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American Morning

Woman Who Once Needed Feeding Tube Shares Story; Soldier Copes with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder; Sony Releases Portable Multimedia Unit

Aired March 24, 2005 - 09:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


BILL HEMMER, CO-HOST: NASDAQ market site, we are below 2,000 now; 1,990 is your opening mark, off a fraction in trading on Wednesday.
Nine thirty here in New York. Good morning again and good morning to you. Thirty more minutes. Back to the headlines.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: But who's counting? Right?

HEMMER: I know. Here's Carol Costello.

CAROL COSTELLO, ANCHOR: Thirty more minutes! And it's only one day till Friday.

HEMMER: It's been a rocking morning, I'll tell you.

HEMMER: But who's counting?

COSTELLO: Good morning, everyone.

Now in the news, the search continues this hour for one person missing after an explosion at that oil refinery near Houston, Texas. Officials say at least 14 people were killed. More than 70 others injured. Federal investigators are expected on the site later today to determine the cause of this blast.

A top U.S. commander in Iraq is soon recommending sending thousands of American troops home. CNN has learned General George Casey may recommend some troops return home beginning this summer. President Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, though, will make that final decision, and it will depend on the level of violence and whether Iraqi security forces are up to par.

Protesters in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan are now in control of the main parliament building there. Demonstrators clashing with riot police in the capital city earlier today. They're angry about recent parliamentary election results. In the meantime, the president has apparently left town. Russia's Interfax Agency says he has flown to Russia.

In Minnesota, students from Red Lake High School are expected to come together today for the first time since a shooting rampage there. And school could resume next week. In the meantime, investigators are continuing to look for clues as to what prompted Monday's shooting. There are some reports the shooter, Jeff Weise, was taking Prozac. A news conference from hospital officials is planned for later this morning. Apparently, he was being treated by -- with depression, and he was actually hospitalized for it.

HEMMER: So much, we're learning more every day about this story.

O'BRIEN: A troubled young man.

HEMMER: Carol, thanks.

At this point and at this hour, there is still no word from the U.S. Supreme Court on whether or not the Terri Schiavo case can go forward there. Also, in Florida, a circuit court is set to rule on a change in custody that could have Schiavo's feeding tube restored.

Kate Adamson also needed a feeding tube to survive. And in fact, at one point it was turned off. She wrote about her experience in a book called "Kate's Journey."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: Your story is different from Terri Schiavo's. I want to make that quite clear here.

KATE ADAMSON, AUTHOR, "KATE'S JOURNEY": Exactly.

HEMMER: But about 10 years ago, you're 33 at the time. And how did you fall into what's considered a locked-in state?

ADAMSON: Well, I had a huge catastrophic experience just like Terri. You're looking at a woman who has had years of rehab. And I think that's the key point, getting the patient into rehab early.

HEMMER: But you were essentially paralyzed from the eyelids down, right?

ADAMSON: I was completely paralyzed. I couldn't move a muscle. I was unable to speak. I couldn't move my eyes or blink. And the most terrifying thing, Bill, was trying to somehow communicate with anyone that I was actually in there. I'm in here. I'm alive. Because people thought I wasn't. They assumed I wasn't in there.

HEMMER: At one point your feeding tube was removed. First of all, why was it taken out, Kate?

ADAMSON: Well, Bill, let me just back up here, because it was removed eventually when I was in rehab. But in those early days of the 70 days in ICU, 69 of those I was listed critical on life support. The feeding tube had been inserted without complete anesthesia. So I felt everything and was unable to cry out or communicate. I had to endure the pain.

And then that feeding tube was turned off for eight days. So I literally went through the starvation. I'm lying there. My whole body was screaming out, feed me; do not let me starve. I do not want to die. I was clinging to everything. My husband was beside the bed.

Now, the feeding tube was turned off because of my medical condition. My digestive system had basically shut down.

HEMMER: When they turned your feeding tube back on, essentially, and that nourishment came back into your body, what do you remember feeling at that point?

ADAMSON: Well, it's like anything, when you eat, you feel better. Because up until that point, Bill, I had had -- received nothing. All the hunger pangs overrode any thought I had. Suddenly I started to feel better, having that food enter back into my system.

I got to tell you, when I -- at the end of the 70 days, and how I was able to communicate with the outside world was blinking. As simple as that is, you and I blinking right now, that's where I was finally able to communicate, by blinking letters on an alphabet.

HEMMER: Why do you think you were able to recover and overcome the odds? You mentioned one in a million, which is what you are.

ADAMSON: Well, you should be talking to my husband. I mean, you've probably seen him on some things. He's not the kind of person you want to mess around with. He was fighting with everybody to convince them to get me into rehab. That's very critical, to have someone who is going to stand up for you.

