adam and eve had a lot of trouble in paradise, but now one author says the secret to a happy marriage may actually be hidden in the oldest love story in the book. but first here tonight, the "nightline" 5. >> and number one is ♪ ♪ >> good evening, and we begin here with an extraordinary family drama. it involves a mom in detroit with a transgender daughter. while watching her boy transition into a girl, this mother says she realized that slee was, in fact, a man. so this is now a household with two transgender family members and they say at the heart of this family is a marriage that is growing stronger. here's my "nightline" co-anchor juju chang. >> reporter: at just 15, cory mason's bravely sharing her transition from male to female. >> i feel like a princess. >> reporter: she made this video to combat bullying and it went viral. >> i know what i'm doing, and i feel like it's the right thing to do, stop and help people. >> reporter: now she and her family are sharing more of their personal journey with the public. cory's mother transitioning too from erica to eric. after a lifestyle of living as a woman, marrying and having five kids, eric began his transition a year ago. >> i will never forget the first joseph hormones that i took, it was like this overwhelming sense of calm and peace just came over me that i had never experienced in my life. i was like, wow, this is what normal feels like. >> there's me and mom. >> reporter: eric says he was inspired by his own daughter's bravery. and for almost two years now, the two have been sharing their transition from mother and son, to father and daughter. >> so you two draw inspiration and support from each other, don't you? what was it like watching her walk this walk? >> just seeing her and her bravery, just gave me the strength and courage to come out as well, and face the world as my true self. >> what goes through your mind when you hear eric talk about you as a hero to him? >> i feel like i've done my part and helped him through his journey as he's helped me. >> that, i think, was probably one ever the hardest things too. all my friends would tell me, you're so beautiful, you have this beautiful body, i would kill for your body. i'm like, i would kill for not this body. >> reporter: just four weeks ago, eric unchdr underwent a double mastectomy. >> i was overcome with emotion. i didn't expect for it to hit me that hard. i was like, there i am, that's me. >> this can't have been easy on your marriage? >> at first, i think the biggest struggle was top surgery, for my husband, especially. because he loved my body. as much as i hated it, he loved it. and at first, i think he struggled with it, but he said, this is what will make you happy. so who am i to keep your happiness from you? >> reporter: it was eric who encouraged corey to find her happiness, which is on clear display in this video, when she received her first dose of hormones. >> do you know what that is? >> reporter: true emotion, garnering more than seven million views. >> do you know what that is? >> the day you started hormones. >> first day of my life. >> why? >> because that's when i started to transition as a female. i could proceed with what i would like to do. >> what's the best part of being a girl for you? >> dressing up in heels, dressing and going to dances. >> reporter: but she says the life changes have been anything but easy. some of her peers taunted her. >> i would get spit on and shoved, called names. one person told me i should just go and kill myself because -- >> oh, i'm sorry. >> he said that no one would miss me in this world. and that i shouldn't be here, there's no place for me to be. >> reporter: but she didn't let it stop her. last year, corey's transgender anthem gaining more than 300,000 views on youtube. raising awareness against bullying, something she says she's experienced plenty of. she said she was inspired by another transgender girl, jazz jennings, the now reality star, one of the youngest girls to have transitioned publicly. she spoke to abc's barbara walters. >> there are some transgender children that have not been able to be transgender. and even want to die. >> i want to help those kids become the person they are. >> we watched a video of jazz jennings, and i told my mom, i'm just like her at the end. >> i realized that oh my gosh, this is also me as well, but i can't think of that right now, i have to focus on my daughter. >> reporter: it was so important for eric to be supportive of his daughter, because eric himself struggled in silence for decades, trying to come to terms with his own identity. >> it was difficult for me with my parents. i said, mom, i'm just like corey, i was born basically in the wrong body. and she said, how come i never saw this when you were a kid? i said, mom, if you remember the fights we had and the things i asked for on my christmas wish list. and she said, oh, i guess that makes sense. >> is that repression, is that denial? >> i think it's denial. in that generation. >> it is a fair question, how could you not have known? >> because i was not educated on what being transgender meant. if they would have said, this is what being transgender means, you're born with this anatomy and your brain does not identify with that, i think a lot of years ago i would have made that connection. >> reporter: today 1.4 million adults identify as transgender. but 18 to 24-year-olds are more likely to go public than their older counterparts. what's unclear is how common it is for two people in one family to transition. dr. lauren schecter performed eric's mastectomy, he specialized in the gender confirmation surgery. >> in my practice, this is the first time that i've