Swallower revealing the stomachturning tricks of the trade. Going to dangerous extremes to draw in crowds. But first the nightline 5. It takes a lot of work to run this business. But i really love it. Im on the move all day long. Sometimes i just dont eat the way i should. So i drink boost to get the nutrition that im missing. Boost complete nutritional drink has 26 essential vitamins and Minerals Including calcium and vitamin d to support strong bones and 10 grams of protein all with a great taste. I dont plan on slowing down any time soon. Stay strong, stay active, with boops. Number one in just 60 seconds. Good evening. Joust how far would you go for a flawless photo . As people go to dangerous extremes to get a pictureperfect snapshot, they often ignore the risks. Accidents becoming more frequent, sometimes deadly. Tonight, one mother shares her haunting cautionary tale with abcs jim avila. Reporter its an american scene. Just a couple of happy kids celebrating young love in the country. Two 16yearolds dancing and jumping on empty Railroad Tracks in rural maryland. They went there that day to do the photography project. Reporter a class project to take inspirational photos. These filled with metaphors of youth. Just starting out on the pathway yet to come. John john is the boy next door. Neighborhood model posing with his girlfriend. He loved a thrill. He wasnt reckless, but he definitely loved adventure. He loved to laugh, he loved to be a little bit scared. Reporter right up until an amtrak train travels upwards of 70 Miles Per Hour surprised john john, his girlfriend, and her twin sister, the photographer. The wind from the speeding locomotive pushing the girls back. But the cold, hard steel of the 200ton powerhouse crushing the boy before he could jump to safety. Everything changed. Everything changed. 24 hours ago we learned an amtrak train hit and killed a high school student. How is it the two girls were able to survive and john was not . They were standing to the side of the tracks. And john was standing on the tracks. Balancing on the beams. And they just escaped. I mean, it was almost a triple tragedy. So they saw it, and it was just and it happened so quick. They almost got sucked in. Thats how close they were. But your son never saw it . He didnt see it till the last minute. And he couldnt get out of the way in time. Reporter christine got the news from john johns screaming girlfriend and her life stopped. This is a picture of john. He was riding on a tractor that day. Reporter she sleeps in his room now because it smells like him. Its the only room i want to be in. I feel him with me. Reporter and she looks at those pictures. So him, and so tragic. The pictures that they took the moments before my son died are beautiful. Hes at peace and hes happy. You could see its just them doing a sweet project together. Nobody was horsing around, nobody was fooling around. And its just a horrible, horrible accident. Reporter these teens are not the only ones allured by the tracks. Hard to believe but train track photography has become a thing. A dangerous trend. People are doing it across the country. From the family that took this viral picture of mom being rescued by husband batman and their boy wonder robin on a abandoned tracks in wisconsin. Knowing what we know now, that it was illegal, we wouldnt i dont think we would do it again. Reporter no tragic ending here but the internet did blow up in scorn for what critics called an unnecessary risk. Then theres the celebrity fitness expert from bravo, greg plip, who died during a photo shoot. He had posted videos of workouts on the tracks before. Even professionals can get hurt. This hollywood movie went on location in rural georgia for a dramatic opening sequence for the film midnight rider. Leading to reallife terror on the trestle. Watch as this train unexpectedly swept across the bridge leaving little room for the actors to escape, killing one camera assistant left behind. I just kept saying over and over, lord help us. Reporter it was revealed later they were filming without a permit. The director sentenced to two years in jail for involuntary manslaughter. Sarah was the first person i saw. She was lying on the side of the tracks, dead. Reporter so why is this happening . Walking on the Railroad Track deaths are up nearly 10 already this year. Nearly 500 last year alone. Many of them taking selfies or traditional camera shots on the rails. Yesterday in florida, photographer kelly cortes took this video of a shoot she conducted on the tracks. A family who wanted a keepsake picture. To allow us to have something very unique. Reporter kelly says her shoots are safe. She stays near an intersection of road and track for an easier escape and puts a penny on the track, believing it will vibrate long before a train gets near her. You have be smart, be responsible, do your due diligence. You can never judge a trains speed. Its an optical illusion. If its a tie youre going to lose. Reporter Railroad Engineers we rode with argue there is no safe way to take rail pics. The roar of the engine follows the train. The sound surprisingly quiet as it speeds toward you. And the tracks are narrower than the train itself, making it hard to judge safe clearance. A fully loaded Freight Train weighs as much as 6,500 tons. Thats like 2,500 african elephants running at you. It can take 18 football fields to stop. Anywhere from one to two minutes from emergency brake to full stop. Once the engineer decides to put the train in emergency and hes seen you, its too late. Reporter charles samuels, an engineer on Norfolk Southern in virginia, says he sees people on the tracks every day. It haunts him. Gives him what he calls railroad dreams. They dont know how its going to affect me, you know, if i kill them or hurt