HEMMER: Your condition was called locked in. Terri Schiavo's condition is called persistent vegetative state, and there is a difference.

ADAMSON: That's what they're saying.

HEMMER: Do you believe Terri Schiavo can recover out of her condition if that feeding tube is reinserted?

ADAMSON: I -- well, let me ask you this, OK? If you were in that state and you're cut off from sunlight and you don't have any no human contact, no radio, no TV, no one to stroke your hair and say it's going to be OK and tell you things are going to get better and praise you for every little thing you do, do you think you could get better in that environment?

HEMMER: You have a remarkable story. Thanks for sharing. Kate Adamson.

ADAMSON: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Let's take a look at the weather for the day ahead. Chad is off today. But Rob Marciano is at the CNN Center. He's got the latest look for us.

Hey, Rob. Good morning again.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: All right, Rob. Thanks a lot. All this week, Dr. Sanjay Gupta's been exploring the science of memory in advance of his primetime special on Sunday. This morning Sanjay's dealing with some traumatic memories, images and events that the brain just cannot forget.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SPC. ESTEBAN LORA, ARMY NATIONAL GUARD: There are a lot of things that I see day to day that remind me of Iraq. Like for the new year's, to walk outside your door and you see all these things flying around and you hear the firecrackers popping. It's like for a second, you're like whoa.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Esteban Lora is 22 years old, a college student in Miami and a war veteran with a Purple Heart. He battled insurgents in the notorious Sunni Triangle.

In the fall of 2003, he was wounded by a roadside bomb and sent home. The scars on his hand and foot have healed over, but mentally...

LORA: I was angry. Very emotional. Very emotional.

GUPTA: A doctor at the Miami V.A. hospital diagnosed him with post-traumatic stress disorder.

PTSD encompasses a wide range of symptoms. Nightmares and flashbacks are common. A signature complaint is that the smallest stimulants, like a noise, triggers a flood of painful, overwhelming memories.

Today standard treatments for PTSD are anti-depressants and group and individual therapy. Lora's doctors say that by seeking and receiving treatment early on, his chance of recovery is excellent. Research also backs up what several doctors and patients told us: social support tends to help as much as anything.

LORA: When we came (ph), when -- when you're sitting around with your -- you know, the same guys you were in Iraq with and they say, "Hey, man, I'm having these problems." And you open up to them. And they're like, "Dude, let's get help. Let's go."

The most painful thing for me is to -- is to sit in a room or go to drill and know that you're among heroes. That's my thing. It's not painful; it's just painful because it's so joyful. I know people who are heroes, real life heroes, and they're my friends.

GUPTA: With a wedding planned for June and two years left to a political science degree, this hero is putting his life back together. He's one of the lucky ones.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: A reminder now, Sanjay's primetime special "Memory" airs Sunday night at 10 Eastern right here on CNN.

HEMMER: Time to start thinking about the summer.

O'BRIEN: Yes, it is.

HEMMER: The summer vacation. Gerri has some planning tips in a moment here.

O'BRIEN: Also ahead this morning, plenty of gamers are tired. They were all camped out last night to get their hands on that new Sony PSP. Was it worth the wait? We'll check in and find out ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Today, devout gamers have a slick new gadget for their playing pleasure. And some stayed up until midnight to get their hands on the long-awaited toy.

Our technology correspondent, Daniel Sieberg, test drove the Sony PlayStation Portable to see if it lives up to the hype. He's in Atlanta this morning.

Hey there, Daniel. Good morning to you. So yes or no, does it live up to the hype?

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's a very good question. It depends on who you ask. But it has been in the works for more than two years. And you know, it may actually challenge the iPod as the trendiest gadget.

But the question, as you're asking, will Sony's new device live up to all the buzz, and will consumers have room for it?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIEBERG (voice-over): If your pockets feel a bit full, well, you might need to make room for the latest got to have it gadget. Sony's PSP or PlayStation Portable, is now on sale in the U.S. for about $250.

SCOTT STEINBERG, VIDEO GAME REVIEWER: The PlayStation portable plays movies. It plays music. It plays games. And it functions as a PDA. It even has wifi Internet access.

SIEBERG: "Spider-Man 2" is one of the first movies available, along with about two dozen games for starters.

One glance at the sleek device and you know it's going to make waves. Sony unveiled the PSP with much fanfare at a trade show last May, then released it in Japan in December, where the black cased palm player went white hot.

Sony reportedly delayed the upcoming European launch to make more units available in the states. But the PSP faces fierce competition. Nintendo, which has long been the hand held leader, has a new one called the DS. Nokia's N- Gage, a combination cell phone and game device, is also out there. And hundreds of game titles are downloadable to many cell phones, offering a continuing way to get games on the go.