cared for a parent, or i should say a family who's got both a parent and a child who are transitioning. what i think is unique to some degree for eric and their family is the supportive nature of the family. >> reporter: despite transitioning, eric says his kids still call him mom. >> i think that mom is an earned title. i feel like i gave birth to them, i nurtured them, i comfort them. i'm there for them and have been. i feel like, you don't necessarily have to be female to be mom. >> what's it like to watch eric go through that transition? >> it was very cool, but there was kind of a sense of loss a little bit too. >> reporter: eric's husband says having a spouse transition raises a lot of new questions. >> number one, for me, does this make me gay? no. does it mean anything between my spouse and my thing as far as our relationship is concerned? no, it doesn't. it made it better. >> reporter: he told me that eric's transition has ultimately strengthened the marriage. a lot of spouses might think, this is is a deal breaker for me. but for you it isn't? >> it's not about the shell that you walk around in, it's about the person that you are, it's about the person that i fell in love with ten-plus years ago. and because that person now presents themselves in a different way, doesn't change how i feel. >> my husband is truly an amazing soul. looking at my life now and the blessings that i have, five beautiful children and a beautiful husband, i think if i could do it again, i would not do anything differently. >> what does it mean to be comfortable in your own skin, in your own body? >> i can be who i want to be, inside and out. and i can show the world that no matter what, i can do this without you or with you. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm juju chang in new baltimore, michigan. next here, the new extreme vacation destination, where you can shoot up a minivan with a world war ii era tank. left thel after a dvt blood clot, i sure had a lot to think about. what about the people i care about? ...including this little girl. and what if this happened again? i was given warfarin in the hospital, but wondered, was this the best treatment for me? so i asked my doctor. and he recommended eliquis. eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots and reduces the risk of them happening again. yes, eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots. eliquis also had significantly less major bleeding than the standard treatment. both made me turn around my thinking. don't stop eliquis unless your doctor tells you to. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't 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 and pe blood clots. plus had less major bleeding. both made eliquis the right treatment for me. ask your doctor if switching to eliquis is right for you. because my teeth are yellow. these photos? 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>> yes. it's world war ii stuff. >> any kind of history, so here we are. >> reporter: drive tanks.com is the brain child of todd, a former houston cop and green beret. we have all kinds of guns from around the world and every period. >> reporter: his collection sits in what looks like a prop warehouse for a rambo movie. >> this tank here is a british chieftain tank and it would have served all the way through the first gulf war. this is a scorpion, cool tank. one of the features -- >> it's small. >> we call it our baby tank. >> reporter: none of it is cheap. >> i've always wanted to say this. say hello to my little friend. >> reporter: this flame-thrower sets you back with 300 bucks. flattening a car, that's $1,000. for one group, their day the sky was the limit. >> their day was a $30,000 day. >> $30,000, driving tanks? >> that's everything we had. >> reporter: frank wong and his family came from katie, texas, to drive a tank. >> we saw the youtube video online. really exciting. never shot a tank before. >> as you can see, the >> reporter: after a quick briefing. >> how about we crush a car? >> let's do it. >> reporter: they get ready to live out every rush hour commuter's fantasy. >> we're going to put a grope row in the back, so you can see what it looks like from the inside. don't tell the bosses. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> it survived. it made it. >> what was it like? >> it was amazing. >> well, it feels like the egg basically crushing. >> like an egg? >> yeah. >> reporter: the company's crown jewel is this 1944 sherman tank, the same type brad pitt made famous in "fury." >> you're going to let me drive this thing? >> absolutely. what we're going to do next, i'm going to get in there and get you some basic skills, so you can drive it. i'll be next to you. if you get too out of control, we'll cut her off. but i think you're going to do great. >> stick or automatic? >> it's stick. >> okay. we're in trouble. >> reporter: i slowly roll it out. and head right into a mile-long war zone. