaches roughly 30 million peoeople a week with greys anato, scandal, and how to get away with murder. Her world, shondaland. Over the last 12 years, shes created bold female characters that dominate in typically maledriven industries. Much like shonda herself. Wa painfulfully uncomfortable in the spotlight. Im a writer, im supupposed to be behind the scenes. And everybody else in front. Despite beingnvited to every glamourous party in hollywood, shed make excuses saying she was too busy. Until her sister provoked her. I was going on and on about the invitations id received and my sister cut in and said, are you going to say yes to anything . You never say yes to anything . And those words stuck with me. She was right. So this became a campaign to say yes to things that scared you. To say yes to things that freaked me out. For a full year shed take on all the things shed worked so hard t avoid. It began with an invitation to appear on jimmy mmel, who shed turned down so many times before. I tip my white hat to you. What you started saying yes, what happened . That undoes the fear. But it was more than public appearances that she would say yes to. Lets talk about the f word. You call yourself fat. I did. I got on the airplane to go to new york, and i couldnt get the seat belt buckled. You can call the stewardess and ask for an extender, and i decided i was going to die because i wasnt going to say it out loud, my seat belt wont buckle. That moment was lifechanging. I hit this point where i said, i work hard in every other area of my life, why wouldnt i throw myself into being healthy in the same way . At one point, losing 137 pounds. Shonda said she was finally feeling comfortable in herer o skin. But with every yes, she struggled more to find time to end with her kids. Shes also frank about motherhood and the dirty little too afraid to talk about. That you really cant have it all. I was literally at my daughters first debut in her school musical, and i missed sandra o. Last filming ever at greys anatomy. It was not a qstion for me where i was going to be. But that was a really important moment at work and it was a big deal that i missed it. A big deal in part because Christina Yang was shondas alter ego come to life. Get out of my er our feelings and our sense of relationships are very similar. Dont let what you want eclipse what you need. Hes very dreamy, but hes not the sun. You are. So when christina left gray sloan Memorial Hospital and her lover to pursue her keercareer, it was major statement. One of the other things you doesnt want to get married. No, she doesnt. And you wrote that into her story line using your own life as a Reference Point . I did. I discovered i dont want to get married. At least for now. Do you feel l likets important for women to throw out that fairy tale ending in a way . I dont know that women have to throw out the fairy tale ending. I just think they have to decide what their fairy tale ending is and not go with the standard one that everyones told them theyre suppod to have. Up next, Whoopi Goldberg embracing the holiday spirit th a special christmas message. Abc news nightline, brought to you by pfizer. What about my family . My lil buddy . And what if this happened again . I was given warfarin in the hospital but i wondered if this was the right treatment for me. Then my doctor told me about eliquis. Eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots and reduces the risk of them happening again. But eliquis also had significantly less major bleeding than the standard treatment. Knowing eliquis had both. Turned around my thinking. Dont stop eliquis unless your doctor tells you to. Eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. Dont take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. If you had a spinal injection while on eliquis call your doctor right away if you have tingling, numbness, or muscle weakness. While taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily. And it may take longer than usual for bleeding to stop. Seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. Eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. Tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. Eliquis treats dvt pe blood clots. Plus had less major bleeding. Both made switching to eliquis right for me. Ask your doctor if its right for you. Olay regenerist renews from within, plumping surface cells for a dramatic transformation with olay, you age less so you can be ageless so when you think of the holidays, you tnk santa claus or frosty the snowman, but at its core,ts about festivities with family and friends. So tonight our friend Whoopi Goldberg is ringing inn the holidays for nightline from her living room. Reading us a classic christmas tale. H ho ho. Hello. Im going to give you my recitation of the night before ristmas, because i really like it, andts my favorite thingng to do just before i go to bed. So lay back, or sit back, or ju sit, if youre a puppy, or cat. twas the night before christmas when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care in hopes that now the children were also nestled snug in their beds, while visions of sugar plums danced in their heads. And mama in her ker chief and i in my hat had settled our brains down for a long winters nap. When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, i leapt up from matter. Away to the window i flew like a flash, tore up the shutters, threw up the sash. And the moon on the new fallen snow, gave a luster of midday to objects below. When what to my wondering e eyes should appear, but a miniature sleigh a eight tiny reindeer. With an old driver so lively and quick, i knew in a minute, it must be saint nick. He whistled and sought shouted dash e dancer, prancer vixen, cupid, donner and blitzen. Now dash away, dash away, dash away all, which i assume meant, hey, go to the top of the porch and then go to the top of the wall and then get o of here. Thats what i think that meant. As dry leaves before the wild hurrane fly, when they met with an obstacle mountain in the sky. So up to the house, to the top quarters they flew, with a sleigh full of toys and Saint Nicholas too. And then in a twinkling, i heard up on the roof, the prancing and pawing of each little tiny hoof. As i drew in my head and was turning around, down the chimney st. Nicholas came with a bound. He came down the chimney, which i personally think would have been a little hot, but hes saint nick and so, magic happens, but dont try that at home. Bad day. Anyway, he was dressed all in fur fake fur. Just saying. From his head to his foot and his clothes were all tarnished th ashes and soot. The bundle of toys he flung up on his back, he looked like an old peddler just opening his pack. His eyes, ooh, they were twinkling, his dimples, how merry, his cheeks like roses, his nose like cherry. And his beard of his chin was as white as snow. And the stump of his pipe, well, he didnt actually have a pipe. The stump of his starbucks, he held in his teeth, and the coffee encircled has head like a wreath. He had a broad face and a rou little belly and it shook when he laughed like a bowl full of jelly. Right old elf, and i laughed when i saw him in spite of myself. Now i wasnt laughing at m. I was laughing with him. He was going, ho ho ho, so we were laughing together. So a wink of his eye and a twist of his head soon gave me to know i had nothing to dread. Well, i do have some things to dread, but i wasnt dreading seeing him. Thats what that means. And he didnt say a word, he went straight to his work, filled all of the stockings and turned with a jerk. He laid his finger aside his nose and giving a nod, whoop, whoop, up the chimney he rose. He sprang to his sleigh. To his team he gave a whistle and away they alllllew, like a down on a thistle. But i heardd him exclaim as he drove out of sight, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night. The night before christmas,by clement moore. And for all of youut there, thanks for watching abc news. Tune into Good Morning America tomoow first thing. And as always, were online at our Facebook Page for nightline and at abc. Com. Have a wondeul holiday and hell see you tomorrow. Tmas time plays ] Merry Christmas ijacque reidin the midst of shoppers shopping at a local mall in new y york city hello, jacque. And im a. R. Bernard, celebrating christmas right here at Christian Cultural Center in brooklyn, new york. Man dyou feel