(on camera) Apple's iPod isn't aimed at gamers, but Sony clearly has the popular music player in its sights. Just a coincidence: they both have white head phones.

STEINBERG: I think iPod is probably going to be the predominant gadget in terms of the casual user. But certainly, as an all-purpose gadget, the PlayStation Portable is unmatched.

SIEBERG (voice-over): Sony brought us the first portable more than 20 years ago and touts the PSP as the Walkman of the 21st Century.

Retailers say preorders for the PSP were through the roof. And with demand so high, analysts are predicting more than a million could be sold in the first few days. The trick may be getting your hands on one.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIEBERG: If you do literally get your hands on one, we want to show you something here. You'll notice it's actually easy to smudge. It has this sort of nice screen on it here, but it's a bit smudge -- it's not really clean all the time. So people probably knew that that would be a complaint. Sony knew that. They actually included this cleaning cloth so you can clean it.

Nintendo has been doing this, though, for about 15 years. They learned about the durability of the Game Boy and the DS. You can see them there. If you drop the PSP and crack the screen, you're probably going to be a little upset -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: I have a question for you.

SIEBERG: Yes.

O'BRIEN: First, this disk here. This is a different format. So every time you have to buy a game or movie, that's going to cost you serious bucks.

SIEBERG: Absolutely. Yes, $250 is just the starting price. But you see here the universal media disk, which is Sony's proprietary format. They're going to run about $20 to $40 each. The games and the movies look the same. But you are going to have to spend the money once you buy the device, as well. That's not unusual for gamers, though. They're kind of used to that.

O'BRIEN: It also -- I've got to tell you, though, just feeling it, it feels very fragile. Almost like the same feel as your Blackberry. Meaning you wouldn't want your kid to play with it, because if they drop it or if they scratch it, or the buttons aren't big. It's not sort of shielded in lots of plastic like these games usually -- these games -- these players usually are.

SIEBERG: Exactly. And you can see the two differences here. I mean, as you say, the PSP is definitely heavier. I dropped both the DS and the Game Boy this morning, and they're fine. I wasn't even willing to try to drop the PSP this morning, just because it does look a little bit more fragile.

But you know, Sony says it's aiming for an older crowd. They want to get the demographic, say, 18 to 35, the gamers. The average age of a gamer is about 28 or 29, so they're hoping it's going to be gamers but also people who want to have the multimedia side of it, as well.

O'BRIEN: Well, you know, it's a good size. Throw it in your handbag, you know? I like that.

SIEBERG: Yes.

O'BRIEN: All right. Daniel Sieberg, thanks for the heads up on this. Appreciate it. Do I get to keep this one?

SIEBERG: I think -- well, maybe it's keep it for awhile. I have to check with Sony. I know mine's a loaner. So...

O'BRIEN: Yes. I think mine's a loaner, too. Thanks, Daniel.

SIEBERG: All right.

O'BRIEN: What's the most important thing you need to do to get ready for summer? Gerri Willis has a total plan ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.

Well, there is no question that the best medicine for the spring season that still feels like winter is to plan your summer vacation. And Gerri Willis is "Minding Your Business." She's in for Andy Serwer this morning. She's got some tips on that.

Good morning.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, there, Soledad.

It is time to plan your summer vacation. Let me tell you, if you want to go anywhere at all, you'll get started early this year because the popular destinations are already getting snapped up by Europeans, who can take advantage of the cheap dollar.

So here's what you need to do. If you're going to those popular places like Cape Cod, Hilton Head, book now. Take a boat, not a backpack if you're going to Europe yourself. Your money will go further because they're pricing those tours in dollars, not euros.

Think snow and ice. I've done this myself. This is a great idea. Summer vacation at ski resorts. There's a lot to do: golf, spas. Did I say spas? Kayaking.

O'BRIEN: Spas.

WILLIS: Spas.

And timing, of course, is everything. You want to avoid the popular travel days like the Fourth of July, obviously, Labor Day, if you can.

Let me give you some web sites here that can help you out a lot if you're going to rent a home. Go to VRMA.com for vacation rentals. OwnerDirect.com is another great place to go if you want to rent a house directly from an owner. And Xanterra.com if you're going to a national park. One of my favorite destinations. It's a great place to go to line that up.

O'BRIEN: All right. Gerri, thank you very much. Excellent advice. Appreciate it.

We also want to clarify today a story that we reported on Tuesday on Sarah Jessica Parker and her relationship with The Gap. In a report we implied that Parker had been fired. Well, the clothing company tells us that Parker successfully fulfilled her three-season contract. And The Gap adds they don't have any future plans to sign a single person to a multi-season deal like the unique relationship that they enjoyed with Sarah Jessica. So we apologize for any confusion on that.

HEMMER: Very successful campaign with her, too. You want to say something?