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: after escaping upriver and dodging machine gun sniper on a hill, it's back to base. >> that was absolutely amazing. and so smooth, really. >> yeah, i think that you can't help to bring your mind back to the guys that were driving it back in world war ii. >> reporter: this is the only place in the world you can fire a sherman tank, and they're not using blanks. >> solid steel, 14 and a half pound projectile at over 2,500 feet per second. >> reporter: the company's weapons and explosives are closely regulated by the atf. >> you want to make sure the bad guys don't get their hands on this stuff? >> absolutely. we have amazing security. we have armed guards that are within 30 seconds from the building. >> reporter: finally, 12-year-old josh gets his chance to pull the sherman's trigger, first on the 50 caliber machine gun. >> how was that? >> it was very invigorating and fun. >> here we go, time for the main gun. got the earplugs in. >> we're ready. >> three, two, one, fire in the hole! >> reporter: his shot slices through the minivan like butter. >> fire in the hole. >> worth it? >> absolutely. >> definitely worth it. >> reporter: as spring breaks go, josh and ethan think this one was right on target. >> i've seen amusement parks and roller coasters and stuff, but this is nothing compared to that. >> for "nightline," i'm clayton sandell. next, how the story of adam and eve can teach you to love your spouse like he or she is the only other human on earth. abc news "nightline," brought to you by jcpenney. hashtag stuffy nose. hashtag no sleep. hashtag mouthbreather. just put on a breathe right strip. it instantly opens your nose up to 38% more than cold medicine alone. shut your mouth and say goodnight mouthbreathers. breathe right. so find a venus smooth that contours to curves, the more comfortable the you are in it.kin, flexes for comfort, and has a disposable made for you. skin smoothing venus razors. venus with 9 lobster dishes.est is back try succulent new lobster mix & match or see how sweet a lobster lover's dream can be. there's something for everyone and everyone's invited. so come in soon. only tylenol® rapid release gels have laser drilled holes. they release medicine fast, for fast pain relief. tylenol® they have to be great on the inside and outside. my hygienist said to think of my teeth like an apple. to strengthen both, she said to go pro. go pro with crest pro-health advanced. it strengthens... ...teeth inside, and is better at strengthening the... ...outside than colgate total. best check-up ever. ♪ ♪ it's spring, and we can't wait to open our sheds and get working on our yards. scotts and miracle-gro are here to help. we make it easy to grow thick, healthy lawns, spectacular plants, and bountiful flowers. because when spring starts right, the months that follow stay perfect. load up your shed with scotts and miracle-gro. it's time to get outside. ♪ ♪ this is one gorgeous truck. special edition. oh, did i say there's only one special edition? because, actually there's five. ooohh!! aaaahh!! uh! hooooly mackerel. wow. nice. strength and style. it's truck month. get 0% financing for 60 months plus find your tag and get $5500 on select chevy silverado pick-ups when you finance with gm financial. find new roads at your local chevy dealer. ♪ ♪ >> everybody knows the story of adam and eve, but you've probably never heard it like this before. how the oldest story in the book may help improve your relationship. here's abc's david wright on a fascinating new book. ♪ ♪ got me looking so crazy right now ♪ ♪ >> reporter: queen bee and jay-z didn't just invent crazy in love. they are the latest in a long list of couples, real and imagined, who have inspired us, and confounded us, all the way back to adam and eve. >> you see this as a love story? >> oh, i think it's absolutely a love story. >> reporter: author bruce filer hopes to redeem the original sinners who tasted the forbidden fruit and were cast out of the garden of eden. >> this is everything but a happy ever after story. >> well -- >> it's the devin 95 not happily ever after story. >> it's about forgiveness and resilience, they must stay together. that's the core message of the story. >> reporter: filer, author of the best story, walking the bible, has spent his career examining the bible. >> eve especially, victims of the greatest character assassination ever. i'm like, can this first relationship tell us something about relationships today? as absurd as it sounds, can adam and eve be the role models that we're looking for? >> filer's book has even inspired an adam and eve approach to couple's therapy with the help of marriage counsellors. >> you never hear anybody talk about just adam or just eve. it's always adam and eve. >> reporter: the idea being, to help people get past the blame game, and face life's challenges together. >> in a relationship, i guess comparing to adam and eve, as you reference, you're in a team, and win or lose, you win or lose together. >> often times, there's a discussion about culpability or fault. and i think more than anything, that's just something that has no place in a relationship. because at the end of the day, the consequence is shared. >> reporter: after adam and eve were banished from eden, they stuck together. >> and the two walk out of paradise hand in hand toward a far happier place. >> hand in hand with wondering steps and slow -- >> exactly. so i think, again, there you see what love really is. it's this mix of independence. >> they're walking off into the sunset. >> together, but also alone. independent, but interdependent. >> this is a marriage with ups and downs and it lasted a thousand years. >> exactly. and it's still there 3,000 years later, as an example of what a healthy resilient, real relationship actually looks like. >> a story of a marriage that endured. i'm david wright for "nightline" in new york. our thanks to david for that report. and our thanks to you for watching abc news tonight. as always, we're online, 24/7 at abc news.com and our "nightl you've had this snack. but have you ever had a snack within a snack within a snack? three levels of snack time at the same time. reese's snack mix is pretzels, nuts, reese's pieces and reese's peanut butter cups. snacka-snacka-what? hershey's and reese's snack mix. snacks on snacks on snacks.

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