them. Theyre not worried about that. Theyre worried about their shot. Reporter operation lifesav lifesaver works with railroads including Union Pacific to release Public Service announcements, trying to slow down the rail photo trend. What is he thinking . See tracks, think train. The simple truth is, people are not able to get out of the way in time. We tell people a very simple message, stay off the tracks. Its illegal, its dangerous, it can be deadly. Reporter for student photographer jeremy sprites, his rail photo days are over. He was on the tracks just a few yards away the day john john was hit by this train. The pictures taken here dont look so romantic anymore. I definitely dont think his passing was worth taking pictures on a train track. You never expect it to happen. Reporter which brings us back to john johns room in rural maryland where his mother wishes she had said no on that summer day when her son and friends had the innocent idea to take some pictures on the Railroad Tracks. Just out of the blue. Just your life stops. Everything changed. Everything is broken and it cant be fixed. Hes never coming home again. Reporter that photogenic metaphor of the pathway ahead too often just a dead end. For nightline im jim avila in boyds, maryland. Next, were with a transgender teen on the journey to becoming nicole. Her parents stumbling into activism in support of their child. Plus, inside a school for sword swallowing. What performers are willing to stomach for the sake of entertainment and why audiences are eating it up. Charged up. By design. Heart pounding. By design. After a dvt blood clot. Mind when i got out of the hospital 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. Not only does eliquis treat dvt and pe blood clots, 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. Layover. 24 hours. Hello, reykjavik. Oh, so thats how you spell it. What are you looking at . Oh, cool. Hungry. Fish, anyone . Hello, seventh waterfall of the day. Hello, duck boat. Hello, sheep . Oh right itchy icelandic sweaters and no foreign transaction fees. Sweet. One last look. Ahh. Triple points. And were off. Whats next . Wherever the journey takes you, carry American Express gold. Its more than a card. Its the gear that gets it done. You can call her a pioneer or just a regular teenager. The girl youre about to meet was born with an identical twin brother. In you shes part of a young generation of transgender activists say theyre proud of and sure of who they are days before a lifechanging surgery that will transform her body. Abcs Deborah Roberts is there. Reporter meet 18yearold nicole and jonas mains. Fit snaps im going to literally die laughing. Reporter they may not look like it but theyre actually identical twins. Ill go to Say Something and hell say it right before i say it. Reporter they may share the same genes but theyre different. Nicole is transgender. I knew that i was trans when i was like 3. I just knew in my head and in my heart that i was supposed to be a girl. Reporter and shes recently made the decision to undergo sex reassignment surgery. I feel like its going to give me almost a sense of closing that i feel like ive needed for a long time. Reporter a long time indeed. Like her brother, nicole was born a boy. His name wyatt. I knew i identified as a girl. I was like, i got this. But my body didnt match it. So i dont understand how you know that you should be something different. Like youre little, youre 3. I have no idea. Its just one of those things that you know. Reporter for her parents, kelly and wayne, its all very puzzling. I knew that nicole was different. I didnt know what it was. I didnt know she was transgender at 3. I just knew she wasnt like the other twin. Shed play all the girl roles. She always wanted to dress as a girl character. Reporter wayne struggled with letting go of one of his sons. When the twins were born i had these dreams of football, basketball, everything we thought about for me was the boys. Reporter he tried ignoring wyatts desire to be different. Man, i didnt want to think about it. When we let her go out in a dress and this kid beamed and was happier then i started to think about it. Like, man. I got to change who i am. I had to dig deep into my soul and say, hey, what are you afraid of . Reporter they supported wyatt having long hair and wearing girls clothing. I would go up to somebody in first grade and say, im wyatt and im a boy who wants to be a girl. You would say that to kids in first grade . Yeah, i didnt think it was anything wrong, it was the thing that came with my introduction. At what point did you decide you wanted another name . Probably fourth grade. It wasnt a name for girls so i needed a new one. I started looking at tv characters i idoled, tv characters i felt described me, i finally decided nicole. Any particular character . Yes, there was this character on zee wee 101. One of her classmates names was nicole. She was quirky, fun. I was like, oh, shes a lot like me. Youre good. You too. Im a nicole. Reporter by age 8, wyatt was no longer. By middle School Nicole was beginning to feel ostracized. Kids would say there was something wrong with me. Id come home crying, theres something wrong with me. Theyd say, dont listen to them, be true to yourself, this is who you are, just be true to you. Reporter jonas was fiercely supportive of his sister during this time. When i was a kid my dad told me to look after her, protect her, do what you have to do. That was a huge responsibility that i had to carry around for a lot of years. Reporter then came the bathroom issue. For years nicole had used the girls restroom. Until one of her classmates grandfather complained to school officials. The mains family filed and won a discrimination lawsuit against their school district, scoring a big victory