WILLIS: Before we move on, I just have to mention "OPEN HOUSE," coming Saturday morning at 9:30.

O'BRIEN: Of course. Get that plug in.

WILLIS: We've got some great things coming. A bathroom makeover, if you ever wanted to know how to change out a john on your own. We're going to show you how to do that.

And we have a contractor nightmare. A nightmare story one couple endured. We'll tell you how to avoid that yourself.

O'BRIEN: There are so many contractor nightmares. It will be interesting to hear how to avoid that the next time.

HEMMER: Change the john?

WILLIS: You might want to do that some day, Bill.

HEMMER: Maybe not.

O'BRIEN: Hire a contractor.

HEMMER: Thank you, Gerri.

Here's Jack now with a batch of questions of the day.

JACK CAFFERTY, CO-HOST: Last bunch of e-mails on whether the Supreme Court ought to hear the Terri Schiavo case.

We begin with Tom in Minnesota. Pardon me. "What part of no do these folks not understand? This case has been litigated 21 times. The executive branch, the legislative branch have overstepped their bounds and are now trying to involve the judiciary. I think not."

Teresa in Kentucky writes, "Yes, I think the Supreme Court should hear this case. Apparently no other court wants to listen to all the facts."

And Dennis in Michigan writes, "If the Supreme Court decides to gear up to review the mental condition of Terri, they might as well check out those folks in Washington while they're at it."

HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.

Our next hour on CNN here, "CNN LIVE TODAY," a deejay turned artist, Moby. He's in the house with Daryn, talking about a new CD called "Hotel," already a favorite at iTunes. That's coming up next hour with Daryn Kagan.

We are back in a moment on AMERICAN MORNING after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN (voice-over): This week in history, on March 20, 1995, Tokyo's morning rush hour disintegrated into chaos when the poisonous gas sarin filled the air. Twelve people were killed and thousands injured during the terrorist attack in a subway station.

Eric and Lyle Mendez were convicted in a retrial in 1996 for the slaying of their parents. They were sentenced to life in prison.

A cry for equal rights was finally heard when thousands, mostly African-Americans, marched about 54 miles from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, this week in history. Voting rights advocates marched to Montgomery's state capitol beginning March 21, 1965.

And that is this week in history.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Here's Aaron Brown now with a look at what's coming up tonight on "NEWSNIGHT."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AARON BROWN, HOST, "NEWSNIGHT": Soledad, thank you. Tonight on "NEWSNIGHT," a scam so outrageous it hardly seems possible. A man forced to pay $20,000 in child support for a child that didn't exist. How did the woman claiming to be the new mother manage to dupe everyone, the man, the courts in New Mexico, for five years? That story plus the latest on the Schiavo case as it goes to the Supreme Court, "Morning Papers" and everything else that makes "NEWSNIGHT," "NEWSNIGHT," CNN tonight, 10 p.m. Eastern -- Soledad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: All right, Aaron. Thanks.

HEMMER: Before we get out of here, we want to show you these pictures that came in yesterday, late yesterday, in fact.

In Nigeria, thousands of fishermen testing their skills at bagging the biggest fish. At the start of the gun, they rush into these muddy waters. They use these giant butterfly nets as fishing poles. Competitors have exactly one hour for the race to conclude, and the winner -- well, he gets it all.

And this year, the man who caught 165-pound Nile perch. I've not seen that on a plate here in New York City yet.

COSTELLO: Where is it?

HEMMER: Nigeria.

COSTELLO: No, I mean the fish. I want to see the fish.

CAFFERTY: That's in Nigeria, too.

HEMMER: As a matter of fact.

O'BRIEN: That's -- can you imagine one guy with a butterfly net catching a 165-pound fish in the shallow muddy waters?

COSTELLO: How could you even lift it up out of the water?

O'BRIEN: Unbelievable.

COSTELLO: Maybe we saw the fish and I just missed it.

O'BRIEN: Or not.

HEMMER: We've got to go. We want to get down to Daryn Kagan, "CNN LIVE TODAY."

Moby's on today, Daryn. Is that right?

O'BRIEN: Hey, Daryn.

DARYN KAGAN, HOST, "CNN LIVE TODAY": Yes. Talk about snaring a big fish.

HEMMER: That's cool, yes. KAGAN: We've got Moby.

And we -- unlike those pictures, we really have Moby. There's no big fish in those Nigerian pictures. That's a Nigerian fish tale.

You guys have a great day in New York City.

We have a lot going on here, not just Moby, but a lot of news to bring you up to date on, as well. Let's take a look at what's happening now in the news.

Time and options may be running out for Terri Schiavo. Parents of the brain damaged woman are awaiting word from two courts that could decide whether to restore her feeding tube. One seeks the intervention of the U.S. Supreme Court. The other asks a Florida court to allow a state agency to take custody of Terri Schiavo. That Florida ruling is expected within the next two hours.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired March 24, 2005 - 09:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CO-HOST: NASDAQ market site, we are below 2,000 now; 1,990 is your opening mark, off a fraction in trading on Wednesday.
Nine thirty here in New York. Good morning again and good morning to you. Thirty more minutes. Back to the headlines.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: But who's counting? Right?

HEMMER: I know. Here's Carol Costello.

CAROL COSTELLO, ANCHOR: Thirty more minutes! And it's only one day till Friday.

HEMMER: It's been a rocking morning, I'll tell you.

HEMMER: But who's counting?

COSTELLO: Good morning, everyone.

Now in the news, the search continues this hour for one person missing after an explosion at that oil refinery near Houston, Texas. Officials say at least 14 people were killed. More than 70 others injured. Federal investigators are expected on the site later today to determine the cause of this blast.

A top U.S. commander in Iraq is soon recommending sending thousands of American troops home. CNN has learned General George Casey may recommend some troops return home beginning this summer. President Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, though, will make that final decision, and it will depend on the level of violence and whether Iraqi security forces are up to par.

Protesters in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan are now in control of the main parliament building there. Demonstrators clashing with riot police in the capital city earlier today. They're angry about recent parliamentary election results. In the meantime, the president has apparently left town. Russia's Interfax Agency says he has flown to Russia.

In Minnesota, students from Red Lake High School are expected to come together today for the first time since a shooting rampage there. And school could resume next week. In the meantime, investigators are continuing to look for clues as to what prompted Monday's shooting. There are some reports the shooter, Jeff Weise, was taking Prozac. A news conference from hospital officials is planned for later this morning. Apparently, he was being treated by -- with depression, and he was actually hospitalized for it.

HEMMER: So much, we're learning more every day about this story.

O'BRIEN: A troubled young man.

HEMMER: Carol, thanks.

At this point and at this hour, there is still no word from the U.S. Supreme Court on whether or not the Terri Schiavo case can go forward there. Also, in Florida, a circuit court is set to rule on a change in custody that could have Schiavo's feeding tube restored.

Kate Adamson also needed a feeding tube to survive. And in fact, at one point it was turned off. She wrote about her experience in a book called "Kate's Journey."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: Your story is different from Terri Schiavo's. I want to make that quite clear here.

KATE ADAMSON, AUTHOR, "KATE'S JOURNEY": Exactly.

HEMMER: But about 10 years ago, you're 33 at the time. And how did you fall into what's considered a locked-in state?

ADAMSON: Well, I had a huge catastrophic experience just like Terri. You're looking at a woman who has had years of rehab. And I think that's the key point, getting the patient into rehab early.

HEMMER: But you were essentially paralyzed from the eyelids down, right?

ADAMSON: I was completely paralyzed. I couldn't move a muscle. I was unable to speak. I couldn't move my eyes or blink. And the most terrifying thing, Bill, was trying to somehow communicate with anyone that I was actually in there. I'm in here. I'm alive. Because people thought I wasn't. They assumed I wasn't in there.

HEMMER: At one point your feeding tube was removed. First of all, why was it taken out, Kate?

ADAMSON: Well, Bill, let me just back up here, because it was removed eventually when I was in rehab. But in those early days of the 70 days in ICU, 69 of those I was listed critical on life support. The feeding tube had been inserted without complete anesthesia. So I felt everything and was unable to cry out or communicate. I had to endure the pain.

And then that feeding tube was turned off for eight days. So I literally went through the starvation. I'm lying there. My whole body was screaming out, feed me; do not let me starve. I do not want to die. I was clinging to everything. My husband was beside the bed.

Now, the feeding tube was turned off because of my medical condition. My digestive system had basically shut down.

HEMMER: When they turned your feeding tube back on, essentially, and that nourishment came back into your body, what do you remember feeling at that point?

ADAMSON: Well, it's like anything, when you eat, you feel better. Because up until that point, Bill, I had had -- received nothing. All the hunger pangs overrode any thought I had. Suddenly I started to feel better, having that food enter back into my system.

I got to tell you, when I -- at the end of the 70 days, and how I was able to communicate with the outside world was blinking. As simple as that is, you and I blinking right now, that's where I was finally able to communicate, by blinking letters on an alphabet.

HEMMER: Why do you think you were able to recover and overcome the odds? You mentioned one in a million, which is what you are.

ADAMSON: Well, you should be talking to my husband. I mean, you've probably seen him on some things. He's not the kind of person you want to mess around with. He was fighting with everybody to convince them to get me into rehab. That's very critical, to have someone who is going to stand up for you.

HEMMER: Your condition was called locked in. Terri Schiavo's condition is called persistent vegetative state, and there is a difference.