for trans kids. The case changing state law. Ive never been shy about telling the world who i am. Reporter since the lawsuit, nicole has been in the spotlight. Her family now unlikely activists and the subject of a new book becoming nicole. Its been a pivotal year for the Transgender Movement thanks in part to Caitlyn Jenners story. Her speech at the espy awards striking a chord with nicole. For the thousands of kids out there, coming to terms with being true to who they are, they shouldnt have to take it. Im like, absolutely. Trans youth should not have to take it. They should be able to go to school. Reporter nicole is part of a new generation of out and proud trans kids. Like jazz jennings, star of the tlc show i am jazz. Despite increasing social acceptance, being transgender isnt without controversy, especially when it comes to teens undergoing the lifealtering sex reassignment surgery. Youre only 17. Teenagers change their minds a lot. Are you sure youre ready to make such a commitment . Absolutely. This has always been what i needed. This has always been, like i said, my light at the end of the tunnel. How long have you been thinking about this moment . Well, i was asking my dad. I would ask him when i was 4. Id come up to him in tears, dad, when do i get to get rid of my penis . Whats wrong with me . A lot of trans People Choose not to have surgery. Live their lives looking either like a man or a woman. Why is it so important to you to do the surgery . This is the final piece of the puzzle. My body is finally going to match whats happening in my head and heart. Serious surgery. Yeah. I worry. I dont want her to have to do this. It wasnt my choice to have a transgender child. Id rather she was already female. But ill do what i have to do help my kid be who they need to be. Reporter we were with the family on surgery day. Her puzzle, as she calls it, now complete. Everything went really well. It didnt take as long as we thought. Its amazing weight off of our shoulders. Reporter weeks later, back at the family home in maine, nicole is prepping for another big transition. Today is all about getting ready for college. Its all about packing up the last of my stuff. My rooms a mess because ive been tearing it apart. Reporter for the first time the twins will be on their own. Im ready to be sort of away from you. Not in like a bad day. That sounded really bad. I think its just going to be a really good experience to be able to have that space and be able to, yeah, have our own friends. Just call me. I will. Reporter these days the most pressing thing on nicoles mind . Passing midterms. Im happy. I like it. I got my hair done today, i got my makeup on. Im happy. Im nicole. Im incredibly happy. Reporter for nightline, im Deborah Roberts in maine. Up next, an expert sword swallower explains why high entertainment value comes with high risk at a popular stunt show. You fifteen percent or more on huh, fiftcar insurance. Uld save yeah, Everybody Knows that. Well, did you know that playing cards with kenny rogers gets old pretty fast . You got to know when to holdem. Know when to fold em. Know when to walk away. Know when to run. You never count your money, when youre sitting at the ta. What . You get it . I get the gist, yeah. Geico. Fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. How often we were changing the roll. Ht. It really started to add up. So we switched to charmin. With more gos in every roll, charmin ultra mega roll equals mega value. Each sheet is 75 more absorbent so you can use less with every go. Which means charmin ultra mega roll lasts longer than even the leading thousandsheet brand. Chaching nothing scary about that. We all go, why not enjoy the go with charmin. Here in vineland, home of progresso, we love all kinds of chicken soups. But just one kind of chicken. White breast meat chicken every time. So if youre not going to make your own chicken soup tonight, do what we do. Make it progresso. You say avocado old el paso says. Zesty chicken and avocado tacos in our stand n stuff tortillas. record scratch you say stand n stuff tortillas old el paso says. Start somewhere fresh finally, a Little Something to get you fired up on a friday night. While it involves fire in your face, swords down the throat wait, its way more popular than i just made it sound. Brooklyns coney island is full of attractions not for the faint of heart. But theres one act in the circus sideshow that tops them all. Ray valence is the resident sword swallower. Its the ultimate dont try this at home. Down the hatch without a scratch. Reporter during the course of a typical show day, ray will swallow a sword about 25 times. Someone who says that im risking my health swallowing swords would be absolutely right. Because i am doing that every single time i swallow a sword. I do it so that i can entertain people. I have to defy death in the process, so be it. Reporter believe it or not more people are willing to take that risk. Shows like American Horror story freak show have put the act back in the spotlight. Soaped performers and newcomers alike flock to the Coney Island Sideshow School to learn the hottest acts. To them the 1,000 tuition fee is well worth it to pick up the secrets of the trade from the professor, adam reelman. What youre about to see, ladies and gentlemen, is the single most does thing in a circus sideshow, known as sword swallowing. Theres been a few major injuries. Every so often youll hear of sword swallowers ripping their insides out. Reporter for the students its part of the draw. You have to be in control of something dangerous. It looks fantastic. You want to be nice and relaxed. Reporter they start slow with bent coat hangers. When they master that they charge on to the heavy artillery. The stakes are high. Internal bleeding, a pun