ADAMSON: That's what they're saying.

HEMMER: Do you believe Terri Schiavo can recover out of her condition if that feeding tube is reinserted?

ADAMSON: I -- well, let me ask you this, OK? If you were in that state and you're cut off from sunlight and you don't have any no human contact, no radio, no TV, no one to stroke your hair and say it's going to be OK and tell you things are going to get better and praise you for every little thing you do, do you think you could get better in that environment?

HEMMER: You have a remarkable story. Thanks for sharing. Kate Adamson.

ADAMSON: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Let's take a look at the weather for the day ahead. Chad is off today. But Rob Marciano is at the CNN Center. He's got the latest look for us.

Hey, Rob. Good morning again.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: All right, Rob. Thanks a lot. All this week, Dr. Sanjay Gupta's been exploring the science of memory in advance of his primetime special on Sunday. This morning Sanjay's dealing with some traumatic memories, images and events that the brain just cannot forget.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SPC. ESTEBAN LORA, ARMY NATIONAL GUARD: There are a lot of things that I see day to day that remind me of Iraq. Like for the new year's, to walk outside your door and you see all these things flying around and you hear the firecrackers popping. It's like for a second, you're like whoa.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Esteban Lora is 22 years old, a college student in Miami and a war veteran with a Purple Heart. He battled insurgents in the notorious Sunni Triangle.

In the fall of 2003, he was wounded by a roadside bomb and sent home. The scars on his hand and foot have healed over, but mentally...

LORA: I was angry. Very emotional. Very emotional.

GUPTA: A doctor at the Miami V.A. hospital diagnosed him with post-traumatic stress disorder.

PTSD encompasses a wide range of symptoms. Nightmares and flashbacks are common. A signature complaint is that the smallest stimulants, like a noise, triggers a flood of painful, overwhelming memories.

Today standard treatments for PTSD are anti-depressants and group and individual therapy. Lora's doctors say that by seeking and receiving treatment early on, his chance of recovery is excellent. Research also backs up what several doctors and patients told us: social support tends to help as much as anything.

LORA: When we came (ph), when -- when you're sitting around with your -- you know, the same guys you were in Iraq with and they say, "Hey, man, I'm having these problems." And you open up to them. And they're like, "Dude, let's get help. Let's go."

The most painful thing for me is to -- is to sit in a room or go to drill and know that you're among heroes. That's my thing. It's not painful; it's just painful because it's so joyful. I know people who are heroes, real life heroes, and they're my friends.

GUPTA: With a wedding planned for June and two years left to a political science degree, this hero is putting his life back together. He's one of the lucky ones.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: A reminder now, Sanjay's primetime special "Memory" airs Sunday night at 10 Eastern right here on CNN.

HEMMER: Time to start thinking about the summer.

O'BRIEN: Yes, it is.

HEMMER: The summer vacation. Gerri has some planning tips in a moment here.

O'BRIEN: Also ahead this morning, plenty of gamers are tired. They were all camped out last night to get their hands on that new Sony PSP. Was it worth the wait? We'll check in and find out ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Today, devout gamers have a slick new gadget for their playing pleasure. And some stayed up until midnight to get their hands on the long-awaited toy.

Our technology correspondent, Daniel Sieberg, test drove the Sony PlayStation Portable to see if it lives up to the hype. He's in Atlanta this morning.

Hey there, Daniel. Good morning to you. So yes or no, does it live up to the hype?

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's a very good question. It depends on who you ask. But it has been in the works for more than two years. And you know, it may actually challenge the iPod as the trendiest gadget.

But the question, as you're asking, will Sony's new device live up to all the buzz, and will consumers have room for it?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIEBERG (voice-over): If your pockets feel a bit full, well, you might need to make room for the latest got to have it gadget. Sony's PSP or PlayStation Portable, is now on sale in the U.S. for about $250.

SCOTT STEINBERG, VIDEO GAME REVIEWER: The PlayStation portable plays movies. It plays music. It plays games. And it functions as a PDA. It even has wifi Internet access.

SIEBERG: "Spider-Man 2" is one of the first movies available, along with about two dozen games for starters.

One glance at the sleek device and you know it's going to make waves. Sony unveiled the PSP with much fanfare at a trade show last May, then released it in Japan in December, where the black cased palm player went white hot.

Sony reportedly delayed the upcoming European launch to make more units available in the states. But the PSP faces fierce competition. Nintendo, which has long been the hand held leader, has a new one called the DS. Nokia's N- Gage, a combination cell phone and game device, is also out there. And hundreds of game titles are downloadable to many cell phones, offering a continuing way to get games on the go.

(on camera) Apple's iPod isn't aimed at gamers, but Sony clearly has the popular music player in its sights. Just a coincidence: they both have white head phones.

STEINBERG: I think iPod is probably going to be the predominant gadget in terms of the casual user. But certainly, as an all-purpose gadget, the PlayStation Portable is unmatched.

SIEBERG (voice-over): Sony brought us the first portable more than 20 years ago and touts the PSP as the Walkman of the 21st Century.

Retailers say preorders for the PSP were through the roof. And with demand so high, analysts are predicting more than a million could be sold in the first few days. The trick may be getting your hands on one.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIEBERG: If you do literally get your hands on one, we want to show you something here. You'll notice it's actually easy to smudge. It has this sort of nice screen on it here, but it's a bit smudge -- it's not really clean all the time. So people probably knew that that would be a complaint. Sony knew that. They actually included this cleaning cloth so you can clean it.

Nintendo has been doing this, though, for about 15 years. They learned about the durability of the Game Boy and the DS. You can see them there. If you drop the PSP and crack the screen, you're probably going to be a little upset -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: I have a question for you.

SIEBERG: Yes.

O'BRIEN: First, this disk here. This is a different format. So every time you have to buy a game or movie, that's going to cost you serious bucks.

SIEBERG: Absolutely. Yes, $250 is just the starting price. But you see here the universal media disk, which is Sony's proprietary format. They're going to run about $20 to $40 each. The games and the movies look the same. But you are going to have to spend the money once you buy the device, as well. That's not unusual for gamers, though. They're kind of used to that.

O'BRIEN: It also -- I've got to tell you, though, just feeling it, it feels very fragile. Almost like the same feel as your Blackberry. Meaning you wouldn't want your kid to play with it, because if they drop it or if they scratch it, or the buttons aren't big. It's not sort of shielded in lots of plastic like these games usually -- these games -- these players usually are.

SIEBERG: Exactly. And you can see the two differences here. I mean, as you say, the PSP is definitely heavier. I dropped both the DS and the Game Boy this morning, and they're fine. I wasn't even willing to try to drop the PSP this morning, just because it does look a little bit more fragile.

But you know, Sony says it's aiming for an older crowd. They want to get the demographic, say, 18 to 35, the gamers. The average age of a gamer is about 28 or 29, so they're hoping it's going to be gamers but also people who want to have the multimedia side of it, as well.

O'BRIEN: Well, you know, it's a good size. Throw it in your handbag, you know? I like that.

SIEBERG: Yes.

O'BRIEN: All right. Daniel Sieberg, thanks for the heads up on this. Appreciate it. Do I get to keep this one?

SIEBERG: I think -- well, maybe it's keep it for awhile. I have to check with Sony. I know mine's a loaner. So...

O'BRIEN: Yes. I think mine's a loaner, too. Thanks, Daniel.

SIEBERG: All right.

O'BRIEN: What's the most important thing you need to do to get ready for summer? Gerri Willis has a total plan ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.

Well, there is no question that the best medicine for the spring season that still feels like winter is to plan your summer vacation. And Gerri Willis is "Minding Your Business." She's in for Andy Serwer this morning. She's got some tips on that.

Good morning.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, there, Soledad.

It is time to plan your summer vacation. Let me tell you, if you want to go anywhere at all, you'll get started early this year because the popular destinations are already getting snapped up by Europeans, who can take advantage of the cheap dollar.

So here's what you need to do. If you're going to those popular places like Cape Cod, Hilton Head, book now. Take a boat, not a backpack if you're going to Europe yourself. Your money will go further because they're pricing those tours in dollars, not euros.

Think snow and ice. I've done this myself. This is a great idea. Summer vacation at ski resorts. There's a lot to do: golf, spas. Did I say spas? Kayaking.

O'BRIEN: Spas.

WILLIS: Spas.

And timing, of course, is everything. You want to avoid the popular travel days like the Fourth of July, obviously, Labor Day, if you can.

Let me give you some web sites here that can help you out a lot if you're going to rent a home. Go to VRMA.com for vacation rentals. OwnerDirect.com is another great place to go if you want to rent a house directly from an owner. And Xanterra.com if you're going to a national park. One of my favorite destinations. It's a great place to go to line that up.

O'BRIEN: All right. Gerri, thank you very much. Excellent advice. Appreciate it.

We also want to clarify today a story that we reported on Tuesday on Sarah Jessica Parker and her relationship with The Gap. In a report we implied that Parker had been fired. Well, the clothing company tells us that Parker successfully fulfilled her three-season contract. And The Gap adds they don't have any future plans to sign a single person to a multi-season deal like the unique relationship that they enjoyed with Sarah Jessica. So we apologize for any confusion on that.

HEMMER: Very successful campaign with her, too. You want to say something?

WILLIS: Before we move on, I just have to mention "OPEN HOUSE," coming Saturday morning at 9:30.

O'BRIEN: Of course. Get that plug in.

WILLIS: We've got some great things coming. A bathroom makeover, if you ever wanted to know how to change out a john on your own. We're going to show you how to do that.

And we have a contractor nightmare. A nightmare story one couple endured. We'll tell you how to avoid that yourself.

O'BRIEN: There are so many contractor nightmares. It will be interesting to hear how to avoid that the next time.

HEMMER: Change the john?

WILLIS: You might want to do that some day, Bill.

HEMMER: Maybe not.

O'BRIEN: Hire a contractor.

HEMMER: Thank you, Gerri.

Here's Jack now with a batch of questions of the day.

JACK CAFFERTY, CO-HOST: Last bunch of e-mails on whether the Supreme Court ought to hear the Terri Schiavo case.

We begin with Tom in Minnesota. Pardon me. "What part of no do these folks not understand? This case has been litigated 21 times. The executive branch, the legislative branch have overstepped their bounds and are now trying to involve the judiciary. I think not."

Teresa in Kentucky writes, "Yes, I think the Supreme Court should hear this case. Apparently no other court wants to listen to all the facts."

And Dennis in Michigan writes, "If the Supreme Court decides to gear up to review the mental condition of Terri, they might as well check out those folks in Washington while they're at it."

HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.

Our next hour on CNN here, "CNN LIVE TODAY," a deejay turned artist, Moby. He's in the house with Daryn, talking about a new CD called "Hotel," already a favorite at iTunes. That's coming up next hour with Daryn Kagan.

We are back in a moment on AMERICAN MORNING after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN (voice-over): This week in history, on March 20, 1995, Tokyo's morning rush hour disintegrated into chaos when the poisonous gas sarin filled the air. Twelve people were killed and thousands injured during the terrorist attack in a subway station.

Eric and Lyle Mendez were convicted in a retrial in 1996 for the slaying of their parents. They were sentenced to life in prison.

A cry for equal rights was finally heard when thousands, mostly African-Americans, marched about 54 miles from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, this week in history. Voting rights advocates marched to Montgomery's state capitol beginning March 21, 1965.

And that is this week in history.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Here's Aaron Brown now with a look at what's coming up tonight on "NEWSNIGHT."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AARON BROWN, HOST, "NEWSNIGHT": Soledad, thank you. Tonight on "NEWSNIGHT," a scam so outrageous it hardly seems possible. A man forced to pay $20,000 in child support for a child that didn't exist. How did the woman claiming to be the new mother manage to dupe everyone, the man, the courts in New Mexico, for five years? That story plus the latest on the Schiavo case as it goes to the Supreme Court, "Morning Papers" and everything else that makes "NEWSNIGHT," "NEWSNIGHT," CNN tonight, 10 p.m. Eastern -- Soledad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: All right, Aaron. Thanks.

HEMMER: Before we get out of here, we want to show you these pictures that came in yesterday, late yesterday, in fact.

In Nigeria, thousands of fishermen testing their skills at bagging the biggest fish. At the start of the gun, they rush into these muddy waters. They use these giant butterfly nets as fishing poles. Competitors have exactly one hour for the race to conclude, and the winner -- well, he gets it all.

And this year, the man who caught 165-pound Nile perch. I've not seen that on a plate here in New York City yet.

COSTELLO: Where is it?

HEMMER: Nigeria.

COSTELLO: No, I mean the fish. I want to see the fish.

CAFFERTY: That's in Nigeria, too.

HEMMER: As a matter of fact.

O'BRIEN: That's -- can you imagine one guy with a butterfly net catching a 165-pound fish in the shallow muddy waters?

COSTELLO: How could you even lift it up out of the water?

O'BRIEN: Unbelievable.

COSTELLO: Maybe we saw the fish and I just missed it.

O'BRIEN: Or not.

HEMMER: We've got to go. We want to get down to Daryn Kagan, "CNN LIVE TODAY."

Moby's on today, Daryn. Is that right?

O'BRIEN: Hey, Daryn.

DARYN KAGAN, HOST, "CNN LIVE TODAY": Yes. Talk about snaring a big fish.

HEMMER: That's cool, yes. KAGAN: We've got Moby.

And we -- unlike those pictures, we really have Moby. There's no big fish in those Nigerian pictures. That's a Nigerian fish tale.

You guys have a great day in New York City.

We have a lot going on here, not just Moby, but a lot of news to bring you up to date on, as well. Let's take a look at what's happening now in the news.

Time and options may be running out for Terri Schiavo. Parents of the brain damaged woman are awaiting word from two courts that could decide whether to restore her feeding tube. One seeks the intervention of the U.S. Supreme Court. The other asks a Florida court to allow a state agency to take custody of Terri Schiavo. That Florida ruling is expected within the next two hours.

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